[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 15, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8441-8442]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03158]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

16 CFR Parts 1112 and 1260

[Docket No. CPSC-2013-0028]


Safety Standard for Operating Cords on Custom Window Coverings; 
Notice of Opportunity for Oral Presentation of Comments

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; notice of opportunity for oral 
presentation of comments.

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SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission or CPSC) 
will be providing an opportunity for interested parties to present oral 
comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) the Commission 
issued regarding a safety standard for operating cords on custom window 
coverings. Any oral comments will be part of the rulemaking record.

DATES: The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 
March 16, 2022, via webinar. All attendees should pre-register for the 
webinar online at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2824746947802696460. Any individual interested in making an oral 
presentation must register for the webinar and submit a request to make 
an oral presentation to the Division of the Secretariat, along with the 
written text of the oral presentation, and such requests must be 
received no later than 5 p.m. EST on March 2, 2022. All other 
individuals who wish to attend the hearing should register before the 
start of the hearing.

ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held via webinar. Attendance is free of 
charge. Submit requests to make oral presentations and the written text 
of oral presentations to the Division of the Secretariat, with the 
caption, ``Custom Window Coverings NPR; Oral Presentation,'' by email 
to [email protected], or by mail to the Division of the Secretariat, 
Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, 
MD 20814. Detailed instructions for those making oral presentations and 
other attendees will be made available on the CPSC public calendar.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the subject 
matter of this hearing, contact Rana Balci-Sinha, Director, Division of 
Human Factors, Directorate for Engineering Sciences, Office of Hazard 
Identification and Reduction, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 
National Product Testing and Evaluation Center, 5 Research Place, 
Rockville, MD 20850; telephone: 301-987-2584; [email protected]. For 
information about the procedure to make an oral presentation, contact 
Alberta E. Mills, Division of the Secretariat, Consumer Product Safety 
Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On January 7, 2022, the Commission published a notice of proposed 
rulemaking (NPR) in the Federal Register, proposing to issue a Safety 
Standard for Operating Cords on Custom Window Coverings under the 
Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA; 15 U.S.C. 2051-2089), and seeking 
written comments. 87 FR 1014. The NPR seeks to address an unreasonable 
risk of strangulation to children 8 years old and younger associated 
with custom window coverings that have accessible operating cords that 
are longer than 8 inches. The NPR would require that operating cords on 
custom window coverings meet the same requirements as operating cords 
on stock window coverings, as set forth in the applicable voluntary 
standard, ANSI/WCMA A100.1--2018, American National Standard for Safety 
of Corded Window Covering Products. Thus, the proposed rule proposes 
that operating cords on custom window coverings must be cordless, 
inaccessible, or 8 inches or shorter in length in any use position. If 
finalized, operating cords on custom window coverings would require 
testing and certification to the rule under section 14 of the CPSA. 
Moreover, operating cords on custom window coverings that meet the 
definition of a ``children's product'' would require third party 
testing by a CPSC-accredited third party conformity assessment body. 
Accordingly, the proposed rule also proposes to amend the Commission's 
regulation at 16 CFR part 1112 to add ``Safety Standard for Operating 
Cords on Custom Window Coverings'' to the list of rules that require 
third party testing. The NPR is available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-27896, and CPSC staff's briefing package 
for the

[[Page 8442]]

NPR is available at: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/NPRs-Add-Window-Covering-Cords-to-Substantial-Product-Hazard-List-Establish-Safety-Standard-for-Operating-Cords-on-Custom-Window-Coverings-updated-10-29-2021.pdf?VersionId=HIM05bK3WDLRZrlNGogQLknhFvhtx3PD.

II. The Public Hearing

    The Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551-562) and section 9 
of the CPSA require the Commission to provide interested parties with 
an opportunity to submit ``written data, views, or arguments'' 
regarding a proposed rule. 5 U.S.C. 553(c); 15 U.S.C. 2058(d)(2). The 
NPR invited such written comments. Section 9 of the CPSA also requires 
the Commission to provide interested parties ``an opportunity for oral 
presentation of data, views, or arguments.'' 15 U.S.C. 2058(d)(2). The 
Commission must keep a transcript of such oral presentations. Id. To 
satisfy this requirement, the Commission is providing a forum for oral 
presentations concerning the proposed Safety Standard for Operating 
Cords on Custom Window Coverings.\1\
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    \1\ On February 8, 2022, the Commission voted (4-0) to issue 
this notice of opportunity for oral presentation of comments.
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    To request the opportunity to make an oral presentation, see the 
information under the DATES and ADDRESSES sections of this notice. 
Participants should limit their presentations to approximately 10 
minutes, excluding time for questioning by the Commissioners or CPSC 
staff. To avoid duplicate presentations, groups should designate a 
spokesperson, and the Commission reserves the right to limit 
presentation times or impose further restrictions, as necessary.

Alberta E. Mills,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2022-03158 Filed 2-14-22; 8:45 am]
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