[Federal Register: June 12, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 113)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 35191]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12jn03-17]
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
16 CFR Part 1500
Public Meeting Concerning Bath Seat Rulemaking
AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or
``Commission'') will conduct a public meeting on July 28, 2003
(possibly extending to July 29) to receive comments on the CPSC staff
briefing package, which recommends that the Commission issue a notice
of proposed rulemaking proposing that bath seats meet certain
requirements. The Commission invites oral presentations from members of
the public with information or comments related to the briefing
package. The Commission will consider these presentations in its
deliberations on the rulemaking.
DATES: The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. on July 28, 2003 and may
continue to July 29 if necessary. Requests to make oral presentations,
and 10 copies of the text of the presentation, must be received by the
CPSC Office of the Secretary no later than July 21, 2003. Persons
making presentations at the meeting should provide an additional 25
copies for dissemination on the date of the meeting.
The Commission reserves the right to limit the number of persons
who make presentations and the duration of their presentations. To
prevent duplicative presentations, groups will be directed to designate
a spokesperson.
Written submissions, in addition to, or instead of, an oral
presentation may be sent to the address listed below and will be
accepted until August 28, 2003.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be in room 420 of the East-West Towers
Building, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD. Requests to make oral
presentations, and texts of oral presentations should be captioned
``Bath Seat NPR'' and be mailed to the Office of the Secretary,
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207, or delivered
to that office, room 502, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland
20814. Requests and texts of oral presentations may also be submitted
by facsimile to (301) 504-0127 or by e-mail to cpsc-os@cpsc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the purpose or
subject matter of this meeting contact Patricia L. Hackett, Project
Manager, Directorate for Engineering Sciences, U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207; telephone (301) 504-7577; e-
mail: phackett@cpsc.gov. For information about the schedule for
submission of requests to make oral presentations and submission of
texts of oral presentations, contact Rockelle Hammond, Office of the
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207;
telephone (301) 504-6833; fax (301) 504-0127; e-mail rhammond@cpsc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
In July 2000, the Commission received a petition from the Consumer
Federation of America (``CFA'') and eight other organizations
requesting that the Commission issue a rule that would ban bath seats
and bath rings (hereafter ``bath seats'') under the Federal Hazardous
Substances Act (``FHSA''). The Commission evaluated information from
the CFA petition, a staff briefing package and public comments on the
petition. On May 30, 2001, the Commission voted to grant the CFA
petition and begin rulemaking. On August 1, 2001, the Commission
published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (``ANPR'') in the
Federal Register. 66 FR 39692. The Commission received ten comments
from nine individuals in response to the ANPR.
The staff reviewed the comments and relevant information and
forwarded a briefing package to the Commission.
The staff recommends that the Commission issue a notice of proposed
rulemaking (``NPR'') that would propose three requirements to address
the three main hazard scenarios the staff identified from the reported
fatalities.
The staff recommends a stability requirement to address the hazard
of bath seats tipping over while in use. The staff has identified 30
fatalities and 80 non-fatal incidents or complaints involving bath
seats tipping over that were reported from January 1983 through
December 2002. The staff recommends a stability requirement that is
essentially the same as the stability requirement in the ASTM voluntary
standard but requires testing on a slip-resistant surface.
The staff has identified 3 deaths and 17 non-fatal incidents or
complaints involving children who were submerged or entrapped in bath
seats that were reported from January 1983 through December 2002. To
address this hazard, the staff recommends a performance requirement
specifying that the bath seat's leg openings not allow passage of
probes that represent the shoulder and torso of an infant. This
requirement is identical to one that ASTM approved in March 2003 for
inclusion in its revised standard, ASTM F 1967-03.
The staff has identified 19 fatalities and 13 non-fatal incidents
or complaints involving children coming out of bath seats that were
reported from January 1983 through December 2002. The staff has not
been able to develop performance criteria that could effectively
address this hazard. The staff recommends a revised warning label to
better alert caregivers to the danger of leaving a child alone in a
bath seat.
B. The Public Meeting
The purpose of the public meeting is to provide a forum for oral
presentations on the CPSC staff briefing package concerning the bath
seat NPR.
Participation in the meeting is open. See the DATES section of this
notice for information on making requests to give oral presentations at
the meeting and on making written submissions.
Dated: June 3, 2003.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 03-14482 Filed 6-11-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P