[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23437-23438]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10736]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

[Docket No. CPSC-2018-0002]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request--CPSC Playground Surfaces Survey

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announces that CPSC has 
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a new proposed 
collection of information by the agency on a survey that will assess 
children's potential exposure to playground surfaces, including 
recycled tire material. In the Federal Register of February 5, 2018 (83 
FR 5073), CPSC published a notice announcing the agency's intent to 
seek approval of this collection of information. CPSC received several 
comments in response to that notice. After review and consideration of 
the comments, by publication of this notice, the Commission announces 
that CPSC has submitted to the OMB a request for approval of this 
collection of information.

DATES: Written comments on this request for approval of information 
collection requirements should be submitted by June 20, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments about this request by email: 
[email protected] or fax: 202-395-6881.
    Comments by mail should be sent to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for the CPSC, Office of 
Management and Budget, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 
20503. In addition, written comments that are sent to OMB also should 
be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, under Docket 
No. CPSC-2018-0002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bretford Griffin, Consumer Product 
Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; (301) 
504-7037, or by email to: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Comments

    On February 5, 2018, the CPSC published a notice in the Federal 
Register announcing the agency's intent to seek approval of a new 
collection of information on a CPSC Playground Surfaces Survey that 
will assess children's potential exposure to playground surfaces, 
including recycled tire material or ``tire crumb'' rubber (83 FR 5073). 
CPSC received five comments in response to that notice. Two commenters 
did not address the survey or any issues related to the survey. These 
commenters raised concerns about smart phones and bullying. One 
commenter supported the information collection. Two commenters 
requested that the CPSC analyze peer-reviewed research on the safety of 
rubber mulch, apply scientific methodologies to the research, and 
identify the constituents found in recycled rubber at acceptable risk 
levels.
    The CPSC Playground Surfaces Survey will apply scientific survey 
methodologies to provide national estimates for the exposure of 
children less than 6 years old to playground surfaces, including, but 
not limited to, rubber mulch. The survey will not assess the safety of 
rubber mulch or whether children are at an increased health risk if 
they play on rubber mulch. Rather, the survey will help CPSC gain a 
better understanding of children's potential exposures to playground 
surfaces, including surfaces made from recycled tires, based on 
children's play behaviors on playgrounds. Potential exposures include 
skin contact, ingestion, and contact through open wounds.
    The CPSC, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Agency for Toxic 
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are working together on the 
Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Playing 
Fields and Playgrounds (Plan). The four components of the Plan and the 
agencies' responsibilities are as follows:

 Literature Review/Gap Analysis (EPA and CDC/ATSDR)
 Tire Crumb Characterization (EPA and CDC/ATSDR)
 Exposure Characterization Study (EPA and CDC/ATSDR)
 Playground Surfaces Study (CPSC)

    The EPA and the CDC/ATSDR are charged with assessing the existence, 
if any, of potentially hazardous chemicals or substances in recycled 
tire materials on athletic playing fields. Accordingly, EPA and CDC/
ATSDR will be responsible for analyzing and considering the appropriate 
scientific methodologies and peer reviewed research in any hazard 
analysis. CPSC is tasked with research to establish the level of risk 
and the extent to which children may be exposed to potential hazard(s) 
related to recycled rubber on playgrounds. The CPSC Playground Surfaces 
Survey will help to inform CPSC staff's analysis regarding children's 
potential risk of exposure, and the extent of the exposure from 
playground surfaces derived from recycled tires, but the survey will 
not address any potential hazards.
    Accordingly, after consideration of these comments, CPSC will 
request approval of this collection of information from OMB.

B. Survey

    CPSC has contracted with the Fors Marsh Group, LLC (FMG) to design 
the CPSC Playground Surfaces Survey. SSRS, LLC will program and 
administer the survey. Trained interviewers will dial and conduct the 
survey using a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) system, in 
a secure location, to which only authorized personnel have access. 
Participants will be recruited by re-contacting respondents of the SSRS 
Omnibus. The SSRS Omnibus is a national, weekly, dual-frame bilingual 
RDD telephone survey designed to meet standards of quality associated 
with custom research studies. Each weekly wave of the SSRS Omnibus 
consists of 1,000 interviews; 600 interviews are obtained with 
respondents on their cell phones, and approximately 35 interviews are 
completed in Spanish. The topic of the surveys varies week to week. 
Interviewers will conduct follow-up re-contacts to target specific 
populations on certain issues. SSRS will use existing data from this 
sample source to pre-screen individuals in the target population 
(parents of children who are currently 0-5 years old). These targeted 
households will be re-contacted to administer the proposed survey. 
Participants will be re-screened at the beginning of the call to make 
sure that they meet the target criteria and to identify which subset of 
questions they will be given for the survey. Participation is voluntary 
and all responses will be kept confidential.
    Each telephone interview will take approximately 20 minutes to 
complete. CPSC estimates the number of respondents to be 2,200. CPSC 
estimates the total annual burden hours for respondents to be 726 
hours. The monetized hourly cost is $35.28, as defined by the average 
total hourly cost

[[Page 23438]]

to employers for employee compensation for employees across all 
occupations as of June 2017, reported by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics. Accordingly, CPSC estimates the total annual cost burden to 
all respondents to be $25,613 (726 hours x $35.28 = $25,613.28). The 
total cost to the federal government for the contract to design and 
conduct the survey issued to FMG under contract number CPSC-D-16-0002 
is $243,593.

Alberta E. Mills,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2018-10736 Filed 5-18-18; 8:45 am]
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