Petition for Labeling Requirements Regarding Slip Resistance of Floor Coverings; Request for Comments, 75639 [2015-30440]

Agencies

• Consumer Product Safety Commission

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 232 (Thursday, December 3, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 75639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-30440]


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Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 232 / Thursday, December 3, 2015 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 75639]]



CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

16 CFR Part 1408

[Docket No. CPSC-2015-0033]


Petition for Labeling Requirements Regarding Slip Resistance of 
Floor Coverings; Request for Comments

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice of petition for rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' 
or ``Commission'') received a petition requesting that the Commission 
initiate rulemaking under the Consumer Product Safety Act (``CPSA'') to 
require that manufacturers of floor coverings, floor coverings with 
coatings, and treated floor coverings label their products' slip 
resistance in accordance with the applicable American National 
Standards Institute (``ANSI'') standard. The Commission invites written 
comments concerning the petition.

DATES: The Office of the Secretary must receive comments on the 
petition by February 1, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2015-
0033, 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 by 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 proposed 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 
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-2015-0033, into the ``Search'' box, and follow the 
prompts. A copy of the petition is available at https://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. CPSC-2015-0033, Supporting and 
Related Materials.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Stevenson, 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 received a petition 
requesting that manufacturers of floor coverings, floor coverings with 
coatings, and treated floor coverings (herein abbreviated as ``floor 
coverings'') be required to label their products to provide point-of-
sale information regarding such products' degree of slip resistance, in 
accordance with the labeling requirements of ANSI B101.5-2014.\1\ 
Specifically, petitioner requests a rule that would require a label 
indicating the slip resistance (also known as ``coefficient of 
friction'' or ``COF'') for floor coverings based on tests described in 
ANSI B101.1 and B101.3. The required label would provide a graphic of a 
traction scale and indicate the COF value for the product.
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    \1\ The petition does not apply to floor coatings, such as 
waxes, that are sold separately or to coverings such as carpets, 
rugs, mats, runners or artificial turf.
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    The petition was filed by the National Floor Safety Institute. 
Petitioner notes that manufacturers of floor coverings currently are 
not required to provide consumers with information relating to slip 
resistance of their products. Petitioner asserts that because different 
types of floor coverings have pronounced differences in slip 
resistance, many flooring materials will be inappropriate for specific 
uses. Petitioner states that the primary focus of the petition is to 
protect the elderly, a population petitioner believes to be most 
vulnerable to the risk of slip and fall events. As an example, 
petitioner cites that in 2014, more than 23,000 elderly Americans died 
as a result of accidental falls. Furthermore, petitioner notes that the 
CDC stated that in 2013, the direct medical costs of older adult falls 
was approximately $34 billion.
    Petitioner states that slip resistance labeling would be analogous 
to the requirements for labeling nutritional content in food, noting 
that labeling regarding flooring slip resistance would allow consumers 
to make more informed decisions when selecting a flooring product, 
enabling elderly consumers to select flooring that offers higher slip 
resistance, potentially reducing the risk of accidental slip and fall 
events.
    By this notice, the Commission seeks comments concerning this 
petition. Interested parties may obtain a copy of the petition 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. A copy of the petition is also 
available for viewing under ``Supporting and Related Materials'' in 
www.regulations.gov, under Docket No. CPSC-2015-0033.

    Dated: November 25, 2015.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2015-30440 Filed 12-2-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6355-01-P