Petition Requesting Safeguards for Glass Fronts of Gas Vented Fireplaces, 33179-33180 [2011-14020]

Agencies

• Consumer Product Safety Commission

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 8, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 33179-33180]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14020]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

16 CFR 1460


Petition Requesting Safeguards for Glass Fronts of Gas Vented 
Fireplaces

AGENCY: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission'' or 
``we'') has received a petition (CP 11-1) requesting that the 
Commission initiate rulemaking to require safeguards for glass fronts 
of gas vented fireplaces. We invite written comments concerning the 
petition.

DATES: The Office of the Secretary must receive comments on the 
petition by August 8, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2011-
0028, by any of the following methods:

Electronic Submissions

    Submit electronic comments in the following way:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    To ensure timely processing of comments, the Commission is no 
longer accepting comments submitted by electronic mail (e-mail), except 
through https://www.regulations.gov.

Written Submissions

    Submit written submissions in the following way:
    Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for paper, disk, or CD-ROM 
submissions), preferably in five copies, to: Office of the Secretary, 
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 820, 4330 East West 
Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504-7923.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and petition number for this rulemaking. All comments received may be 
posted without change, including any personal identifiers, contact 
information, or other personal information provided, to: https://www.regulations.gov. Do not submit confidential business information, 
trade secret information, or other sensitive or protected information 
electronically. Such information should be submitted in writing.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to: https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rockelle Hammond, Office of the 
Secretary, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 820, 4330 East 
West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504-6833.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission has received correspondence 
from Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. (``petitioner''), dated May 23, 2011, 
requesting that we initiate rulemaking to require safeguards for glass 
fronts of gas vented fireplaces. We are docketing this request as a 
petition under the Consumer Product Safety Act. 15 U.S.C. 2056 and 
2058. Petitioner notes that the industry standard for gas vented 
fireplace heaters allows glass fronts to reach temperatures of 500 
degrees Fahrenheit, and that these glass fronts are accessible to 
children. Petitioner claims that, according to the U.S. Consumer 
Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance 
System database (NEISS), more than 2,000 children ages 0-5 years 
suffered burn injuries on gas fireplaces in the period between 1999 and 
March 2009. Petitioner believes the hazard posed by gas fireplaces is 
due to a combination of factors, ``including the high surface 
temperature of the fireplace glass, the accessible location of the 
glass front, the attractiveness of fire to young children, and the lack 
of consumer awareness of the hazard.'' Petitioner states that passive 
interventions, such as an ``integral safety screen,'' are needed to 
protect children. Petitioner asks the Commission to develop a mandatory 
standard for gas fireplaces that requires

[[Page 33180]]

a protective barrier, guard or other device for any accessible surface 
that, if contacted, is hot enough to cause severe burns.
    Subsequent to the receipt of this petition, the Commission received 
a submission from Mr. William S. Lerner, also requesting that the 
Commission initiate rulemaking regarding glass fronts of gas 
fireplaces. Mr. Lerner asks the Commission to require a ``high 
temperature warning system,'' which will ``project a clear high 
temperature alert onto the glass front of the fireplace that will 
remain visible from the time the fireplace is lit until the glass is 
cool enough to touch safely.'' We also seek comment on his proposal.
    Interested parties may obtain a copy of the petition and subsequent 
submission by writing or calling the Office of the Secretary, U.S. 
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 820, 4330 East West Highway, 
Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504-7923. Copies of these documents 
are also available for inspection from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, in the Commission's Public Reading Room, Room 419, 4330 
East West Highway, Bethesda, MD, or from the Commission's Web site at: 
https://www.cpsc.gov.

Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2011-14020 Filed 6-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P