Bill Kitzes Product Safety Management

Curriculum Vitae

Click here for a current Curriculum Vitae (pdf format)

 

Biography of Bill Kitzes


Bill Kitzes has over 35 years of safety management experience at the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Institute for Safety Analysis and Consumer Safety Associates, where he currently serves as Principal Safety Analyst and Product Safety Manager.  Mr. Kitzes is a Board Certified Product Safety Manager and Hazard Control Manager, and holds a Certificate in Safety Management from the American Society of Safety Engineers.  He has testified in over 100 trials in 28 states, Canada and Australia.

From 1974 to 1981, Mr. Kitzes worked at the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  For 3 years, he served as Legal Advisor to the Director, Office of Product Defect Identification, and was responsible for identifying product defects, implementing recalls and developing voluntary corrective action plans under Section 15 of the Consumer Product Safety Act.

As CPSC Program Manager for Sports, Recreation and Power Equipment (1977-1980), Mr. Kitzes directed the application of injury statistics, engineering data, and foreseeable consumer use to achieve a reduction in injuries, through standards, warnings, and safety education campaigns.  He led the development of the Federal Safety Standard for Walk-Behind Power Lawn Mowers (16 CFR 1205)  in 1979.  Mr. Kitzes served as Commission representative to various standards development committees, including American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM).

Mr. Kitzes has been retained as a consultant for a number of major manufacturers, including the Toro Company on product safety issues, the Vendo Company for developing warning labels and safety bulletins, the Jensen Corporation for safe operation of industrial equipment, BernzOmatic, a division of the Rubbermaid/Newell Group, for development of point-of-purchase recall displays and advertising, Arctic Cat, Inc. for analysis of all-terrain vehicle off-road safety, including instructions, warnings and foreseeable use, and Visioneer, Inc. in developing a program to upgrade computer scanners.  He has developed a program for Global Industries to improve executive chair stability, reviewed warnings on heavy equipment for Daewoo Heavy Industries America, investigated safety issues for Carson Industries, Inc. and assisted CISCO Systems in recall development.  Bill has designed a warning label for Whisper Communications, Inc., and assisted Wham-O, Inc. in recall procedures.  He has provided risk analysis, recall assistance and consumer warnings for Restoration Hardware, Inc. and has developed warnings for Plastics Research Corp. for use on decorative building materials.  He has reviewed advertising and promotional material for ACH Foods and assisted Hilton Hotels on recalls.  Bill has advised Swimways Corporation on product safety management and warnings. He has assisted Dick’s Sporting Goods in developing safety communications and warnings. He currently serves as Product Safety Coordinator for compliance with a Department of Justice/CPSC Consent Agreement and Order for LM Imports.

Mr. Kitzes has served as an advisor to the National Association of Attorneys General, the State of New York and is the former Chairman of the Florida Consumers’ Council (1993-2007).  He is the author of numerous articles in professional journals on risk analysis, standards development, forensic safety and children’s safety issues.

Mr. Kitzes has been an active speaker at the National Safety Council and the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization.  He has worked with the CPSC staff in presenting compliance seminars to manufacturers, distributors and retailers around the country.