Drafting consumer standards

The Interests of the consumer have in recent times received a great deal of publicity, which in turn has produced a few real, tangible, and even significant benefits. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a U.S. Government body, is one of the truly significant products of the somewhat amorphous consumer movement. I speak from personal experience with the CPSC; and as an engineer and a Professor of Electrical Engineering. I offer the following account of one engineer's effort to follow his conscience and look out for the interests of society, and his own interests as well. This may sound oddly reminiscent of a soap opera, with never ending complications surrounding Young Doctor Malone. Indeed, that appraisal is very close to the truth; with all parties — the good guys, the bad guys, the doers, and the talkers — all viewing themselves as Young Doctor Malone, who somehow must correct the ills of society and, in particular, the ills of power lawn mowers, which is what this article is all about.