Acknowledgement of Probe Results
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) acknowledged the results of the investigation by Samsung Electronics Co. into what caused the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to catch fire.
After Samsung Electronics made announcement on January 23 that faulty batteries were the cause of the Note 7 fires, some foreign press take a negative stance against the result, saying, “It is necessary to check on the fact.” However, the CPSC, which presents the strictest conditions on the consumer safety worldwide, accepted Samsung’s probe results. Accordingly, the controversy over the cause of the Galaxy Note 7 fires is expected to be settled for now.
In particular, the CPSC said, “The global IT industry needs to learn from the Galaxy Note7 experience and put more safeguards in place during the design and manufacturing stages of lithium-ion batteries.” Therefore, securing the safety of batteries for smart devices will be the biggest challenge of the industry.
"Samsung's announcement of the findings of their investigation into the root cause of both Note 7 batteries that were recalled is an important step forward. Industry needs to learn from this experience and improve consumer safety by putting more safeguards in place during the design and manufacturing stages to ensure that technologies run by lithium-ion batteries deliver their benefits without the serious safety risks," CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye said in the release on the 24th (local time).
The CPSC is conducting an independent investigation into the exact causes behind the exploding Galaxy Note 7 devices, but it exceptionally showed confidence in Samsung’s investigation before making its official result of the probe. Notably, the CPSC said the Galaxy Note 7 is one of the most successfully recalled products.
Kaye said, “Each year, the CPSC announces about 400 recalls. Most U.S. recalls have a low consumer response rate, but fortunately 97 percent of the Note 7 phones have been returned so far.”
Meanwhile, the CPSC said that it will improve the safety standards for lithium-ion batteries for smart devices in order to prevent safety accidents caused by batteries. The CPSC said, “We are considering new standards for lithium-ion batteries for smartphones in cooperation with mobile communication device manufacturers, battery manufacturers and electricity experts. We will help Samsung to share its lesson learned from the probe with industry and propel the industry forward.”