Proposed Rule2023-09744
Standard for the Flammability of Mattresses and Mattress Pads; Notice of Meeting and Request for Comments
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 8, 2023
Effective
June 14, 2023
Issuing agencies
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Abstract
The Consumer Product Safety Commission will be holding a meeting on the Standard for the Flammability of Mattresses and Mattress Pads at the CPSC's laboratory in Rockville, MD, on June 14, 2023. We invite interested parties to participate in or attend the meeting. A remote viewing option will be available for registrants. We also invite interested parties to submit written comments related to the possible changes to the Standard that are discussed in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 88 (Monday, May 8, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 88 (Monday, May 8, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 29582-29584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09744]
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
16 CFR Part 1632
[Docket No. CPSC-2017-0008]
Standard for the Flammability of Mattresses and Mattress Pads;
Notice of Meeting and Request for Comments
AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION: Announcement of public meeting and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission will be holding a
meeting on the Standard for the Flammability of Mattresses and Mattress
Pads at the CPSC's laboratory in Rockville, MD, on June 14, 2023. We
invite interested parties to participate in or attend the meeting. A
remote viewing option will be available for registrants. We also invite
interested parties to submit written comments related to the possible
changes to the Standard that are discussed in this notice.
DATES: The meeting will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on June 14, 2023.
Individuals interested in serving on panels or presenting information
at the meeting should register by May 22, 2023; all other individuals
who wish to attend the meeting in person or view it remotely should
register by June 7, 2023. Written comments must be received by July 5,
2023.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the CPSC's National Product
Testing and Evaluation Center, 5 Research Place, Rockville, MD 20850.
Persons interested in serving on a panel or presenting information at
the meeting in person should register by sending an email with their
contact information and proposed presentation topic to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#165a45535b7373627f787165567566657538717960"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0d415e484068687964636a7e4d6e7d7e6e236a627b">[email protected]</span></a>, no later than May 22, 2023. All other individuals
who wish to attend the meeting in person or remotely should register by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#de928d9b93bbbbaab7b0b9ad9ebdaeadbdf0b9b1a8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2a66796f674f4f5e43444d596a495a5949044d455c">[email protected]</span></a> by June 7, 2023.
You can submit written comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-
2017-0008, by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic comments to the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the instructions for
submitting comments. 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. CPSC does not accept comments submitted by email, except as
described below.
Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier/Confidential Written Submissions: CPSC
encourages you to submit comments by using the Federal eRulemaking
Portal. You may, however, submit comments by mail, hand delivery, or
courier to: Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety
Commission, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone:
(301) 504-7479.
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: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. 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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#33504340501e5c4073504340501d545c45"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ea899a9989c78599aa899a9989c48d859c">[email protected]</span></a>.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, and insert the docket
number, CPSC-2017-0008, into the ``Search'' box, and follow the
prompts.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa L. Scott, Directorate for
Laboratory Sciences, 5 Research Place, Rockville,
[[Page 29583]]
MD 20850, telephone 301-987-2064, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#622e31272f0707160b0c051122011211014c050d14"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ffb3acbab29a9a8b9691988cbf9c8f8c9cd1989089">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On June 23, 2005, the Commission published an advance notice of
proposed rulemaking (ANPR) regarding the possible revocation or
amendment of 16 CFR part 1632, Standard for the Flammability of
Mattress and Mattress Pads (Cigarette Ignition). 70 FR 36357.
Since publication of the ANPR, CPSC staff has conducted testing of
full-scale mattress prototypes, evaluated fire incident data, and
evaluated both the existing and alternate ticking substitution tests
for the substitution of components under 16 CFR part 1632. See 16 CFR
1632.6.
On February 1, 2017, the Commission published a Request for
Information (RFI) Regarding Mattress Materials. 82 FR 8923. The
Commission requested information on the materials, components, and
methods of assembly currently used to comply with part 1632, Standard
for the Flammability of Mattresses and Mattress Pads, and part 1633,
Standard for the Flammability (Open Flame) of Mattress Sets. Six public
comments were submitted. The commenters represented several segments of
the mattress industry, but the small number of comments submitted gave
CPSC a limited understanding of industry practices.
II. Topics for the Meeting
Below we identify the topics for the June 14, 2023, meeting.\1\ As
described in Section IV of this notice, we also are seeking written
comments on these topics and related matters. We have identified the
following specific topics we would like panelists to address at the
meeting:
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\1\ The Commission voted 4-0 to approve publication of this
notice.
1. Ticking substitution
<bullet> Experience with the test procedure in 16 CFR part 1632.6
<bullet> Assessment and availability of standard materials
<bullet> Factors affecting selection of materials
<bullet> Consideration of the effect of substituted ticking
materials on open flame testing performance (16 CFR part 1633)
<bullet> Consideration of the effect of substituted ticking
materials on consumer safety
2. Compliance with 16 CFR part 1632 and 16 CFR part 1633
<bullet> Methods and materials that affect flammability test
performance for compliance with both standards
<bullet> Prototype data trends related to compliance with both
standards for mattresses in development and/or introduced to commerce
CPSC will determine the presenters and order of the presentations
once we confirm the number of panelists available for each topic area.
We may combine, expand, or eliminate panel sessions, depending upon the
level of interest. The final schedule will be announced on our website
before the meeting.
III. Details Regarding the Public Meeting
A. When and where will the meeting be held?
The meeting will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on June 14, 2023, at the
CPSC's National Product Testing and Evaluation Center (NPTEC), 5
Research Place, Rockville, MD 20850.
B. How can I register for the meeting?
If you would like to be a panelist or present information for a
specific session of the meeting, you should register by May 22, 2023.
(See the ADDRESSES section of this document for instructions on how to
register.) We also ask that you submit a brief (less than 200 word)
abstract of your topic and area of expertise. Staff will select
panelists based on a variety of considerations, including: Whether the
information to be presented has been received in previous open comment
periods; the individual's familiarity or expertise with the topic to be
discussed; the practical utility in the information to be presented;
and the topic's relevance to the identified theme and topic area.
Although an effort will be made to accommodate all persons who wish to
be panelists, we expect to limit each panel session to no more than
approximately five panelists. Therefore, the final number of panelists
may be limited. We recommend that individuals and organizations with
common interests consolidate or coordinate their panelist requests. To
assist in making final panelist selections, staff may ask potential
panelists to submit planned presentations in addition to the initial
abstract. We plan to notify panelists of their selection by May 26,
2023.
If you wish to attend and participate in the meeting, but you do
not wish to be a panelist, you should register by June 7, 2023, and
identify your affiliation. Every effort will be made to accommodate
each person's request; however, we may need to limit registration to
meet the occupant capacity of our meeting rooms. If you have
registered, but are unable to attend the meeting in person, there will
be a remote video conferencing link available to watch the meeting
live, but you will not be able to interact with the panels and
presenters. You may be able to submit written questions in real time
for the presenters to answer. You will need to register by email as
described in the ADDRESSES section of this document to receive a
conferencing link for the meeting.
If you wish to submit written comments, you may do so before or
after the meeting, as described in the ADDRESSES section of this
notice. These comments should be received by July 5, 2023. Comments
should focus on new information not submitted previously that is
related to the topic areas listed above.
C. What will be the format of the meeting?
The meeting will open with a plenary session that includes a brief
overview of the staff's activities since the publication of the 2005
ANPR. Following the plenary session, there will be a series of
presentations covering topics listed above. We expect potential
presenters to speak for approximately 10-20 minutes each about their
topic area. At the conclusion of the presentations, there will be a
question, answer, and discussion session among the presenters and the
audience, limited to the topics discussed by the panelists.
D. How can I receive updates about the meeting?
If we decide to cancel or change the meeting, an email will be sent
to each registered participant who provides a valid email address when
registering as described in the ADDRESSES section of this document.
IV. Request for Comments
We request comments related to the possible revocation or amendment
of 16 CFR part 1632 and other topics as noted below related to both
flammability standards. Staff are interested in receiving written
comments either before the public meeting or by July 5, 2023, on the
following questions:
1. What types of procedures or alternative test protocols are
available to be used for evaluating or substituting tickings? Are there
alternative test protocols that may result in different ticking
classifications? Please provide information about the benefits of these
alternatives, their impact on safety, and whether and why the different
ticking classification results are more or less accurate for the
different methods.
[[Page 29584]]
2. If the test described in 16 CFR 1632.6(e) Test Procedure is
performed, who is likely to perform the test (e.g., the mattress
manufacturer, the ticking supplier, or another party), and why? Is the
ticking classification verified by a lab report or some other
documentation?
3. If a ticking is to be substituted on a qualified mattress
prototype, how are candidate tickings for a substitution evaluated and
selected? Other than ticking classification, what factors or features
are important when selecting a ticking material? Please explain the
benefits and/or concerns and impact on safety related to structure
(e.g., knit, woven, nonwoven), fiber content, or other factors that may
affect the decision. Is the effect on compliance with the Open Flame
Standard a consideration in the selection process?
4. CPSC staff anticipate that recordkeeping requirements may be
updated if the Commission opts to amend 16 CFR part 1632. These changes
may be made to be consistent with the requirements in 16 CFR part 1633
(for mattresses) and/or separately updated for mattress pads. What
recordkeeping changes should be considered for mattresses and/or
mattress pads?
5. Are there emerging topics that should be considered in any
proposed changes to either 16 CFR part 1632 or 16 CFR part 1633?
Examples could include sustainability, accessibility of components,
scope of products covered by either standard, and custom products.
Pamela J. Stone,
Acting Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2023-09744 Filed 5-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P
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