[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 15, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8442-8443]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03166]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

16 CFR Parts 1112 and 1262

[Docket No. CPSC-2021-0037]


Safety Standard for Magnets; 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 magnets. 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 2, 2022, via webinar. All attendees should pre-register for the 
webinar online at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7528473084591026190.
    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 February 23, 2022. All other individuals who 
wish to attend the meeting 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, ``Magnets 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 Stephen Harsanyi, Project Manager, 
Consumer Product Safety Commission, 5 Research Place, Rockville, MD 
20850; email: [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 10, 2022, the Commission published an NPR in the Federal 
Register, proposing to issue a safety standard for magnets under the 
Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA; 15 U.S.C. 2051-2089), and seeking 
written comments. 87 FR 1260. The proposed rule seeks to address the 
risk of injury or death associated with magnet ingestions, by requiring 
loose or separable magnets in subject magnet products to be either too 
large to swallow, or weak enough to reduce the risk of internal 
interaction injuries when swallowed. The proposed rule would apply to 
``subject magnet products,'' which are consumer products that are 
designed, marketed, or intended to be used for entertainment, jewelry 
(including children's jewelry), mental stimulation, stress relief, or a 
combination of these purposes, and that contain one or more loose or 
separable magnets. The NPR proposed a rule to require each loose or 
separable magnet in a subject magnet product that fits entirely within 
CPSC's small parts cylinder (described in 16 CFR 1501.4) to have a flux 
index of less than 50 kG\2\ mm\2\. Toys that are subject to CPSC's 
mandatory toy standard in 16 CFR part 1250 are exempt from the proposed 
rule. The NPR is available at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-01-10/pdf/2021-27826.pdf, and CPSC staff's briefing package for 
the NPR is available at: https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Proposed-Rule-Safety-Standard-for-Magnets.pdf?VersionId=2Xizl5izY1OvQRVazWpkqdJHXg5vzRY.

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. In addition, section 9 of the CPSA 
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. In accordance with this requirement, the Commission 
is providing a forum for oral presentations concerning the proposed 
standard for magnets.
    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

[[Page 8443]]

limit presentation times or impose further restrictions, as necessary.

Alberta E. Mills,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2022-03166 Filed 2-14-22; 8:45 am]
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