This is the first in a series of posts on traceability, supported by IBM. Read more about building a smarter planet.


Product recalls can have potentially serious health consequences, but the sheer number announced each year makes it almost impossible to keep track of them all. Aiming to help consumers stay abreast of the recalls that affect them, SafetyBook lets users register the products they own and then notifies them immediately of any relevant safety-related alerts or decisions.

The majority of recalls occur in three main product categories, SafetyBook says: child products, home appliances and automobiles. For that reason, those are the products it focuses on with its service. A yearly membership is now priced at USD 19.95. Once consumers sign up and register the products they own, the Chicago-based company actively monitors recall alerts from manufacturers and federal agencies including the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA). When a relevant product has been recalled, SafetyBook notifies affected members via its company’s “Direct-Alert” email system.

The CPSC has already recalled nearly 45 million products this year, 32 million of which are a child-safety threat, SafetyBook says. Plenty of opportunity here to use smart tracking to deliver a little peace of mind!