[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 1707-1708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-756]



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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISION

16 CFR Part 1000


Commission Organization and Functions

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Commission is revising its statement of organization and 
functions to reflect the elimination of the Directorate for 
Epidemiology and the transfer of its functions to the renamed 
Directorate for Epidemiology and Health Sciences, to the Directorate 
for Engineering Sciences, and to the Office of Information Systems.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 23, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph F. Rosenthal, Office of the 
General Counsel, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. 
20207, telephone 301-504-0980.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    The sections describing the Directorate for Engineering Sciences, 
the Office of Information Services, and the former Directorates for 
Health Sciences and Epidemiology have been amended to reflect the 
transfer of functions from the former Directorate for Epidemiology. The 
injury data collection and analysis functions from the former 
Directorate for Epidemiology have been transferred to the new 
Directorate for Epidemiology and Health Sciences; the human factors 
research functions have been transferred to the Directorate for 
Engineering Sciences; and the National Injury Information Clearinghouse 
has been transferred to the Office of Information Services. Editorial 
changes have been made to the description of the Directorate for 
Engineering Sciences.
    In addition, for consistency with section 1000.12, the Directorate 
for Laboratory Sciences has been added in section 1000.21 to the list 
of organizations over which the Assistant Executive Director for Hazard 
Identification and Reduction has line authority.
    Since this rule relates solely to internal agency management, 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b), notice and other public procedures are not 
required and it is effective immediately on the specified effective 
date. Further, this action is not a rule as defined in the Regulatory 
Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601-612 and, thus, is exempt from the 
provisions of the Act.

List of Subjects in 16 CFR Part 1000

    Organization and functions (government agencies).
    Accordingly, 16 CFR part 1000 is amended as follows:

PART 1000--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for part 1000 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a).

    2. Section 1000.12 is revised to read as follows:


Sec. 1000.12  Organizational structure.

    The Consumer Product Safety Commission is composed of the principal 
units listed in this section.
    (a) The following units report directly to the Chairman of the 
Commission:
    (1) Office of the General Counsel;
    (2) Office of Congressional Relations;
    (3) Office of the Secretary;
    (4) Office of the Inspector General;
    (5) Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority Enterprise;
    (6) Office of the Executive Director.
    (b) The following units report directly to the Executive Director 
of the Commission:
    (1) Office of the Budget;
    (2) Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction;
    (3) Office of Information and Public Affairs;
    (4) Office of Compliance;
    (5) Office of Planning and Evaluation;
    (6) Office of Human Resources Management;
    (7) Office of Information Services;
    (8) Directorate for Administration;
    (9) Directorate for Field Operations.
    (c) The following units report directly to the Assistant Executive 
Director for Hazard Identification and Reduction:
    (1) Directorate for Economic Analysis;
    (2) Directorate for Epidemiology and Health Sciences;
    (3) Directorate for Engineering Sciences;
    (4) Directorate for Laboratory Sciences.

    3. Section 1000.26 is revised to read as follows:


Sec. 1000.26  Office of Information Services.

    The Office of Information Services, which is managed by the 
Assistant Executive Director for Information Services, is responsible 
for general policy, controlling and conducting managerial activities 
and operations relating to the collection, use, and dissemination of 
information by the agency. The Office manages the Commission's 
information system that supports all its program activities. The Office 
provides automated data processing and operational support for data 
collection, information retrieval, report generation, electronic mail, 
and statistical and mathematical operations of the agency. The Office 
maintains the agency's local and wide area networks and develops and 
supports other network applications. The Office develops plans for 
improving agency operations through the use of information technology. 
The Office's functional responsibilities include planning, organizing, 
and directing information resources management (including records 
management and related requirements), and the managing of the agency's 
management directives system. The Office administers the Commission's 
telecommunications services including the agency's toll-free Hotline by 
which the public reports hazardous consumer products and receives 
information about product recalls and product hazards. It also oversees 
operation of the Commission's Internet and fax-on-demand services. It 
administers the National Injury Information Clearinghouse.


[[Page 1708]]

    4. Section 1000.27 is revised to read as follows:


Sec. 1000.27  Directorate for Epidemiology and Health Sciences.

    The Directorate for Epidemiology and Health Sciences, which is 
managed by the Associate Executive Director for Epidemiology and Health 
Sciences, is responsible for injury analysis to identify and document 
information on consumer-product related hazards or hazard patterns, and 
for developing and implementing health science policies and programs. 
The Directorate collects data on consumer product-related hazards and 
potential hazards, determines the frequency, severity, and distribution 
of the various types of injuries, and investigates their causes. It 
collects health science, exposure, and medical data; reviews and 
evaluates toxicological, physiological, medical and chemical-related 
hazards; and determines exposure, uptake and metabolism, including 
information on population segments at risk. It assesses the effects of 
product safety standards and programs on consumer injuries and conducts 
epidemiological and health studies and research in the field of 
consumer product-related injuries. The Directorate performs risk 
assessments for chemical, physiological and physical hazards based on 
methods such as medical injury modeling and on injury and incident data 
for mechanical, thermal, chemical and electrical hazards in consumer 
products. The Directorate provides statistical support for other 
Commission organizations including, but not limited to, standards 
development, certification programs, and sampling for field inspection 
programs. It maintains and manages the National Electronic Injury 
Surveillance System (NEISS). It provides the Commission's primary 
source of technical expertise for implementation of the Poison 
Prevention Packaging Act. The Directorate assists in the development 
and evaluation of product safety standards and test methods based on 
the chemical, biological and medical, statistical and epidemiological 
sciences. It provides support to the Commission's regulatory 
development and enforcement activities. It manages hazard 
identification and analysis and hazard assessment and reduction 
projects as assigned. The Directorate provides liaison with the 
National Toxicology Program, the Department of Health and Human 
Services, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, other 
federal agencies and programs, and other organizations concerned with 
reducing the risk to consumers from exposure to all the hazards the 
Commission must address.

    5. Section 1000.29 is revised to read as follows:


Sec. 1000.29  Directorate for Engineering Sciences.

    The Directorate for Engineering Sciences, which is managed by the 
Associate Executive Director for Engineering Sciences, is responsible 
for developing technical policy for and implementing the Commission's 
engineering programs. The Directorate manages hazard assessment and 
reduction projects as assigned by the Office of Hazard Identification 
and Reduction; provides engineering technical support and product 
safety assesments for the Office of Compliance; provides engineering, 
scientific, and technical expertise to the Commission and Commission 
staff as requested; and provides engineering technical support to other 
Commission organizations, activities, and programs as needed. The 
Directorate develops and evaluates product safety standards, product 
safety tests and test methods, performance criteria, design 
specifications, and quality control standards for consumer products, 
based on engineering and scientific methods. It conducts engineering 
analysis and testing of the safety of consumer products, and evaluates 
and participates in the development of mandatory and voluntary 
standards for consumer products including engineering and human factors 
analyses in support of standards development and product compliance 
testing. The Directorate performs or monitors research for consumer 
products in a broad array of engineering disciplines including 
chemical, electrical, fire protection, human factors, and mechanical 
engineering. It conducts and coordinates engineering research, testing, 
and evaluation activities with other federal agencies, private 
industry, and consumer interest groups. The Directorate conducts human 
factors studies and research of consumer product related injuries, 
including evaluations of labels, signs and symbols, instructions, and 
other measures intended to address the human component of injury 
prevention. The Directorate provides technical supervision and 
direction of engineering activities including tests and analyses 
conducted in the field.

    6. Section 1000.30 is removed and reserved.

    7. Section 1000.32 is revised to read as follows:


Sec. 1000.32  Directorate for Administration.

    The Directorate for Administration, which is managed by the 
Associate Executive Director for Administration, is responsible for 
formulating general administrative policies supporting the Commission 
in the areas of financial management, procurement, and general 
administrative support services including property and space 
management, physical security, printing, and warehousing. The 
Directorate is responsible for the payment, accounting, and reporting 
of all expenditures within the Commission and for operating and 
maintaining the Commission's accounting system and subsidiary 
Management Information System which allocates staff work time and costs 
to programs and projects.

    8. In section 1000.21, the second sentence is revised to read as 
follows:


Sec. 1000.21  Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction.

    * * * ``The Office reports to the Executive Director, and has line 
authority over the Directorates for Epidemiology and Health Sciences, 
Economic Analysis, Engineering Sciences, and Laboratory Sciences.'' * * 
*

Sadye E. Dunn,

Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 96-756 Filed 1-22-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-F