[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 116 (Thursday, June 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36311-36312]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12979]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

[Docket No. CPSC-2014-0011]


Notice of Availability and Request for Comment: Revision to the 
Voluntary Standard for Frame Child Carriers

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (Commission or 
CPSC) mandatory rule, Safety Standard for Frame Child Carriers, 
incorporates by reference ASTM F2549-14a, Standard Consumer Safety 
Specification for Frame Child Carriers. The Commission has received 
notice of a revision to this incorporated voluntary standard. CPSC 
seeks comment on whether the revision improves the safety of the 
consumer product covered by the standard.

DATES: Comments must be received by June 30, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2014-0011, by 
any of the following methods:
    Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic comments to the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments. CPSC typically does not accept 
comments submitted by electronic mail (email), except as described 
below. CPSC encourages you to submit electronic comments by using the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal.
    Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier/Confidential Written Submissions: Submit 
comments by mail, hand delivery, or courier to: Division of the 
Secretariat, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East West 
Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone: (301) 504-7479. If you wish to 
submit confidential business information, trade secret information, or 
other sensitive or protected information that you do not want to be 
available to the public, you may submit such comments by mail, hand 
delivery, or courier, or you may email them to: [email protected].
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number. CPSC may post all comments without change, including any 
personal identifiers, contact information, or other personal 
information provided, to: https://www.regulations.gov. Do not submit 
through this website: confidential business information, trade secret 
information, or other sensitive or protected information that you do 
not want to be available to the public. If you wish to submit such 
information, please submit it according to the instructions for mail/
hand delivery/courier/confidential written submissions.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to: https://www.regulations.gov, and insert the 
docket number, CPSC-2014-0011, into the ``Search'' box, and follow the 
prompts.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin K. Lee, Project Manager, 
Division of Engineering Sciences, U.S. Consumer Product Safety 
Commission, 5 Research Place, Rockville, MD 20850; telephone: (301) 
987-2086; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 104(b) of the Consumer Product 
Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) requires the Commission to adopt 
mandatory standards for durable infant or toddler products. 15 U.S.C. 
2056a(b)(1). Mandatory standards must be ``substantially the same as'' 
voluntary standards, or may be ``more stringent'' than voluntary 
standards, if the Commission determines that more stringent 
requirements would further reduce the risk of injury associated with 
the products. Id. Mandatory standards may be based, in whole or in 
part, on a voluntary standard.
    Pursuant to section 104(b)(4)(B) of the CPSIA, if a voluntary 
standards organization revises a standard that has been adopted, in 
whole or in part, as a consumer product safety standard under CPSIA 
section 104, it must notify the Commission. The revised voluntary 
standard then shall be considered to be a consumer product safety 
standard issued by the Commission under section 9 of the Consumer 
Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2058), effective 180 days after the date 
on which the organization notifies the Commission (or a later date 
specified by the Commission in the Federal Register) unless, within 90 
days after receiving that notice, the Commission responds to the 
organization that it has determined that the proposed revision does not 
improve the safety of the consumer product covered by the standard, and 
therefore, the Commission is retaining its existing mandatory consumer 
product safety standard. 15 U.S.C. 2056a(b)(4)(B).
    Under this authority, in 2015 the Commission issued a mandatory 
safety rule for frame child carriers. The rulemaking created 16 CFR 
part 1230, which incorporated by reference ASTM F2549-14a, Standard 
Consumer Safety Specification for Frame Child Carriers. 80 FR 11121 
(Mar. 2, 2015). The mandatory standard included performance 
requirements and test methods, as well as requirements for warning 
labels and instructions, to address hazards to children associated with 
frame child carriers. The voluntary standard has not been revised since 
promulgation of the final rule.
    In May 2022, ASTM published a revised version of the incorporated 
voluntary standard. On June 6, 2022, ASTM notified the Commission that 
it had approved the revised version of the voluntary standard. CPSC 
staff is assessing the revised voluntary standard to determine, 
consistent with section 104(b)(4)(B) of the CPSIA, its effect on the 
safety of consumer products covered by the standard. The Commission 
invites public comment on that question to inform Staff's assessment 
and any subsequent Commission consideration of the revisions in ASTM 
F2549-22.\1\
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    \1\ The Commission voted 3-0-1 to approve this notice. Chair 
Hoehn-Saric, Commissioners Feldman and Trumka voted to approve the 
notice as drafted. Commissioner Baiocco did not vote.
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    The existing voluntary standard and the revised voluntary standard 
are available for review in several ways. ASTM has provided on its 
website (https://www.astm.org/CPSC.htm), at no cost, a read-only copy 
of ASTM F2549-22 and a red-lined version that identifies the changes 
made to ASTM F2549-14a. Likewise, a read-only copy of the existing, 
incorporated standard is available for viewing, at no cost, on the ASTM 
website at: https://www.astm.org/READINGLIBRARY/. Interested parties 
can also download copies of the standards by purchasing them from ASTM 
International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700, West Conshohocken, 
PA 19428-2959; phone: 610-832-9585; https://www.astm.org. 
Alternatively, interested parties can schedule an appointment to 
inspect copies of the standards at CPSC's Division of the Secretariat, 
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, 
Bethesda, MD 20814, telephone: 301-504-7479; email: [email protected].
    Comments must be received by June 30, 2022. Because of the short 
statutory time frame Congress established for the Commission to 
consider revised

[[Page 36312]]

voluntary standards under section 104(b)(4) of the CPSIA, CPSC will not 
consider comments received after this date.

Alberta E. Mills,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2022-12979 Filed 6-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P