Consumer Product Safety Commission – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Based on available data, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (the Commission, the CPSC, or we) has determined preliminarily that there may be an unreasonable risk of injury associated with children ingesting high-powered magnets that are part of magnet sets. These magnet sets are aggregations of separable, permanent, magnetic objects intended or marketed by the manufacturer primarily as a manipulative or construction desk toy for general entertainment, such as puzzle working, sculpture building, mental stimulation, or stress relief. In contrast to ingesting other small parts, when a child ingests a magnet, the magnetic properties of the object can cause serious, life-threatening injuries. When children ingest two or more of the magnets, the magnetic forces pull the magnets together, and the magnets pinch or trap the intestinal walls or other digestive tissue between them, resulting in acute and long-term health consequences. Although magnet sets have only been available since 2008, we have determined that an estimated 1,700 ingestions of magnets from magnet sets were treated in emergency departments between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2011. To address the unreasonable risks of serious injury associated with these magnet sets, the Commission is issuing this notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR), which would prohibit such magnet sets. Under the proposal, if a magnet set contains a magnet that fits within the CPSC's small parts cylinder, magnets from that set would be required to have a flux index of 50 or less, or they would be prohibited. The flux index would be determined by the method described in ASTM F963-11, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety. The Commission solicits written comments concerning the risks of injury associated with these magnet sets, the regulatory alternatives discussed in this NPR, other possible ways to address these risks, and the economic impacts of the various regulatory alternatives. This proposed rule is issued under the authority of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission, CPSC, us, or we) is proposing to amend the play yard mandatory standard. This proposed rule would address the hazards associated with the use of play yard bassinet accessories that can be assembled with missing key structural elements. The amendment is being proposed pursuant to section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), also known as the ``Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act'' which requires us to promulgate consumer product safety standards for durable infant or toddler products.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC, Commission, or we) is announcing its intent to hold a Summit on all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety. The Summit will be held at the CPSC's headquarters in Bethesda, MD, on October 11 and 12, 2012. We invite interested parties to participate in or attend the Summit and to submit comments.

Under provisions of its Rules of Practice for Adjudicative Proceeding (16 CFR part 1025), the Consumer Product Safety Commission must publish in the Federal Register Complaints which it issues. Published below is a Complaint: In the Matter of Zen Magnets, LLC.\1\

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requested comments on a proposed extension of approval, for a period of 3 years from the date of approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), of information collection requirements for manufacturers and importers of children's articles known as baby-bouncers and walker-jumpers. This document was published in the Federal Register of June 20, 2012, and contains an incorrect docket number.

On August 14, 2008, Congress enacted the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), Public Law 110-314. Section 108 of the CPSIA, as amended by Public Law 112-28, provides that the prohibition on specified products containing phthalates does not apply to any component part of children's toys or child care articles that is not accessible to a child through normal and reasonably foreseeable use and abuse of such product. In this document, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) proposes guidance on inaccessible component parts in children's toys or child care articles subject to section 108 of the CPSIA.

It is the policy of the Commission to publish settlements which it provisionally accepts under the Consumer Product Safety Act in the Federal Register in accordance with the terms of 16 CFR 1118.20(e). Published below is a provisionally accepted Settlement Agreement with Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation, containing a civil penalty of $1,500,000.00, within twenty (20) days of service of the Commission's final Order accepting the Settlement Agreement.

It is the policy of the Commission to publish settlements which it provisionally accepts under the Consumer Product Safety Act in the Federal Register in accordance with the terms of 16 CFR 1118.20(e). Published below is a provisionally-accepted Settlement Agreement with Battat Incorporated, containing a civil penalty of $400,000.00, within twenty (20) days of service of the Commission's final Order accepting the Settlement Agreement.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) proposes to codify its statement of policy on animal testing, as amended, which was previously published in the Federal Register. The amended statement of policy on animal testing is intended for manufacturers of products subject to the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) to find alternatives to animal testing and reduce the number of animal tests under the FHSA.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission'') has received a petition (CPSC-2012-0034), requesting that the Commission initiate rulemaking to distinguish and regulate ``hazardous pillow-like'' crib bumpers from ``non-hazardous traditional'' crib bumpers under sections 7 and 9 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (``CPSA''). The Commission invites written comments concerning the petition.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') is announcing a teleconference and the seventh meeting of the Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel (``CHAP'') on phthalates and phthalate substitutes. The Commission appointed this CHAP on April 14, 2010, to study the effects on children's health of all phthalates and phthalate alternatives, as used in children's toys and child care articles, pursuant to section 108 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) (Pub. L. 110-314). The CHAP will discuss its progress toward completing its analysis of potential risks from phthalates and phthalate substitutes.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission'') will conduct a public hearing to receive views from all interested parties about its agenda and priorities for fiscal year 2014, which begins on October 1, 2013. Participation by members of the public is invited. Written comments and oral presentations concerning the Commission's agenda and priorities for fiscal year 2014 will become part of the public record.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC,'' ``Commission,'' or ``we'') is issuing a proposed rule that would establish the requirements pertaining to the third party conformity assessment bodies (or ``laboratories'') that are authorized to test children's products in support of the certification required by the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), as amended by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The proposed rule would establish the general requirements concerning third party conformity assessment bodies, such as the requirements and procedures for CPSC acceptance of the accreditation of a third party conformity assessment body, and it would address adverse actions against CPSC-accepted third party conformity assessment bodies. The proposed rule also would amend the audit requirements for third party conformity assessment bodies and would amend the Commission's regulation on inspections.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') is revising various Privacy Act systems of records maintained by the Commission. The CPSC is also republishing the agency's complete systems of records.

The information collection requirements in a Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') coal and woodburning appliance rule have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') under OMB control number 3041-0040. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Commission now requests comments on a proposed extension of approval of those information collection requirements for a period of three years from the date of approval by the OMB. The rule, codified at 16 CFR part 1406, requires manufacturers and importers of certain coal and woodburning appliances to provide safety information to consumers on labels and instructions and an explanation of how certain clearance distances in those labels and instructions were determined. The requirements to provide copies of labels and instructions to the Commission have been in effect for stoves manufactured or imported since October 17, 1983, or May 16, 1984, for stoves introduced into United States commerce after May 16, 1984, regardless of the date of manufacture. For this reason, the information burden imposed by this rule is limited to manufacturers and importers introducing new products or models, or making changes to labels, instructions, or information previously provided to the Commission. The purposes of the reporting requirements in part 1406 are to reduce the risk of injuries from fires associated with the installation, operation, and maintenance of the appliances that are subject to the rule, and to assist the Commission in determining the extent to which manufacturers and importers comply with the requirements in part 1406. The Commission will consider all comments received in response to this notice before requesting approval of this collection of information from the OMB.

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 collection of information regarding a form that will be used to measure child care centers' compliance with the recent CPSC safety standards for full-size and non-full-size cribs. The Commission will consider all comments received in response to this notice before requesting approval of this collection of information from the Office of Management and Budget.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``Commission'' or ``CPSC'' or ``we'') has received a petition requesting an exception from the 100 ppm lead content limit under section 101(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (``CPSIA''), as amended by Public Law 112-28. We are granting an exception to the 100 ppm lead content limit for certain aluminum alloy components of children's die- cast, ride-on pedal tractors, and similar component parts made of aluminum alloy on similar ride-on children's products for children ages 3 years and older. Such products may include other children's ride-on tractors, children's ride-on cars, and other ride-on toys. These aluminum alloy components must meet a lead content limit of 300 ppm.