[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 216 (Wednesday, November 8, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65476-65477]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-18858]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request--Follow-Up Activities 
for Product-Related Injuries

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On August 4, 2006, the Consumer Product Safety Commission 
(CPSC or Commission) published a notice in accordance with provisions 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) (PRA), to 
announce the agency's intention to seek approval for a collection of 
information obtained from persons who have been involved in or have 
witnessed incidents associated with consumer products. 71 FR 44262. The 
Commission announces that it has submitted to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) a request for an extension of the existing approval of 
collections of information conducted during follow-up activities for 
product-related injuries.
    The Commission received two comments. One commentor requests that 
the Commission post reports of problems found with products and act on 
the information obtained. This comment does not weigh against extension 
of the current authorization. Another commentor, the Association of 
Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), supports the proposed extension and 
requests the Commission staff to continue to use personal interviews as 
well as technological data collection to obtain pertinent information 
regarding product-related incidents. ATLA also requests that the 
Commission staff investigate a wider variety of product-related 
incidents. Given the large number of incidents reported involving 
consumer products annually, including NEISS data on hospital emergency 
room treated injuries, over 350,000 records per year, the Commission's 
resources and strategic goals guide the number of follow-up 
investigations that are conducted annually. Although Commission staff 
does not conduct follow-up investigations in every instance, staff does 
conduct an estimated 807 face-to-face interviews, excluding 
investigations conducted by the Office of Compliance and Field

[[Page 65477]]

Operations, 2,544 in-depth investigations by phone, 4,600 hotline staff 
interviews, and conducts a review of 6,900 internet forms received from 
persons requesting information about product-related incidents or 
injuries.
    ATLA also requests that incident reports that contain identifying 
information be made available, in unredacted form, to counsel for both 
plaintiffs and defendants. The statutes administered by the Commission 
explicitly preclude the release of the type of identifying information 
sought to be obtained by ATLA. Section 6 of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2055, 
provides that the Commission may not disclose any information which 
will permit the public to ascertain the identity of a manufacturer 
without providing prior notification and opportunity for comment to the 
manufacturer to which such information pertains. In addition, section 
25 of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2074, provides that any accident or 
investigation report made by an officer or employee of the Commission 
shall be made available to the public in a manner which will not 
identify any injured person or any person treating him, without the 
consent of the person so identified. Records that could reasonably be 
expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy are 
also exempted from production and disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552(b). To the extent an injured person has 
consented to release such information, that information would be 
readily available to counsel for either the plaintiff or the defendant.
    The information collected from persons who have sustained injuries 
or who have witnessed safety-related incidents associated with consumer 
products is an important source of safety information. The information 
collected is vital to the Commission in its efforts to assess the 
safety of consumer products and identify areas regarding consumer 
safety issues that may require further development and improvement 
through voluntary standards activities, rulemaking proceedings, recall 
activities, and information and education campaigns. Accordingly, the 
Commission has submitted the request for an extension of the existing 
approval of collections of information conducted during follow-up 
activities for product-related injuries.

Additional Details About the Request for Approval of a Collection of 
Information

    Agency address: Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East West 
Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814.
    Title of information collection: Follow-Up Activities for Product-
Related Injuries.
    Type of request: Extension of approval.
    Frequency of collection: One time for each respondent.
    General description of respondents: Persons who have been involved 
in, have witnessed, or otherwise have knowledge of incidents associated 
with consumer products.
    Estimated number of respondents: 14,851 total annually; 807 for 
face-to-face interviews; 2,544 telephone interviews; 4,600 hotline 
interviews; and 6,900 persons submitting a form.
    Estimated annual average number of hours per respondent: 20 min. 
for each telephone interview; 5.0 hours for each on-site interview; 12 
min. to fill out a form; 10 min. for each Hotline interview.
    Estimated total annual number of hours for all respondents: 7,030.
    Estimated cost of collection for all respondents: $202,000.

Comments

    Comments on this request for approval of information collection 
requirements should be submitted by December 8, 2006 to (1) the Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for CPSC, 
Office of Management and Budget, Washington DC 20503; telephone: (202) 
395-7340, and (2) the Office of the Secretary by e-mail at [email protected], or mailed to the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product 
Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814. Comments 
may also be sent via facsimile at (301) 504-0127.
    Copies of this request for approval of information collection 
requirements and supporting documentation are available from Linda 
Glatz, Management and Program Analyst, Office of Planning and 
Evaluation, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, 
Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone: (301) 504-7671; e-mail [email protected].

    Dated: November 2, 2006.
Alberta E. Mills,
Acting Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. E6-18858 Filed 11-7-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P