[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7765-7766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03013]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

[Docket No. CPSC-2012-0034]


Request for Information Regarding Crib Bumpers

AGENCY: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or 
``Commission'') is seeking information regarding the safety benefits of 
crib bumpers, whether safety hazards are associated with crib bumpers, 
existing safety standards that apply to crib bumpers, and potential 
performance requirements, testing, and other standards that may reduce 
the risk of injury, if any, associated with crib bumpers.

DATES: Submit comments by April 18, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2012-
0034, by any of the following methods:
    Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic comments to the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments. The Commission does not accept 
comments submitted by electronic mail (email), except through 
www.regulations.gov.
    Written Submissions: Submit written comments by mail/hand delivery/
courier to: Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety 
Commission, Room 820, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; 
telephone (301) 504-7923.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number for this notice. CPSC may post all comments, without 
change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
identifiers, contact information, or other personal information. Do not 
submit confidential business information, trade secret information, or 
other sensitive or protected information that you do not want to be 
available to the public. If furnished at all, submit such information 
by mail/hand delivery/courier.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments, go to: http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Timothy P. Smith, Project Manager, 
Directorate for Engineering Sciences, U.S. Consumer Product Safety 
Commission, 5 Research Place, Rockville, MD 20850; telephone: 301-987-
2557; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') 
has granted a petition to initiate rulemaking regarding crib 
bumpers.\1\ To determine the need for and appropriate scope of such a 
rulemaking, the Commission is investigating whether crib bumpers pose a 
safety hazard to infants and, if so, what performance standards or 
requirements could mitigate that risk. As part of this effort, CPSC 
staff has reviewed incident data to identify what features or 
characteristics of crib bumpers create a safety hazard, if any; is 
evaluating existing safety standards that apply to crib bumpers and 
similar products; and is testing various types of crib bumpers. In this 
Request for Information (``RFI''), CPSC seeks input from interested 
parties to supplement the information, standards, and data currently 
available to the Commission. CPSC would find specific data regarding 
the safety risks and benefits associated with various types of crib 
bumpers and the empirical basis for, and effectiveness of, existing 
safety standards particularly helpful.
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    \1\ On May 9, 2012, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers 
Association, Inc. (``JPMA'') filed a petition requesting CPSC 
initiate rulemaking under sections 7 and 9 of the Consumer Product 
Safety Act (``CPSA''; 15 U.S.C. 2051-2089) to create a performance 
standard for crib bumpers to distinguish ``hazardous `soft' pillow-
like'' crib bumpers from ``traditional'' crib bumpers. See 77 FR 
37836. On May 24, 2013, the Commission granted the petition, but 
adopted a broader framework than JPMA requested, directing staff to 
examine the safety benefits and risks associated with crib bumpers, 
evaluate existing standards, identify test methods and performance 
requirements that reduce any identified safety risks, and consider 
all regulatory options for addressing the risk of injury associated 
with crib bumpers.
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II. Information Requested

    To supplement the information currently available to CPSC, we 
request input relevant to the following questions:
     What test data or other information is available to 
identify the specific features or characteristics of a crib bumper that 
might contribute to a risk of suffocation?
     What objective, repeatable test methods, procedures or 
measures exist to assess the firmness of bedding, mattresses, and other 
possible sleep surfaces? To what extent, if any, can such tests, 
procedures or measures be used to assess whether these materials 
present a risk of suffocation by smothering?
     To what extent does the test device specified in 
Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 8811.1:2013, Methods of Testing 
Infant Products, Method 1: Sleep Surfaces--Test for Firmness,\2\ 
accurately and reliably assess the potential risk of suffocation 
associated with a sleep surface?
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    \2\ The standard is available from Standards Australia Limited, 
GPO Box 476, Sydney, NSW 2011 and Standards New Zealand, Private Bag 
2439, Wellington 6140, www.standards.co.nz.
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     To what extent would a test to accurately and reliably 
identify hazardous soft bedding or sleep surfaces be relevant to 
vertically-mounted surfaces, such as crib bumpers?
     What safety benefits do crib bumpers offer to consumers? 
What data are available to demonstrate such benefits?
     What, if any, evidence is there to indicate that 
``rebreathing'' of carbon dioxide occurs with crib bumpers and presents 
a risk of suffocation?
     The current U.S. voluntary standard covering crib bumpers 
is ASTM F1917-12, Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification 
for Infant Bedding and Related Accessories (``ASTM F1917-12'').\3\ Are 
there other standards, aside from state or regional bans, that include 
performance requirements for crib bumpers?
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    \3\ The standard is available from ASTM International at 100 Bar 
Harbor Drive, P.O. Box 0700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, http://www.astm.org/cpsc.htm.
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     ASTM F1917-12 includes a requirement that essentially 
limits the compressed thickness of crib bumpers to 2 inches. What 
evidence exists to support this requirement, and what, if any, 
association exists between this ASTM requirement and the risk of infant 
suffocation?
     What alternative or additional requirements beyond those 
specified in

[[Page 7766]]

ASTM F1917-12 might address the risk of infant suffocation?
     To what extent could a mesh-like or other ``breathable'' 
material present a risk of suffocation to an infant if the infant's 
face were pressed into the material? What specific characteristics 
would make a bumper ``breathable,'' and to what extent, if any, would 
such a bumper address the risk of suffocation? What data or research 
support these conclusions?
     Are incident data or other objective safety information or 
research available that describe potential hazards associated with 
mesh-like bumpers or liners? Are similar data or information available 
on so-called ``vertical bumpers,'' which essentially are a series of 
small bumpers that individually cover each crib slat, and other bumper 
alternatives?

    Dated: February 10, 2016.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2016-03013 Filed 2-12-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6355-01-P