[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 172 (Tuesday, September 6, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55056-55057]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-22603]
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
[Docket No. CPSC-2011-0058]
Toy Safety Standard: Strategic Outreach and Education Plan
AGENCY: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC,''
``Commission,'' or ``we'') is announcing the development of a strategic
outreach and education plan to help the business community and other
stakeholders learn about testing and certification requirements for
children's toys and toy chests and their compliance with ASTM
International's (formerly the American Society for Testing and
Materials) (``ASTM'') Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy
Safety, F 963-08 (``ASTM F 963-08''), and section 4.27 (toy chests)
from ASTM International's F 963-07[egr]1 version of the standard
(``ASTM F 963-07[egr]1''). We describe the plan and invite public
comment on how we might improve the plan.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted no later than October 21,
2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2011-
0058, by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions
Submit electronic comments in the following way:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
To ensure timely processing of comments, the Commission is no
longer accepting comments submitted by electronic mail (e-mail) except
through www.regulations.gov.
Written Submissions
Submit written submissions in the following way:
Mail/hand delivery/courier (for paper, disk, or CD-ROM
submissions), preferably in [six] copies, to: Office of the Secretary,
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 502, 4330 East West Highway,
Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504-7923.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and docket number for this rulemaking. All comments received may be
posted, without change, including any personal identifiers, contact
information, or other personal information provided to: http://www.regulations.gov. Do not submit confidential business information,
trade secret information, or other sensitive or protected information
electronically. Such information should be submitted in writing.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to: http://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Neal S. Cohen, Small Business
Ombudsman, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bethesda, MD 20814;
telephone: (301) 504-7504; e-mail: ncohen@cpsc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On July 20, 2011, the Commission voted to approve publication of a
``notice of requirements'' that would establish the criteria and
process for the CPSC's acceptance of accreditation of third party
conformity assessment bodies (commonly referred to as ``laboratories'')
for testing, pursuant to ASTM International's (formerly the American
Society for Testing and Materials) (``ASTM'') Standard Consumer Safety
Specification for Toy Safety, F 963-08 (``ASTM F 963-08''), and section
4.27 (toy chests) from ASTM International's F 963-07[egr]1 version of
the standard (``ASTM F 963-07[egr]1''). (For simplicity, we will refer
to both standards as the ``toy safety standard'').
The issuance of the ``notice of requirements'' by the Commission
means that manufacturers of children's toys must ensure that covered
toys are tested for compliance with the toy safety standard by an
accredited third party laboratory whose accreditation is accepted by
the CPSC. The ``notice of requirements'' also means that based on the
results of the third party testing, toy manufacturers must issue a
written children's product certificate that certifies the compliance of
each covered toy to the toy safety standard. The Commission will
enforce these third party testing and certification requirements
beginning with those covered toys manufactured after December 31, 2011.
Given the likely impact on those who manufacture or import toys
that are covered by the toy safety standard, we believe that it is
important to engage in a strategic outreach and education plan to the
business community and other stakeholders. An effective outreach and
education plan will target the affected group of stakeholders and give
the small business community and other stakeholders clear and detailed
information to enable them to plan and act accordingly and make more
informed and timely business decisions.
This notice describes our outreach and education plan. We intend to
make information on our plan and on the toy safety standard available
at: http://www.cpsc.gov/toysafety by September 30, 2011.
We envision three stages for this strategic outreach and education
plan:
Stage 1 will inform stakeholders generally about the need
to test and certify to the toy safety standard. We plan to use
traditional and social media to communicate the toy safety requirements
and the effective compliance date of January 1, 2012. In addition,
staff will target relevant trade publications, industry organizations,
consumer groups, and others to ensure that the communications message
is disseminated widely and to solicit additional outreach ideas and
targets. The Small Business Ombudsman will publish a plain English
guide on the requirements. Additionally, we hope that the publication
of this document in the Federal Register may elicit additional
suggestions and ideas.
Stage 2 will provide detailed ``Frequently Asked
Questions'' (``FAQs'') and examples so that stakeholders can better
understand the requirements and staff's interpretations of certain
provisions before the requirements go into effect. We believe that
issuing FAQs in a timely fashion will allow the small business
community and other stakeholders to plan and act accordingly to make
more informed and timely business decisions. Traditionally, we have
used FAQs as a means of explaining new regulations and requirements;
however, we are also exploring other means of illustrating the toy
safety requirements, such as instructional videos and webinars.
Stage 3 will begin after we have developed the materials
to educate stakeholders. We will target our ongoing education campaign
efforts to promote higher rates of compliance with the toy standard and
the testing and certification requirements. We will attend industry
trade shows, as funding permits, and make presentations about the new
requirements. In addition, we will attend international meetings,
conferences, trade shows, and other public forums, as funding permits,
where we will speak about the new requirements and serve as a resource
for companies seeking additional information. Because many small
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businesses have modest or nonexistent travel budgets, we will also host
webinars for identified target groups. All webinars will be free of
charge and will be posted publicly on the CPSC website.
Through this notice, we invite public comment on the following
questions:
1. What is the most effective way to identify stakeholders in the
industry to whom we should direct our outreach efforts for the toy
safety standard? Please identify ideas and specific stakeholders and
their contact information, if known.
2. What are the most useful and effective education and
communication tools that we can use to communicate and explain the new
requirements of the toy safety standard?
3. What are the relevant trade groups and other organizations that
can help communicate these new requirements to their members and
others? Please identify individual groups and organizations and provide
contact information, if known.
4. What are the appropriate trade magazines and other publications
targeted to toy manufacturers and others, including retailers, in the
toy industry? We are interested particularly in medium- and small-size
publications that target individual toy makers and crafters, such as
those making wooden toys. Please identify publications and provide
contact information, if known.
5. What are the local, national, and international trades shows
that target toy manufacturers and others in the toy industry? Please
identify trade shows and dates and provide contact information, if
known.
6. What other stakeholders or groups should we target in our
outreach and education efforts? Please identify and provide contact
information, if known.
7. What are other suggestions for successful implementation of the
new requirements?
Interested parties should submit comments to http://www.regulations.gov, as described in the ADDRESSES portion of this
document.
Dated: August 30, 2011.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2011-22603 Filed 9-2-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P