[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