[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 218 (Friday, November 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58610-58611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27326]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

[Docket No. CPSC-2009-0093]


Proposed Extension of Approval of Information Collection; Comment 
Request--Consumer Opinion Forum

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: 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 extension of approval of a 
collection of information from persons who may voluntarily register and 
participate in a Consumer Opinion Forum posted on the CPSC Web site, 
http://www.cpsc.gov. The Commission will consider all comments received 
in response to this notice before requesting an extension of this 
collection of information from the Office of Management and Budget.

DATES: Written comments must be received by the Office of the Secretary 
not later than January 12, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2009-
0093, by any of the following methods:
    Submit electronic comments in the following way:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments. To ensure timely processing of 
comments, the Commission is no longer accepting comments submitted by 
electronic mail (e-mail) except through http://www.regulations.gov.
    Submit written submissions in the following way:
    Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for paper, disk, or CD-ROM 
submissions), preferably in five copies, to: Office of the Secretary, 
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 502, 4330 East-West Highway, 
Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504-7923.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number for this notice. All comments received may be posted 
without change, including any personal identifiers, contact 
information, or other personal information provided, to http://www.regulations.gov. Do not submit confidential business information, 
trade secret information, or other sensitive or protected information 
electronically. Such information should be submitted in writing.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the proposed 
collection of information call or write Linda L. Glatz, Division of 
Policy and Planning, Office of Information Technology and Technology 
Services, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, 
Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone: (301) 504-7671 or by e-mail to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background

    The Commission is authorized under section 5(a) of the Consumer 
Product Safety Act (CPSA), 15 U.S.C. 2054(a), to conduct studies and 
investigations relating to the causes and prevention of deaths, 
accidents, injuries, illnesses, other health impairments, and economic 
losses associated with consumer products. Section 5(b) of the CPSA, 15 
U.S.C. 2054(b), further provides that the Commission may conduct 
research, studies and investigations on the safety of consumer products 
or test consumer products and develop product safety test methods and 
testing devices.
    In order to better identify and evaluate the risks of product-
related incidents, the Commission staff seeks to solicit consumer 
opinions and perceptions related to consumer product use, on a 
voluntary basis, through questions posted on the CPSC's Consumer 
Opinion Forum. Through the forum, consumers will be able to answer 
questions and provide information regarding their experiences, opinions 
and/or perceptions on the use or pattern of use of a specific product 
or type of product. The Consumer Opinion Forum is intended for 
consumers, 18 years and older, who have access to the Internet and e-
mail, who voluntarily register to participate through a participant 
registration process, and respond to the questions posted in the 
Consumer Opinion Forum. A link to the Consumer Opinion Forum login page 
is available on the CPSC Web site, http://www.cpsc.gov. Consumers may 
link directly to the login page for the Consumer Opinion Forum at 
https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/cof/login.aspx. When new questions are 
posted on the CPSC Web site, registered participants will be invited 
via e-mail to respond to various questions, but not more frequently 
than once every four weeks.
    The information collected from the Consumer Opinion Forum will help 
inform the Commission's evaluation of consumer products and product use 
by providing insight and information into consumer perceptions and 
usage patterns. Such information may also assist the Commission in its 
efforts to support voluntary standards activities, and help the staff 
identify areas regarding consumer safety issues that need additional 
research. In addition, based on the information obtained, the staff may 
be able to provide safety information to the public that is easier to 
read and is more easily understood by a wider range of consumers. For 
example, the staff may be able to propose new language or revisions to 
existing language in warning labels or

[[Page 58611]]

manuals if the staff finds that certain warning language is perceived 
by many participants to be unclear or subject to misinterpretation. 
Finally, the Consumer Opinion Forum may be used to solicit consumer 
opinions and feedback regarding the effectiveness of product recall 
communications and in determining what action is being taken by 
consumers in response to such communications and why. This may aid in 
tailoring future recall activities to increase the success of those 
activities. If this information is not collected, the Commission would 
not have available useful information regarding consumer experiences, 
opinions, and perceptions related to specific product use, which the 
Commission relies on in its ongoing efforts to improve the safety of 
consumer products on behalf of consumers.

B. Estimated Burden

    During the past two years, 2,300 individuals have registered to 
participate in the Consumer Opinion Forum. Although the registration is 
still open, the Commission staff does not expect the number of 
registrants will exceed 5,000 over the next few years. The Commission 
staff estimates that each respondent will take 10 minutes or less to 
complete the one-time registration process. Based on that estimate, the 
registration burden is estimated to have been approximately 192 burden 
hours per year for 2,300 registrants.
    The Commission staff further estimates that the amount of time 
required to respond to each set of questions on the Consumer Opinion 
Forum will be 5 minutes or less. The Commission staff foresees the 
possibility of up to 4 surveys per year. If, at the maximum, each 
respondent responds to 4 sets of questions over the course of a year, 
the yearly burden would result in approximately 20 minutes per year for 
each respondent. Based on an estimated 44 percent response rate for 
2,300 potential respondents, the annual burden could total 337 hours. 
If as many as 5,000 registrants respond, the Commission staff estimates 
that the annual burden could total approximately 733 hours per year (44 
percent response rate for 5,000 potential respondents at 5 minutes per 
survey for four surveys).
    The Commission staff estimates that the total estimated burden for 
new registrations and surveys, combined, will not exceed 925 hours 
annually (no more than 733 hours for four surveys per year, plus no 
more than 192 hours for new registrations). The Commission staff 
estimated the value of the time of respondents to this collection of 
information at $29.39 an hour. This is based on the 2009 U.S. 
Department of Labor Employer Costs for Employee Compensation. At this 
valuation, the estimated annual cost to the public of this information 
collection will be about $27,000 per year.
    The Commission will expend approximately 1 month of professional 
staff time annually for preparing questions and analysis of responses 
for each survey. Assuming that 4 surveys will be conducted annually, 
(and 4 staff months) the total annual cost to the Federal government of 
the collection of information is estimated to be $55,360.

C. Request for Comments

    The Commission solicits written comments from all interested 
persons about the proposed collection of information. The Commission 
specifically solicits information relevant to the following topics:
    --Whether the collection of information described above is 
necessary for the proper performance of the Commission's functions, 
including whether the information would have practical utility;
    --Whether the estimated burden of the proposed collection of 
information is accurate;
    --Whether the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected could be enhanced; and
    --Whether the burden imposed by the collection of information could 
be minimized by use of automated, electronic or other technological 
collection techniques, or other forms of information technology.

    Dated: November 9, 2009.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. E9-27326 Filed 11-12-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P