Thyssenkrupp Access Corp., 36711-36715 [2021-14819]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 131 / Tuesday, July 13, 2021 / Notices 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: [CPSC Docket No. 21–1] Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465–0492. Thyssenkrupp Access Corp. The Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet to review information presented by the Council’s Skate Plan Development Team (PDT) and develop acceptable biological catch (ABC) recommendations for the Skate Complex for fishing years 2022–24. They will receive presentation on report of the SSC Social Science Subpanel Review of Groundfish and Scallops Specifications. They will discuss any comments on the document, NOAA/NMFS NS1 [National Standard 1] Technical Guidance Subgroup 3 Tech Memo. Also on the agenda is the discussion of approaches for modifying the acceptable biological catch control rules for the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan. Other business will be discussed as necessary. Although non-emergency issues not contained on the agenda may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. Council action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under section 305(c) of the MagnusonStevens Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council’s intent to take final action to address the emergency. The public also should be aware that the meeting will be recorded. Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, at (978) 465–0492, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: July 8, 2021. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2021–14851 Filed 7–12–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 17:47 Jul 12, 2021 Consumer Product Safety Commission. ACTION: Publication of a Complaint under the Consumer Product Safety Act. AGENCY: Under provisions of its Rules of Practice for Adjudicative Proceeding, the Consumer Product Safety Commission must publish in the Federal Register Complaints which it issues. Published below is a Complaint: In the matter of Thyssenkrupp Access Corp. SUMMARY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alberta E. Mills, Secretary, Division of the Secretariat, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 504–7479 (Office) or 240–863–8938 (cell). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission voted 3–1 to authorize issuance of this Complaint. Acting Chairman Adler, Commissioners Kaye and Feldman voted to authorize issuance of the Complaint. Commissioner Baiocco voted to not authorize issuance of the Complaint. The text of the Complaint appears below. Dated: July 8, 2021. Alberta E. Mills, Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission. United States of America Consumer Product Safety Commission In the Matter of Thyssenkrupp Access Corp., Respondent. CPSC Docket No.: 21–1 Complaint Special Accommodations VerDate Sep<11>2014 CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION Jkt 253001 Nature of the Proceedings 1. This is an administrative enforcement proceeding pursuant to Section 15 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (‘‘CPSA’’), as amended, 15 U.S.C. 2064, for public notification and remedial action to protect the public from the substantial risks of injury presented by various models of residential elevators (‘‘Elevators’’), which were manufactured and distributed by Thyssenkrupp Access Corp. (‘‘Respondent’’). 2. This proceeding is governed by the Rules of Practice for Adjudicative Proceedings before the Consumer Product Safety Commission (the ‘‘Commission’’), 16 CFR part 1025. PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 36711 Jurisdiction 3. This proceeding is instituted pursuant to the authority contained in Sections 15(c), (d), and (f) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2064(c), (d), and (f). Parties 4. Complaint Counsel consists of attorneys in the Division of Enforcement and Litigation within the Office of Compliance and Field Operations representing the staff of the Commission. 16 CFR 1025.3(d). The Commission is an independent federal regulatory agency established pursuant to Section 4 of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2053. 5. Respondent is a Missouri corporation with its principal place of business located at P.O. Box 545, Clinton, Missouri 64735. 6. Upon information and belief, Respondent acquired Access Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of some of the Elevators, in or about 1999. 7. Upon information and belief, Respondent acquired National Wheel-OVator Company, Inc., a manufacturer of some of the Elevators, in or about 2008. 8. On or about January 31, 2013, ThyssenKrupp Access Manufacturing, LLC, a manufacturer of some of the Elevators, was merged into Respondent, with Respondent being the surviving entity. 9. Upon information and belief, Respondent is a ‘‘manufacturer’’ and ‘‘distributor’’ of a ‘‘consumer product’’ that is ‘‘distribute[d] in commerce,’’ as those terms are defined in Sections 3(a)(5), (7), (8), and (11) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2052(a)(5), (7), (8), and (11). The Elevators 10. The Elevators are various models of residential elevators that were manufactured and/or distributed in U.S. commerce and offered for sale to consumers for their personal use in or around a permanent or temporary household or residence, school, in recreation or otherwise. 11. Upon information and belief, the Elevators include, but are not limited to, the following models: Chaparral, Destiny, LEV, LEV II, LEV II Builder, Rise, Volant, Windsor, Independence, and Flexi-Lift. 12. Upon information and belief, the Elevators were manufactured and distributed by Access Industries, Inc., formerly of Missouri; ThyssenKrupp Access Manufacturing, LLC and National Wheel-O-Vator Company, Inc., both formerly of Roanoke, Illinois; and by Respondent. 13. Upon information and belief, at least 16,872 Elevators were E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM 13JYN1 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES 36712 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 131 / Tuesday, July 13, 2021 / Notices manufactured and distributed in U.S. commerce from 1996 through 2012. 14. Upon information and belief, an undetermined number of Elevators were manufactured and distributed in U.S. commerce through 2012. 15. Upon information and belief, most, if not all, of the Elevators were installed by third parties based upon guidance and instructions contained in materials provided by Respondent. 16. These materials include engineering drawings and instructional materials, including installation, design, and planning guides (collectively herein, ‘‘Installation Materials.’’). 17. Upon information and belief, the estimated price for a two-landing installation of the Elevators was between $15,000 to $25,000. 18. The Elevators have a passenger car that moves between the floors in an elevator shaft, or ‘‘hoistway.’’ 19. Access to an Elevator is restricted at each floor by a hoistway door, which often looks like a typical door installed in a consumer’s residence. 20. Upon information and belief, when the Elevator is parked at a floor, the hoistway door is not locked from the exterior. 21. The Elevators also contain an interior door, the elevator car door, which is usually an accordion door or a scissor gate. 22. By design, accordion doors have v-shaped peaks and valleys that allow the door to collapse on one side of the car door and allow passengers to enter and exit the elevator. 23. This design leads to the creation of additional inches of space between the peak, which is closest to the hoistway door, and the valley, which is furthest away from the hoistway door. 24. Scissor gates are designed with metal grates and also collapse to the side of the car door to allow passengers to enter and exit the elevator. 25. Both accordion doors and scissor gates allow for deflection if pressure is exerted on the elevator car door. 26. Deflection creates additional space between the elevator car door and the hoistway door. 27. Upon information and belief, children 2-years-old and older can fit in the space between a hoistway and elevator car door if the space is greater than 4 inches. 28. The Elevators are commonly installed in homes, vacation rentals, and other premises where children are present. The Entrapment Hazard Created by the Elevators 29. Children are likely to use an Elevator. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:47 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 253001 30. Children are likely to play in or around an Elevator. 31. Children can fit and become entrapped in the space between the hoistway door and the elevator car door when the space is greater than 4 inches (‘‘Hazardous Space’’). 32. Parents or caregivers are not likely to appreciate the danger posed by a Hazardous Space between the hoistway door and elevator car door. 33. When the elevator is not operating, children can open the unlocked hoistway door, step into the Hazardous Space between the hoistway door and elevator car door, and close the hoistway door behind them. 34. Hoistway doors are designed with interlock devices, which automatically lock when the Elevator is in operation. 35. If a child is in the Hazardous Space between the hoistway and elevator car doors, and the elevator is called to another floor, the hoistway door locks, trapping the child. 36. In such a situation, a child cannot escape because the hoistway door is locked. 37. In such a situation, a parent or caregiver will likely be unable to open the hoistway door to free the child while the elevator is in operation. 38. A child entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the hoistway door and the passenger car door when an elevator is in operation can suffer serious injury or death. 39. Upon information and belief, children as young as 2 and as old as 16 have become entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the hoistway door and the elevator car door. The Elevator Defects 40. The Elevators are defective because they contain defects in the ‘‘contents, construction, finish, packaging, warnings, and/or instructions,’’ specifically through Respondent’s Installation Materials, and the Elevators contain design defects. See 16 CFR 1115.4. 41. The Installation Materials are defective because they direct, cause, or fail to adequately prevent installation of the Elevators in a manner that creates a Hazardous Space greater than 4 inches between the hoistway door and the elevator car door. 42. The head breadths of some children can be less than 5 inches. 43. Upon information and belief, because of these dimensions, children can fit in, and become entrapped between, the hoistway and elevator car doors. 44. Certain Installation Materials are defective because they do not contain specific instructions on how to measure PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 the space between the hoistway door and elevator car door based on the elevator car door type (accordion or scissor). 45. Measuring to the valley versus the peak of an accordion elevator door can result in significant space variances, creating spaces much larger than 4 inches. 46. Installers using Installation Materials that do not specify how to measure are more likely to install the Elevators with a Hazardous Space because they are unlikely to appreciate the importance of minimizing the space between the hoistway door and elevator car door by measuring to the valley of the accordion door. 47. The Installation Materials that do contain specific instructions on how to measure the space do so in a manner that will create a Hazardous Space of greater than 4 inches. 48. Specifically, some of the Installation Materials affirmatively direct installers to measure the distance to the elevator car itself, the lead post of the car door, or the peak of the accordion door; all points that are inches closer to the hoistway door than the valley of the accordion door. 49. Thus, such direction makes it highly likely that installers will fail to measure to the valley of an accordion door—all but ensuring installation with a Hazardous Space of greater than 4 inches. 50. The Installation Materials also are defective because they fail to state that these measurements are safety-critical and they fail to expressly warn about the entrapment hazard posed by the Hazardous Space. 51. The Installation Materials contain many fine print measurements; failure to identify the particular measurements as a critical safety element or identify the hazard means it is less likely that there will be strict adherence to these measurements, which may lead to the creation of a Hazardous Space. 52. The Installation Materials also are defective because they do not require the use of, or provide, a measurement tool. 53. Failure to require the use of or to provide a measurement tool to ensure precise measurements between the hoistway door and the elevator car door may lead to the creation of a Hazardous Space because installers may measure in a way to create such a space. 54. This is especially problematic when installing accordion doors, because of the additional space that can be created when measuring to the peaks of the doors and not the valleys. 55. Thus, failure to require the use of or provide a measuring tool may lead to E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM 13JYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 131 / Tuesday, July 13, 2021 / Notices installations where installers create a Hazardous Space by measuring to a part of the car door that would not minimize the space. 56. The Installation Materials also are defective because they fail to contain an elevator car door rigidity requirement to account for deflection of the elevator car door when minimal force is applied. 57. Deflection allows for the creation of an even larger Hazardous Space between the hoistway and elevator car doors. 58. The larger space created by deflection allows older and larger children to push against the elevator car door and become entrapped in the Hazardous Space. 59. The Elevators also are defective because they fail to provide and require use of available safety features to mitigate against the hazard. 60. Upon information and belief, Respondent sold safety features to consumers as optional items. 61. Upon information and belief, none of the Elevators come with a required safety feature that prevents a child from becoming entrapped in the Hazardous Space when the Elevator is called to another floor. 62. The design of the Elevators allows the Elevators to move from floor to floor when a child is entrapped in the Hazardous Space, putting the child at risk of serious injury or death. 63. Upon information and belief, none of the Elevators come with a required safety feature that would prevent the Elevator from moving from floor to floor if a child is entrapped in the Hazardous Space. 64. Upon information and belief, the potential for a Hazardous Space to exist between the hoistway door and elevator car door is present on all Elevator models manufactured and distributed by Respondent. 65. Upon information and belief, the potential for the Elevators to operate and move from floor to floor even if a child is entrapped in the Hazardous Space is present on all Elevator models manufactured and distributed by Respondent. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Incidents Caused by the Defective Elevators 66. The defects associated with the Elevators have led to three incidents, including the death of one child and serious and permanent injuries to another. 67. Upon information and belief, on or about December 24, 2010, a 3-yearold boy became entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the doors of a Destiny model elevator. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:47 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 253001 68. The elevator car door was an accordion door. 69. Upon information and belief, the child suffered a catastrophic brain injury when the Elevator moved between floors, and as a result, is permanently disabled. 70. The child will require constant care for the remainder of his life. 71. The Elevator was manufactured on or about September 28, 2007. 72. Upon information and belief, there were between 4.875 inches and 5 inches from the hoistway door to the peak of the accordion door, and 7.5 inches from the hoistway door to the valley of the accordion door. 73. Respondent’s Installation Materials for this specific Elevator installation instructed the installer to measure 5 inches from the hoistway door to the ‘‘outside’’ or peak of the accordion gate. 74. Upon information and belief, on or about February 1, 2017, a 2-year-old boy died when he became entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the hoistway and accordion door of an LEV Elevator that was moving between floors. 75. Upon information and belief, the Elevator was manufactured on or about January 6, 2010. 76. Upon information and belief, on or about November 28, 2019, a 4-yearold child was entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the hoistway and accordion door of a Destiny Elevator. 77. Upon information and belief, while in the Hazardous Space, the child fell to the basement and was pinned by the Elevator. 78. This Elevator was manufactured on or about May 4, 2000. 79. Upon information and belief, the space between the hoistway door and the elevator car sill was approximately 5 inches. 80. Upon information and belief, this child was deprived of oxygen for some period of time, was hospitalized as a result of the incident, and was later released. Respondent’s Knowledge of the Defects and the Hazard 81. Upon information and belief, Respondent knew of the deadly dangers of the Hazardous Space when it manufactured and distributed the Elevators. 82. Upon information and belief, on or about July 31, 2003, National WheelO-Vator Company, Inc. received an ‘‘Important Elevator Safety Information Bulletin’’ from the Otis Elevator Company. 83. Upon information and belief, this letter and a safety brochure that PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 36713 accompanied the letter, highlighted the importance of reducing the Hazardous Space by using space guards, which are safety devices that can be installed on the back of each hoistway door to eliminate some of the Hazardous Space. 84. The letter from Otis Elevator Company stated that, with space guards installed, ‘‘the likelihood of an entrapment between the door and gate and of serious injury or death is greatly reduced.’’ 85. Upon information and belief, by 2006, members of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers A17 Residence Elevator Committee (the ‘‘Committee’’) publicly raised concerns regarding risks posed by the 5-inch space requirement between the hoistway door and the elevator car door found in the ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. 86. Upon information and belief, various representatives for Respondent and National Wheel-O-Vator Company, Inc. participated in the Committee, including the task group manager for this issue, the vice chairman of the committee, and several other employees. 87. Upon information and belief, some Committee members noted that 5 inches between an elevator door and hoistway door could present an entrapment hazard. 88. Upon information and belief, the Committee also discussed the potential for measuring discrepancies between peaks and valleys of accordion doors. 89. Upon information and belief, the Committee also discussed the ability for accordion doors to be significantly more flexible due to deflection. 90. Upon information and belief, Respondent nevertheless made no changes to the Elevators or any Installation Materials. 91. Upon information and belief, in or about 2014, Respondent launched an information campaign, known as homeSAFE (Safety Awareness For Elevators). 92. Upon information and belief, as part of the homeSAFE campaign, Respondent offered space guards to consumers. 93. Upon information and belief, consumers were required to pay for 75% of the cost of each space guard. 94. Upon information and belief, purchasing space guards for multiple landings would cost consumers hundreds of dollars. 95. Upon information and belief, Respondent distributed approximately 422 total space guards. 96. As part of the homeSAFE campaign, on or about June 24, 2014, Respondent began recommending that E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM 13JYN1 36714 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 131 / Tuesday, July 13, 2021 / Notices jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES ‘‘to help prevent child entrapments, make sure the space between the hoistway door and the cab gate is no more than four inches . . . [and] taking measurements from the hoistway door to the back or rear post of the car gate.’’ 97. Upon information and belief, by the time that the homeSAFE campaign was launched, most, if not all, of Respondent’s Elevators would have already been installed with the defective Installation Materials that allowed for a Hazardous Space greater than 4 inches and did not recommend a precise measurement to the valley of the accordion door. 98. Upon information and belief, in or about 2018, Respondent stopped supporting the homeSAFE website. 99. Despite knowing for many years about the potential hazards associated with its Elevators, Respondent took no action to correct defects in its Installation Materials or its Elevators. 100. Because of Respondent’s inaction, two children were involved in incidents with Elevators manufactured after 2006; one child became permanently disabled in December 2010 and one child died in February 2017. 101. Further, two of the reported incidents occurred during or after Respondent’s homeSAFE campaign; the death of a child in February 2017 and the hospitalization of a child in November 2019. The Substantial Risk of Injury Posed by the Elevators 102. Upon information and belief, children, a vulnerable population, have sustained grievous bodily injuries and death after becoming entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the hoistway door and the elevator car door on Respondent’s Elevators. 103. Upon information and belief, children are likely to interact with and playfully explore the Elevators, and it is foreseeable that children could become entrapped between the hoistway and elevator car doors. 104. Parents and caregivers are not likely to know about or appreciate the safety hazard to children posed by the Hazardous Space between the hoistway and elevator car doors. 105. Once a child enters the Hazardous Space and the elevator is called to another floor, the child cannot escape. 106. If a child is in that Hazardous Space when the elevator is called to another floor, the child is at risk of crushing injuries that can prove fatal or permanently debilitating, such as massive head trauma, compression of the torso, broken bones, and other grievous bodily injuries. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:47 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 253001 107. Children can also suffer long term complications from being crushed or dragged by an Elevator. 108. A child in the Hazardous Space when the elevator is called to another floor is also at risk of falling into the elevator shaft and suffering serious or fatal injuries. 109. Upon information and belief, at least three children have become entrapped in the Hazardous Space due to the defects associated with the Elevators. 110. The defects present in the Elevators create a substantial risk of injury to children who are entrapped in the hazardous space between the hoistway and elevator car doors when the elevator is called to another floor. 111. Death, grievous bodily injuries, and serious injuries, as defined in 16 CFR 1115.6(c) and § 1115.12(d), are likely to occur and have occurred when children become entrapped in the Hazardous Space and the Elevator is called to another floor. Legal Authority Under the CPSA 112. Under the CPSA, the Commission may order a firm to provide notice to the public and take remedial action if the Commission determines that a product ‘‘presents a substantial product hazard.’’ 15 U.S.C. 2064(c) and (d). 113. Under CPSA Section 15(a)(2), a ‘‘substantial product hazard’’ is ‘‘a product defect which (because of the pattern of defect, the number of defective products distributed in commerce, the severity of the risk, or otherwise) creates a substantial risk of injury to the public.’’ 15 U.S.C. 2064(a)(2). 114. A product may contain a design defect even if it is manufactured exactly in accordance with its design and specifications if the design presents a risk of injury to the public. 16 CFR 1115.4. 115. A defect can also occur in a product’s contents, construction, finish, packaging, warnings, and/or instructions. 116. A consumer product may contain a defect if the instructions for assembly or use could allow the product, otherwise safely designed and manufactured, to present a risk of injury. 16 CFR 1115.4. Count I The Elevators Are a Substantial Product Hazard Because They Contain Defects That Create a Substantial Risk of Injury to the Public 117. Paragraphs 1 through 116 are hereby realleged and incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 118. The Elevators are consumer products. 119. The Elevators contain defects because: a. The Installation Materials direct, cause, or fail to adequately prevent installation of the Elevators in a manner that creates a Hazardous Space between the hoistway door and elevator car doors in which children can become entrapped, including by failing to: i. Contain adequate and correct instructions on how to measure the space between the hoistway door and elevator car door to avoid creating the Hazardous Space based on the elevator car door type; ii. contain adequate instructions on how to avoid the creation of a larger Hazardous Space based on the deflection of the elevator car door; iii. state that the measurement between the hoistway door and the elevator car door is safety-critical or expressly warn about the entrapment hazard; and iv. require the use of, or provide, a measurement tool to ensure precise measurement and avoid the creation of a Hazardous Space. b. The design of the Elevators fails to require safety features that prevent a child from becoming entrapped in the Hazardous Space and that prevent the Elevator from moving between floors if a child is entrapped in the Hazardous Space. 120. These defects separately, and in combination, create a substantial risk of injury to the public because of the pattern of defect, the number of defective products distributed in commerce, the severity of the risk, or otherwise. 121. Therefore, the Elevators present a substantial product hazard within the meaning of Section 15(a)(2) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2064(a)(2). Relief Sought Wherefore, in the public interest, Complaint Counsel requests that the Commission: A. Determine that the Elevators present a ‘‘substantial product hazard’’ within the meaning of Section 15(a)(2) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2064(a)(2). B. Determine that extensive and effective public notification under Section 15(c) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2064(c), is required to adequately protect the public from the substantial product hazard presented by the Elevators, and order Respondent under Section 15(c) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2064(c), to: (1) Notify all persons who distribute the Elevators, or to whom such Elevators have been sold or distributed, E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM 13JYN1 jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 131 / Tuesday, July 13, 2021 / Notices to immediately cease distribution of the Elevators; (2) Notify appropriate state and local public health officials; (3) Give prompt public notice of the defect in the Elevators, including the incidents and injuries associated with the use of the Elevators, including posting clear and conspicuous notice on Respondent’s website, and providing notice to any third-party website on which Respondent has a presence, and provide further announcements in languages other than English and on radio, television, and social media; (4) Mail and email notice to each distributor, retailer, dealer and installer of the Elevators; and (5) Mail and email notice to every person to whom the Elevators were delivered or sold. C. Determine that action under Section 15(d) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2064(d), is in the public interest and additionally order Respondent to: (1) Repair the defect in the Elevators by providing a free inspection to consumers by a qualified inspector who will measure the gap between the hoistway and elevator doors; (2) Install, at no cost to consumers, a free space guard approved by Commission staff that reduces the gap to no more than 4 inches; (3) Make no charge to consumers, and to reimburse consumers, for any reasonable and foreseeable expenses incurred in availing themselves of any remedy provided under any Commission Order issued in this matter, as provided by Section 15(e)(1) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2064(e)(1), including previous purchases of space guards or other safety devices, and all costs associated with those purchases, whether or not they were part of the homeSAFE campaign; (4) Reimburse distributors, retailers, dealers, installers, and other third parties for expenses in connection with carrying out any Commission Order issued in this matter, including the costs of repairs or replacements, as provided by Section 15(e)(2) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2064(e)(2); (5) Submit a plan satisfactory to the Commission, within ten (10) days of service of the Final Order, directing that actions specified in Paragraphs B(1) through (5), and C(1) through (4) above be taken in a timely manner; (6) Submit monthly reports, to the Commission, documenting the progress of the corrective action program; (7) For a period of five (5) years after issuance of the Final Order in this matter, keep records of its actions taken to comply with Paragraphs B(1) through (5), C(1) through (4), above, and supply VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:47 Jul 12, 2021 Jkt 253001 these records to the Commission for the purpose of monitoring compliance with the Final Order; and (9) For a period of five (5) years after issuance of the Final Order in this matter, notify the Commission at least sixty (60) days prior to any change in its business (such as incorporation, dissolution, assignment, sale, or petition for bankruptcy) that results in, or is intended to result in, the emergence of a successor corporation, going out of business, or any other change that might affect compliance obligations under a Final Order issued by the Commission in this matter. D. Order that Respondent take other and further actions as the Commission deems necessary to protect the public health and safety and to comply with the CPSA. Issued by Order of the Commission: Dated this 7th day of July, 2021 lllllllllllllllllllll By: Robert Kaye, Assistant Executive Director, Office of Compliance and Field Operations, (301) 504– 6960. Mary B. Murphy, Director, Division of Enforcement and Litigation. Gregory M. Reyes, Trial Attorney. Michael J. Rogal, Trial Attorney. Complaint Counsel, Office of Compliance and Field Operations, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bethesda, MD 20814, Tel: (301) 504–7809. United States of America Consumer Product Safety Commission In the Matter of Thyssenkrupp Access Corp., Respondent. CPSC DOCKET NO.: 21–1 List and Summary of Documentary Evidence Pursuant to 16 CFR 1025.11(b)(3) of the Commission’s Rules of Practice for Adjudicative Proceedings, the following is a list and summary of documentary evidence supporting the charges in this matter. Complaint Counsel reserves the right to offer additional or different evidence during the course of the proceedings, or to withhold evidence on the basis of any applicable legal privileges. 1. Claims, complaints, records, reports, CPSC’s In-Depth Investigations, and lawsuits concerning incidents or injuries involving various models of residential elevators manufactured and distributed by Respondent (‘‘Elevators’’). 2. Engineering drawings and instructional materials, including installation, design, and planning PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 36715 guides (referred to as ‘‘Installation Materials’’). 3. Design, manufacturing, distribution, warnings, instructions, and promotional materials associated with the Elevators. 4. CPSC Product Safety Assessments. 5. Correspondence between Respondent and CPSC staff related to the Elevators. 6. Documents and information related to the Elevators, including notices issued regarding the Elevators and similar products. 7. Documents and information related to Respondent’s corporate structure and Respondent’s acquisition of and merger with other manufacturers and distributors of the Elevators. Dated this 7th day of July, 2021 Mary B. Murphy, Director. Gregory M. Reyes, Trial Attorney. Michael J. Rogal, Trial Attorney. Division of Enforcement and Litigation, Office of Compliance and Field Operations, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bethesda, MD 20814, Tel: (301) 504–7809. Complaint Counsel for U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Certificate of Service I hereby certify that on July 7, 2021, I served the foregoing Complaint and List and Summary of Documentary Evidence upon all parties of record in these proceedings by emailing a copy to counsel, as follows: Sheila A. Millar, Steven Michael Gentine, Keller and Keckman LLP, 1001 G Street NW, Suite 500 West, Washington, DC 20001. Email: millar@khlaw.com, gentine@ khlaw.com. Gregory M. Reyes, Complaint Counsel for U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. [FR Doc. 2021–14819 Filed 7–12–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6355–01–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Navy Notice of Extension of Public Comment Period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Navy Old Town Campus Revitalization Department of the Navy, DoD. Notice of extension. AGENCY: ACTION: A notice of availability was published in the Federal Register by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM 13JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 13, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36711-36715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14819]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

[CPSC Docket No. 21-1]


Thyssenkrupp Access Corp.

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Publication of a Complaint under the Consumer Product Safety 
Act.

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SUMMARY: Under provisions of its Rules of Practice for Adjudicative 
Proceeding, the Consumer Product Safety Commission must publish in the 
Federal Register Complaints which it issues. Published below is a 
Complaint: In the matter of Thyssenkrupp Access Corp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alberta E. Mills, Secretary, Division 
of the Secretariat, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Consumer 
Product Safety Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, 
(301) 504-7479 (Office) or 240-863-8938 (cell).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission voted 3-1 to authorize 
issuance of this Complaint. Acting Chairman Adler, Commissioners Kaye 
and Feldman voted to authorize issuance of the Complaint. Commissioner 
Baiocco voted to not authorize issuance of the Complaint. The text of 
the Complaint appears below.

    Dated: July 8, 2021.
Alberta E. Mills,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.

United States of America

Consumer Product Safety Commission

    In the Matter of Thyssenkrupp Access Corp., Respondent.

CPSC Docket No.: 21-1

Complaint

Nature of the Proceedings

    1. This is an administrative enforcement proceeding pursuant to 
Section 15 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (``CPSA''), as amended, 
15 U.S.C. 2064, for public notification and remedial action to protect 
the public from the substantial risks of injury presented by various 
models of residential elevators (``Elevators''), which were 
manufactured and distributed by Thyssenkrupp Access Corp. 
(``Respondent'').
    2. This proceeding is governed by the Rules of Practice for 
Adjudicative Proceedings before the Consumer Product Safety Commission 
(the ``Commission''), 16 CFR part 1025.

Jurisdiction

    3. This proceeding is instituted pursuant to the authority 
contained in Sections 15(c), (d), and (f) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 
2064(c), (d), and (f).

Parties

    4. Complaint Counsel consists of attorneys in the Division of 
Enforcement and Litigation within the Office of Compliance and Field 
Operations representing the staff of the Commission. 16 CFR 1025.3(d). 
The Commission is an independent federal regulatory agency established 
pursuant to Section 4 of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2053.
    5. Respondent is a Missouri corporation with its principal place of 
business located at P.O. Box 545, Clinton, Missouri 64735.
    6. Upon information and belief, Respondent acquired Access 
Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of some of the Elevators, in or about 
1999.
    7. Upon information and belief, Respondent acquired National Wheel-
O-Vator Company, Inc., a manufacturer of some of the Elevators, in or 
about 2008.
    8. On or about January 31, 2013, ThyssenKrupp Access Manufacturing, 
LLC, a manufacturer of some of the Elevators, was merged into 
Respondent, with Respondent being the surviving entity.
    9. Upon information and belief, Respondent is a ``manufacturer'' 
and ``distributor'' of a ``consumer product'' that is ``distribute[d] 
in commerce,'' as those terms are defined in Sections 3(a)(5), (7), 
(8), and (11) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2052(a)(5), (7), (8), and (11).

The Elevators

    10. The Elevators are various models of residential elevators that 
were manufactured and/or distributed in U.S. commerce and offered for 
sale to consumers for their personal use in or around a permanent or 
temporary household or residence, school, in recreation or otherwise.
    11. Upon information and belief, the Elevators include, but are not 
limited to, the following models: Chaparral, Destiny, LEV, LEV II, LEV 
II Builder, Rise, Volant, Windsor, Independence, and Flexi-Lift.
    12. Upon information and belief, the Elevators were manufactured 
and distributed by Access Industries, Inc., formerly of Missouri; 
ThyssenKrupp Access Manufacturing, LLC and National Wheel-O-Vator 
Company, Inc., both formerly of Roanoke, Illinois; and by Respondent.
    13. Upon information and belief, at least 16,872 Elevators were

[[Page 36712]]

manufactured and distributed in U.S. commerce from 1996 through 2012.
    14. Upon information and belief, an undetermined number of 
Elevators were manufactured and distributed in U.S. commerce through 
2012.
    15. Upon information and belief, most, if not all, of the Elevators 
were installed by third parties based upon guidance and instructions 
contained in materials provided by Respondent.
    16. These materials include engineering drawings and instructional 
materials, including installation, design, and planning guides 
(collectively herein, ``Installation Materials.'').
    17. Upon information and belief, the estimated price for a two-
landing installation of the Elevators was between $15,000 to $25,000.
    18. The Elevators have a passenger car that moves between the 
floors in an elevator shaft, or ``hoistway.''
    19. Access to an Elevator is restricted at each floor by a hoistway 
door, which often looks like a typical door installed in a consumer's 
residence.
    20. Upon information and belief, when the Elevator is parked at a 
floor, the hoistway door is not locked from the exterior.
    21. The Elevators also contain an interior door, the elevator car 
door, which is usually an accordion door or a scissor gate.
    22. By design, accordion doors have v-shaped peaks and valleys that 
allow the door to collapse on one side of the car door and allow 
passengers to enter and exit the elevator.
    23. This design leads to the creation of additional inches of space 
between the peak, which is closest to the hoistway door, and the 
valley, which is furthest away from the hoistway door.
    24. Scissor gates are designed with metal grates and also collapse 
to the side of the car door to allow passengers to enter and exit the 
elevator.
    25. Both accordion doors and scissor gates allow for deflection if 
pressure is exerted on the elevator car door.
    26. Deflection creates additional space between the elevator car 
door and the hoistway door.
    27. Upon information and belief, children 2-years-old and older can 
fit in the space between a hoistway and elevator car door if the space 
is greater than 4 inches.
    28. The Elevators are commonly installed in homes, vacation 
rentals, and other premises where children are present.

The Entrapment Hazard Created by the Elevators

    29. Children are likely to use an Elevator.
    30. Children are likely to play in or around an Elevator.
    31. Children can fit and become entrapped in the space between the 
hoistway door and the elevator car door when the space is greater than 
4 inches (``Hazardous Space'').
    32. Parents or caregivers are not likely to appreciate the danger 
posed by a Hazardous Space between the hoistway door and elevator car 
door.
    33. When the elevator is not operating, children can open the 
unlocked hoistway door, step into the Hazardous Space between the 
hoistway door and elevator car door, and close the hoistway door behind 
them.
    34. Hoistway doors are designed with interlock devices, which 
automatically lock when the Elevator is in operation.
    35. If a child is in the Hazardous Space between the hoistway and 
elevator car doors, and the elevator is called to another floor, the 
hoistway door locks, trapping the child.
    36. In such a situation, a child cannot escape because the hoistway 
door is locked.
    37. In such a situation, a parent or caregiver will likely be 
unable to open the hoistway door to free the child while the elevator 
is in operation.
    38. A child entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the hoistway 
door and the passenger car door when an elevator is in operation can 
suffer serious injury or death.
    39. Upon information and belief, children as young as 2 and as old 
as 16 have become entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the hoistway 
door and the elevator car door.

The Elevator Defects

    40. The Elevators are defective because they contain defects in the 
``contents, construction, finish, packaging, warnings, and/or 
instructions,'' specifically through Respondent's Installation 
Materials, and the Elevators contain design defects. See 16 CFR 1115.4.
    41. The Installation Materials are defective because they direct, 
cause, or fail to adequately prevent installation of the Elevators in a 
manner that creates a Hazardous Space greater than 4 inches between the 
hoistway door and the elevator car door.
    42. The head breadths of some children can be less than 5 inches.
    43. Upon information and belief, because of these dimensions, 
children can fit in, and become entrapped between, the hoistway and 
elevator car doors.
    44. Certain Installation Materials are defective because they do 
not contain specific instructions on how to measure the space between 
the hoistway door and elevator car door based on the elevator car door 
type (accordion or scissor).
    45. Measuring to the valley versus the peak of an accordion 
elevator door can result in significant space variances, creating 
spaces much larger than 4 inches.
    46. Installers using Installation Materials that do not specify how 
to measure are more likely to install the Elevators with a Hazardous 
Space because they are unlikely to appreciate the importance of 
minimizing the space between the hoistway door and elevator car door by 
measuring to the valley of the accordion door.
    47. The Installation Materials that do contain specific 
instructions on how to measure the space do so in a manner that will 
create a Hazardous Space of greater than 4 inches.
    48. Specifically, some of the Installation Materials affirmatively 
direct installers to measure the distance to the elevator car itself, 
the lead post of the car door, or the peak of the accordion door; all 
points that are inches closer to the hoistway door than the valley of 
the accordion door.
    49. Thus, such direction makes it highly likely that installers 
will fail to measure to the valley of an accordion door--all but 
ensuring installation with a Hazardous Space of greater than 4 inches.
    50. The Installation Materials also are defective because they fail 
to state that these measurements are safety-critical and they fail to 
expressly warn about the entrapment hazard posed by the Hazardous 
Space.
    51. The Installation Materials contain many fine print 
measurements; failure to identify the particular measurements as a 
critical safety element or identify the hazard means it is less likely 
that there will be strict adherence to these measurements, which may 
lead to the creation of a Hazardous Space.
    52. The Installation Materials also are defective because they do 
not require the use of, or provide, a measurement tool.
    53. Failure to require the use of or to provide a measurement tool 
to ensure precise measurements between the hoistway door and the 
elevator car door may lead to the creation of a Hazardous Space because 
installers may measure in a way to create such a space.
    54. This is especially problematic when installing accordion doors, 
because of the additional space that can be created when measuring to 
the peaks of the doors and not the valleys.
    55. Thus, failure to require the use of or provide a measuring tool 
may lead to

[[Page 36713]]

installations where installers create a Hazardous Space by measuring to 
a part of the car door that would not minimize the space.
    56. The Installation Materials also are defective because they fail 
to contain an elevator car door rigidity requirement to account for 
deflection of the elevator car door when minimal force is applied.
    57. Deflection allows for the creation of an even larger Hazardous 
Space between the hoistway and elevator car doors.
    58. The larger space created by deflection allows older and larger 
children to push against the elevator car door and become entrapped in 
the Hazardous Space.
    59. The Elevators also are defective because they fail to provide 
and require use of available safety features to mitigate against the 
hazard.
    60. Upon information and belief, Respondent sold safety features to 
consumers as optional items.
    61. Upon information and belief, none of the Elevators come with a 
required safety feature that prevents a child from becoming entrapped 
in the Hazardous Space when the Elevator is called to another floor.
    62. The design of the Elevators allows the Elevators to move from 
floor to floor when a child is entrapped in the Hazardous Space, 
putting the child at risk of serious injury or death.
    63. Upon information and belief, none of the Elevators come with a 
required safety feature that would prevent the Elevator from moving 
from floor to floor if a child is entrapped in the Hazardous Space.
    64. Upon information and belief, the potential for a Hazardous 
Space to exist between the hoistway door and elevator car door is 
present on all Elevator models manufactured and distributed by 
Respondent.
    65. Upon information and belief, the potential for the Elevators to 
operate and move from floor to floor even if a child is entrapped in 
the Hazardous Space is present on all Elevator models manufactured and 
distributed by Respondent.

Incidents Caused by the Defective Elevators

    66. The defects associated with the Elevators have led to three 
incidents, including the death of one child and serious and permanent 
injuries to another.
    67. Upon information and belief, on or about December 24, 2010, a 
3-year-old boy became entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the 
doors of a Destiny model elevator.
    68. The elevator car door was an accordion door.
    69. Upon information and belief, the child suffered a catastrophic 
brain injury when the Elevator moved between floors, and as a result, 
is permanently disabled.
    70. The child will require constant care for the remainder of his 
life.
    71. The Elevator was manufactured on or about September 28, 2007.
    72. Upon information and belief, there were between 4.875 inches 
and 5 inches from the hoistway door to the peak of the accordion door, 
and 7.5 inches from the hoistway door to the valley of the accordion 
door.
    73. Respondent's Installation Materials for this specific Elevator 
installation instructed the installer to measure 5 inches from the 
hoistway door to the ``outside'' or peak of the accordion gate.
    74. Upon information and belief, on or about February 1, 2017, a 2-
year-old boy died when he became entrapped in the Hazardous Space 
between the hoistway and accordion door of an LEV Elevator that was 
moving between floors.
    75. Upon information and belief, the Elevator was manufactured on 
or about January 6, 2010.
    76. Upon information and belief, on or about November 28, 2019, a 
4-year-old child was entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the 
hoistway and accordion door of a Destiny Elevator.
    77. Upon information and belief, while in the Hazardous Space, the 
child fell to the basement and was pinned by the Elevator.
    78. This Elevator was manufactured on or about May 4, 2000.
    79. Upon information and belief, the space between the hoistway 
door and the elevator car sill was approximately 5 inches.
    80. Upon information and belief, this child was deprived of oxygen 
for some period of time, was hospitalized as a result of the incident, 
and was later released.

Respondent's Knowledge of the Defects and the Hazard

    81. Upon information and belief, Respondent knew of the deadly 
dangers of the Hazardous Space when it manufactured and distributed the 
Elevators.
    82. Upon information and belief, on or about July 31, 2003, 
National Wheel-O-Vator Company, Inc. received an ``Important Elevator 
Safety Information Bulletin'' from the Otis Elevator Company.
    83. Upon information and belief, this letter and a safety brochure 
that accompanied the letter, highlighted the importance of reducing the 
Hazardous Space by using space guards, which are safety devices that 
can be installed on the back of each hoistway door to eliminate some of 
the Hazardous Space.
    84. The letter from Otis Elevator Company stated that, with space 
guards installed, ``the likelihood of an entrapment between the door 
and gate and of serious injury or death is greatly reduced.''
    85. Upon information and belief, by 2006, members of the American 
Society for Mechanical Engineers A17 Residence Elevator Committee (the 
``Committee'') publicly raised concerns regarding risks posed by the 5-
inch space requirement between the hoistway door and the elevator car 
door found in the ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.
    86. Upon information and belief, various representatives for 
Respondent and National Wheel-O-Vator Company, Inc. participated in the 
Committee, including the task group manager for this issue, the vice 
chairman of the committee, and several other employees.
    87. Upon information and belief, some Committee members noted that 
5 inches between an elevator door and hoistway door could present an 
entrapment hazard.
    88. Upon information and belief, the Committee also discussed the 
potential for measuring discrepancies between peaks and valleys of 
accordion doors.
    89. Upon information and belief, the Committee also discussed the 
ability for accordion doors to be significantly more flexible due to 
deflection.
    90. Upon information and belief, Respondent nevertheless made no 
changes to the Elevators or any Installation Materials.
    91. Upon information and belief, in or about 2014, Respondent 
launched an information campaign, known as homeSAFE (Safety Awareness 
For Elevators).
    92. Upon information and belief, as part of the homeSAFE campaign, 
Respondent offered space guards to consumers.
    93. Upon information and belief, consumers were required to pay for 
75% of the cost of each space guard.
    94. Upon information and belief, purchasing space guards for 
multiple landings would cost consumers hundreds of dollars.
    95. Upon information and belief, Respondent distributed 
approximately 422 total space guards.
    96. As part of the homeSAFE campaign, on or about June 24, 2014, 
Respondent began recommending that

[[Page 36714]]

``to help prevent child entrapments, make sure the space between the 
hoistway door and the cab gate is no more than four inches . . . [and] 
taking measurements from the hoistway door to the back or rear post of 
the car gate.''
    97. Upon information and belief, by the time that the homeSAFE 
campaign was launched, most, if not all, of Respondent's Elevators 
would have already been installed with the defective Installation 
Materials that allowed for a Hazardous Space greater than 4 inches and 
did not recommend a precise measurement to the valley of the accordion 
door.
    98. Upon information and belief, in or about 2018, Respondent 
stopped supporting the homeSAFE website.
    99. Despite knowing for many years about the potential hazards 
associated with its Elevators, Respondent took no action to correct 
defects in its Installation Materials or its Elevators.
    100. Because of Respondent's inaction, two children were involved 
in incidents with Elevators manufactured after 2006; one child became 
permanently disabled in December 2010 and one child died in February 
2017.
    101. Further, two of the reported incidents occurred during or 
after Respondent's homeSAFE campaign; the death of a child in February 
2017 and the hospitalization of a child in November 2019.

The Substantial Risk of Injury Posed by the Elevators

    102. Upon information and belief, children, a vulnerable 
population, have sustained grievous bodily injuries and death after 
becoming entrapped in the Hazardous Space between the hoistway door and 
the elevator car door on Respondent's Elevators.
    103. Upon information and belief, children are likely to interact 
with and playfully explore the Elevators, and it is foreseeable that 
children could become entrapped between the hoistway and elevator car 
doors.
    104. Parents and caregivers are not likely to know about or 
appreciate the safety hazard to children posed by the Hazardous Space 
between the hoistway and elevator car doors.
    105. Once a child enters the Hazardous Space and the elevator is 
called to another floor, the child cannot escape.
    106. If a child is in that Hazardous Space when the elevator is 
called to another floor, the child is at risk of crushing injuries that 
can prove fatal or permanently debilitating, such as massive head 
trauma, compression of the torso, broken bones, and other grievous 
bodily injuries.
    107. Children can also suffer long term complications from being 
crushed or dragged by an Elevator.
    108. A child in the Hazardous Space when the elevator is called to 
another floor is also at risk of falling into the elevator shaft and 
suffering serious or fatal injuries.
    109. Upon information and belief, at least three children have 
become entrapped in the Hazardous Space due to the defects associated 
with the Elevators.
    110. The defects present in the Elevators create a substantial risk 
of injury to children who are entrapped in the hazardous space between 
the hoistway and elevator car doors when the elevator is called to 
another floor.
    111. Death, grievous bodily injuries, and serious injuries, as 
defined in 16 CFR 1115.6(c) and Sec.  1115.12(d), are likely to occur 
and have occurred when children become entrapped in the Hazardous Space 
and the Elevator is called to another floor.

Legal Authority Under the CPSA

    112. Under the CPSA, the Commission may order a firm to provide 
notice to the public and take remedial action if the Commission 
determines that a product ``presents a substantial product hazard.'' 15 
U.S.C. 2064(c) and (d).
    113. Under CPSA Section 15(a)(2), a ``substantial product hazard'' 
is ``a product defect which (because of the pattern of defect, the 
number of defective products distributed in commerce, the severity of 
the risk, or otherwise) creates a substantial risk of injury to the 
public.'' 15 U.S.C. 2064(a)(2).
    114. A product may contain a design defect even if it is 
manufactured exactly in accordance with its design and specifications 
if the design presents a risk of injury to the public. 16 CFR 1115.4.
    115. A defect can also occur in a product's contents, construction, 
finish, packaging, warnings, and/or instructions.
    116. A consumer product may contain a defect if the instructions 
for assembly or use could allow the product, otherwise safely designed 
and manufactured, to present a risk of injury. 16 CFR 1115.4.

Count I

The Elevators Are a Substantial Product Hazard Because They Contain 
Defects That Create a Substantial Risk of Injury to the Public
    117. Paragraphs 1 through 116 are hereby realleged and incorporated 
by reference as if fully set forth herein.
    118. The Elevators are consumer products.
    119. The Elevators contain defects because:
    a. The Installation Materials direct, cause, or fail to adequately 
prevent installation of the Elevators in a manner that creates a 
Hazardous Space between the hoistway door and elevator car doors in 
which children can become entrapped, including by failing to:
    i. Contain adequate and correct instructions on how to measure the 
space between the hoistway door and elevator car door to avoid creating 
the Hazardous Space based on the elevator car door type;
    ii. contain adequate instructions on how to avoid the creation of a 
larger Hazardous Space based on the deflection of the elevator car 
door;
    iii. state that the measurement between the hoistway door and the 
elevator car door is safety-critical or expressly warn about the 
entrapment hazard; and
    iv. require the use of, or provide, a measurement tool to ensure 
precise measurement and avoid the creation of a Hazardous Space.
    b. The design of the Elevators fails to require safety features 
that prevent a child from becoming entrapped in the Hazardous Space and 
that prevent the Elevator from moving between floors if a child is 
entrapped in the Hazardous Space.
    120. These defects separately, and in combination, create a 
substantial risk of injury to the public because of the pattern of 
defect, the number of defective products distributed in commerce, the 
severity of the risk, or otherwise.
    121. Therefore, the Elevators present a substantial product hazard 
within the meaning of Section 15(a)(2) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 
2064(a)(2).

Relief Sought

    Wherefore, in the public interest, Complaint Counsel requests that 
the Commission:
    A. Determine that the Elevators present a ``substantial product 
hazard'' within the meaning of Section 15(a)(2) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 
2064(a)(2).
    B. Determine that extensive and effective public notification under 
Section 15(c) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2064(c), is required to adequately 
protect the public from the substantial product hazard presented by the 
Elevators, and order Respondent under Section 15(c) of the CPSA, 15 
U.S.C. 2064(c), to:
    (1) Notify all persons who distribute the Elevators, or to whom 
such Elevators have been sold or distributed,

[[Page 36715]]

to immediately cease distribution of the Elevators;
    (2) Notify appropriate state and local public health officials;
    (3) Give prompt public notice of the defect in the Elevators, 
including the incidents and injuries associated with the use of the 
Elevators, including posting clear and conspicuous notice on 
Respondent's website, and providing notice to any third-party website 
on which Respondent has a presence, and provide further announcements 
in languages other than English and on radio, television, and social 
media;
    (4) Mail and email notice to each distributor, retailer, dealer and 
installer of the Elevators; and
    (5) Mail and email notice to every person to whom the Elevators 
were delivered or sold.
    C. Determine that action under Section 15(d) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 
2064(d), is in the public interest and additionally order Respondent 
to:
    (1) Repair the defect in the Elevators by providing a free 
inspection to consumers by a qualified inspector who will measure the 
gap between the hoistway and elevator doors;
    (2) Install, at no cost to consumers, a free space guard approved 
by Commission staff that reduces the gap to no more than 4 inches;
    (3) Make no charge to consumers, and to reimburse consumers, for 
any reasonable and foreseeable expenses incurred in availing themselves 
of any remedy provided under any Commission Order issued in this 
matter, as provided by Section 15(e)(1) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 
2064(e)(1), including previous purchases of space guards or other 
safety devices, and all costs associated with those purchases, whether 
or not they were part of the homeSAFE campaign;
    (4) Reimburse distributors, retailers, dealers, installers, and 
other third parties for expenses in connection with carrying out any 
Commission Order issued in this matter, including the costs of repairs 
or replacements, as provided by Section 15(e)(2) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 
2064(e)(2);
    (5) Submit a plan satisfactory to the Commission, within ten (10) 
days of service of the Final Order, directing that actions specified in 
Paragraphs B(1) through (5), and C(1) through (4) above be taken in a 
timely manner;
    (6) Submit monthly reports, to the Commission, documenting the 
progress of the corrective action program;
    (7) For a period of five (5) years after issuance of the Final 
Order in this matter, keep records of its actions taken to comply with 
Paragraphs B(1) through (5), C(1) through (4), above, and supply these 
records to the Commission for the purpose of monitoring compliance with 
the Final Order; and
    (9) For a period of five (5) years after issuance of the Final 
Order in this matter, notify the Commission at least sixty (60) days 
prior to any change in its business (such as incorporation, 
dissolution, assignment, sale, or petition for bankruptcy) that results 
in, or is intended to result in, the emergence of a successor 
corporation, going out of business, or any other change that might 
affect compliance obligations under a Final Order issued by the 
Commission in this matter.
    D. Order that Respondent take other and further actions as the 
Commission deems necessary to protect the public health and safety and 
to comply with the CPSA.

Issued by Order of the Commission:

Dated this 7th day of July, 2021

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

By: Robert Kaye,
Assistant Executive Director, Office of Compliance and Field 
Operations, (301) 504-6960.

Mary B. Murphy,
Director, Division of Enforcement and Litigation.

Gregory M. Reyes,
Trial Attorney.

Michael J. Rogal,
Trial Attorney.

Complaint Counsel, Office of Compliance and Field Operations, U.S. 
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bethesda, MD 20814, Tel: (301) 
504-7809.

United States of America Consumer Product Safety Commission

    In the Matter of Thyssenkrupp Access Corp., Respondent.

CPSC DOCKET NO.: 21-1

List and Summary of Documentary Evidence

    Pursuant to 16 CFR 1025.11(b)(3) of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice for Adjudicative Proceedings, the following is a list and 
summary of documentary evidence supporting the charges in this matter. 
Complaint Counsel reserves the right to offer additional or different 
evidence during the course of the proceedings, or to withhold evidence 
on the basis of any applicable legal privileges.
    1. Claims, complaints, records, reports, CPSC's In-Depth 
Investigations, and lawsuits concerning incidents or injuries involving 
various models of residential elevators manufactured and distributed by 
Respondent (``Elevators'').
    2. Engineering drawings and instructional materials, including 
installation, design, and planning guides (referred to as 
``Installation Materials'').
    3. Design, manufacturing, distribution, warnings, instructions, and 
promotional materials associated with the Elevators.
    4. CPSC Product Safety Assessments.
    5. Correspondence between Respondent and CPSC staff related to the 
Elevators.
    6. Documents and information related to the Elevators, including 
notices issued regarding the Elevators and similar products.
    7. Documents and information related to Respondent's corporate 
structure and Respondent's acquisition of and merger with other 
manufacturers and distributors of the Elevators.

Dated this 7th day of July, 2021

Mary B. Murphy,
Director.

Gregory M. Reyes,
Trial Attorney.

Michael J. Rogal,
Trial Attorney.

Division of Enforcement and Litigation, Office of Compliance and 
Field Operations, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bethesda, 
MD 20814, Tel: (301) 504-7809.

Complaint Counsel for U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Certificate of Service

    I hereby certify that on July 7, 2021, I served the foregoing 
Complaint and List and Summary of Documentary Evidence upon all parties 
of record in these proceedings by emailing a copy to counsel, as 
follows:

Sheila A. Millar,
Steven Michael Gentine,

Keller and Keckman LLP, 1001 G Street NW, Suite 500 West, 
Washington, DC 20001.

Email: [email protected], [email protected].

Gregory M. Reyes,

Complaint Counsel for U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

[FR Doc. 2021-14819 Filed 7-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P


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