Collection of Information; Proposed Extension of Approval; Comment Request-Follow-Up Activities for Product-Related Injuries, 44262-44263 [E6-12576]

Agencies

• Consumer Product Safety Commission

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 150 (Friday, August 4, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44262-44263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12576]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION


Collection of Information; Proposed Extension of Approval; 
Comment Request--Follow-Up Activities for Product-Related Injuries

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission requests comments 
on a proposed extension of approval of a collection of information from 
persons who have been involved in or have witnessed incidents 
associated with consumer products. The Commission will consider all 
comments received in response to this notice before requesting an 
extension of approval of this collection of information from the Office 
of Management and Budget.

DATES: The Office of the Secretary must receive comments not later than 
October 3, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be captioned ``Product-Related 
Injuries'' and e-mailed to the Office of the Secretary at cpsc-
os@cpsc.gov or mailed to Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product 
Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814. Written 
comments may also be sent to the Office of the Secretary by facsimile 
at (301) 504-0127.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the proposed 
extension of approval of the collection of information, or to obtain a 
copy of any of the interview guides or forms used for this collection 
of information, contact Linda L. Glatz, Office of Planning and 
Evaluation, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, 
Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504-7671; e-mail lglatz@cpsc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    Section 5(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Act, 15 U.S.C. 2054(a), 
requires the Commission to collect information related to the causes 
and prevention of death, injury, and illness associated with consumer 
products. That legislation also requires the Commission to conduct 
continuing studies and investigations of deaths, injuries, diseases, 
other health impairments, and economic losses resulting from accidents 
involving consumer products. The Commission uses this information to 
support development and improvement of voluntary standards, rulemaking 
proceedings, information and education campaigns, and administrative 
and judicial proceedings. These safety efforts are vitally important to 
help make consumer products safer and to remove unsafe products from 
the channels of distribution and from consumers' homes.
    Persons who have sustained injuries or who have witnessed safety-
related incidents associated with consumer products are an important 
source of safety information. From consumer complaints, newspaper 
accounts, death certificates, hospital emergency room reports, and 
other sources, the Commission investigates a limited number of 
incidents. These investigations may involve face-to-face or telephone 
interviews with accident victims or witnesses, as well as contact with 
state and local officials, including police, coroners, and fire 
investigators. The Commission also receives information about product-
related injuries from persons who provide written information by using 
forms displayed on the Commission's Internet Web site or printed in the 
Consumer Product Safety Review and other Commission publications.
    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the collection 
of information concerning product-related injuries under control number 
3041-0029. OMB's most recent extension of

[[Page 44263]]

approval will expire on September 30, 2006. The Commission now proposes 
to request an extension of approval of this collection of information. 
As explained below, the current estimates that this collection of 
information will require approximately 7,030 hours on all respondents.

B. Estimated Burden

    The Commission staff obtains information about incidents involving 
consumer products from approximately 14,851 persons annually. The staff 
conducts face-to-face interviews at incident sites with approximately 
807 persons each year. On average, an on-site interview takes 
approximately 5 hours. The staff will also conduct approximately 2,544 
in-depth investigations by telephone. Each in-depth telephone 
investigation requires approximately 20 minutes. Additionally, the 
Commission's hotline staff interviews approximately 4,600 persons each 
year about incidents involving selected consumer products. These 
interviews take an average of 10 minutes each. Each year, the 
Commission also receives information from about 6,900 persons who 
complete forms requesting information about product-related incidents 
or injuries. These forms appear on the Commission's Internet Web site, 
https://www.cpsc.gov, and are printed in the Consumer Product Safety 
Review and other Commission publications. The staff estimates that 
completion of a form takes about 12 minutes.
    The Commission staff estimates that this collection of information 
imposes a total annual burden of 7,030 hours on all respondents: 4,035 
hours for face-to-face interviews; 848 hours for in-depth telephone 
interviews; 1,380 hours for completion of written forms; and 767 hours 
for responses to Hotline telephone questionnaires.
    The Commission staff estimates the value of the time of respondents 
to this collection of information at $28.75 an hour (June 2005, Bureau 
of Labor Statistics). At this valuation, the estimated annual cost to 
the public of this information collection will be about $202,000.

C. Request for Comments

    The Commission solicits written comments from all interested 
persons about the proposed collection of information. The Commission 
specifically solicits information relevant to the following topics:
     Whether the collection of information described above is 
necessary for the proper performance of the Commission's functions, 
including whether the information would have practical utility;
     Whether the estimated burden of the proposed collection of 
information is accurate;
     Whether the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected could be enhanced; and
     Whether the burden imposed by the collection of 
information could be minimized by use of automated, electronic or other 
technological collection techniques, or other forms of information 
technology.

    Dated: July 31, 2006.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. E6-12576 Filed 8-3-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P