Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Consumer Focus Groups, 8177-8178 [2014-02901]

Agencies

• Consumer Product Safety Commission

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8177-8178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-02901]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

[Docket No. CPSC-2010-0046]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Consumer Focus Groups

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or 
Commission) requests comments on a proposed extension of approval of a 
collection of information from persons who may voluntarily participate 
in consumer focus groups under OMB Control No. 3041-0136. The 
Commission will consider all comments received in response to this 
notice before requesting an extension of this collection of information 
from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

DATES: Submit written or electronic comments on the collection of 
information by April 14, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2010-
0046, by any of the following methods:
    Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic comments to the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments. The Commission does not accept 
comments submitted by electronic mail (email), except through 
www.regulations.gov. The Commission encourages you to submit electronic 
comments by using the Federal eRulemaking Portal, as described above.
    Written Submissions: Submit written submissions in the following 
way: mail/hand delivery/courier to: Office of the Secretary, 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 docket number for this notice. All comments received may be posted

[[Page 8178]]

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 
that you do not want to be available to the public. If furnished at 
all, 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, and insert the 
docket number, CPSC-2010-0046, into the ``Search'' box, and follow the 
prompts.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert H. Squibb, Consumer Product 
Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; (301) 
504-7815, or by email to: cpsc.gov">rsquibb@cpsc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background

    Section 5(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), 15 U.S.C. 
2054(a), authorizes the Commission to conduct studies and 
investigations relating to the causes and prevention of deaths, 
accidents, injuries, illnesses, other health impairments, and economic 
losses associated with consumer products. Section 5(b) of the CPSA, 15 
U.S.C. 2054(b), further provides that the Commission may conduct 
research, studies and investigations on the safety of consumer products 
or test consumer products and develop product safety test methods and 
testing devices.
    To help identify and evaluate product-related incidents, Commission 
staff invites and obtains direct feedback from consumers on issues 
related to product safety, such as recall effectiveness, product use, 
and perceptions regarding safety issues. By convening focus groups to 
provide information regarding use of a specific consumer product or 
class of consumer products, including recalled products, CPSC has 
collected valuable information. For example, Commission staff has used 
focus groups to assess consumers' behavior related to product recalls, 
pool and spa safety, the Consumer Product Safety Risk Management 
System, recreational off-road vehicle restraint systems, and cpsc.gov 
Web site redesign.
    The information that the CPSC collects from future focus groups 
will help inform the Commission's identification and evaluation of 
consumer products and product use, by providing insight and information 
into consumer perceptions and usage patterns. In some cases, one-on-one 
interviews may be conducted as a more in-depth extension of a focus 
group or in place of a traditional focus group. This information may 
also assist the Commission in its efforts to support voluntary 
standards activities and help CPSC identify consumer safety issues 
requiring additional research. In addition, based on the information 
obtained, CPSC may be able to provide safety information to the public 
that is easier to read and understood by a wider range of consumers.

B. Burden Hours

1. Respondents

    The CPSC seeks the proposed extension of approval of a collection 
of information for consumer focus groups that may be conducted by the 
CPSC over the next three years. Staff estimates that over the 3-year 
period of this request, the Commission will conduct up to 20 focus 
groups, with 10 persons each, and 10 one-on-one interviews for a 
variety of projects. The total hours of burden to the respondents are 
(an estimated 4 hours per person for each focus group x 200 
participants) + (an estimated 30 minutes per person for each individual 
interview x 10 participants) = 1,100 hours (367 hours per year for 3 
years). The total annual cost is estimated at 1,100 x $31.16 (U.S. 
Department of Labor, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, 
September 2013) = $34,276 ($11,425.33 per year for 3 years).

2. Federal Government

    The total cost of this collection to the federal government is 
estimated at approximately $140,000. This represents nine months of 
staff time annually. This sum includes anticipated travel costs 
expended for meeting with contractors and contracts for conducting 
focus groups or one-on-one interviews as well as salaries and benefits 
($129,419). This estimate uses an annual total compensation of $119,238 
(the equivalent of a GS-14 Step 5 employee), with an additional 30.9 
percent added for benefits (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ``Employer 
Costs for Employee Compensation,'' September 2013, Table 1, percentage 
of wages and salaries for all civilian management, professional, and 
related employees), for a total annual compensation of $172,559.

C. Requests for Comments

    The Commission invites comments on the proposed collection of 
information, including:
     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.

Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2014-02901 Filed 2-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P