[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 102 (Tuesday, May 28, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31897-31898]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12552]
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
[Docket No. CPSC-2011-0074]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; CPSC Table Saw User Survey
AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) is
announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection
of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995 (PRA), federal agencies are required to publish notice in the
Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information and
to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This
notice solicits comments on a survey of table saw users to determine
the effectiveness of modular blade guards.
DATES: Submit written or electronic comments on the collection of
information by July 29, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2011-
0074, by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic comments to the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments. The Commission does not accept
comments submitted by electronic mail (email), except through
www.regulations.gov. The Commission encourages you to submit electronic
comments by using the Federal eRulemaking Portal, as described above.
Written Submissions: Submit written submissions in the following
way: Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for paper, disk, or CD-ROM
submissions), preferably in five copies, to: Office of the Secretary,
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 820, 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 notice. 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
that you do not want to be available to the public. If furnished at
all, 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, and insert the
docket number, CPSC-2011-0074, into the ``Search'' box, and follow the
prompts. A copy of the draft survey is available at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. CPSC-2011-0074, Supporting and
Related Materials.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert H. Squibb, Consumer Product
Safety Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; (301)
504-7815, or by email to: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal
agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor.
``Collection of information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR
1320.3(c) and includes agency requests or requirements that members of
the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a
third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A))
requires federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal
Register concerning each proposed collection of information before
submitting the collection to OMB for approval. Accordingly, the CPSC is
publishing notice of the proposed collection of information set forth
in this document.
A. Table Saw User Survey
The CPSC is considering whether a new performance safety standard
is needed to address an unreasonable risk of injury associated with
table saws. On October 11, 2011, the Commission published an advance
notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) for table saws, under the Consumer
Product Safety Act (CPSA), 15 U.S.C. 2051-2084. (76 FR 62678). The ANPR
explained that under the current voluntary standard, UL 987, Stationary
and Fixed Electric Tools, published in November 2007, a new modular
blade guard design, developed by a joint venture of the leading table
saw manufacturers, expanded the table saw guarding requirements. The
new blade guard did not consist of a hood, but rather, a top-barrier
guarding element and two side-barrier guarding elements. The new
modular guard design was intended to be an improvement over traditional
hood guard designs, by providing better visibility, by being easier to
remove and install, and by
[[Page 31898]]
incorporating a permanent riving knife design. The revised standard
also specified detailed design and performance requirements for the
modular blade guard, riving knife, and anti-kickback device(s). The
effective date for the new requirements in UL 987 was January 31, 2010.
In the ANPR, the Commission expressed concern that the requirements
in the voluntary standard for table saws, UL 987, which include a
permanent riving knife and the new modular blade guard system, may not
adequately address the operator blade contact injuries associated with
table saw use. The Commission stated that:
While we support the recent progress UL has made in improving
the voluntary standard to address blade contact injuries by focusing
solely on prevention of skin-to-blade contact, the standard
requirements do not appear to address adequately the number or
severity of blade contact injuries that occur on table saws, nor do
they address the associated societal costs. In addition, while we
believe that the new modular guard design is a significant
improvement over the old guard design, the effectiveness of any
blade guard system depends upon an operator's willingness to use it.
Safety equipment that hinders the ability to operate the product
likely will result in consumers bypassing, avoiding, or discarding
the safety equipment. In addition, of the 66,900 table saw operator
blade contact injuries in 2007 and 2008, approximately 20,700
(30.9%) of the injuries occurred on table saws where the blade guard
was in use. The current voluntary standard for table saws does not
appear to address those types of injuries. Accordingly, we are
particularly interested in obtaining information regarding current
or developing voluntary standards that would address table saw blade
contact injuries.
76 FR 62683. Currently, the CPSC does not know how consumers are using
the new modular blade guard. Because the usage patterns are directly
linked to the safety of the user, additional data are needed to
understand how consumers use the modular blade guard to determine how
effective the design will be in preventing future injuries. The data
collected from this survey will be used to help CPSC staff understand
better how consumers are using the modular blade guard system, such as
when consumers install and remove the blade guard, what type of cuts
are being made without the blade guard, and/or what may be preventing
the use of the blade guard. With additional information, the Commission
will be able to evaluate the role of modular blade guards in the
proposed rule. The data, along with testing results, subject matter
input analysis, and other study information, will be used by the
Commission to develop the proposed rule addressing consumer injuries
associated with table saws.
To gather the information, the CPSC will conduct a survey of
consumers who own table saws with a modular blade guard system. Because
the population of owners of table saws that were purchased with a
modular blade guard is a specific and hard-to-reach population, the
survey will be based on a convenience sample of participants recruited
by various advertisement strategies. No results from the survey will be
generalized to the population. To recruit respondents, advertisements
will be placed on popular Web sites, in woodworking magazines, and
posted in woodworking guilds with their cooperation. Respondents will
have the option to go through a screening process, either online, or
via the telephone. Respondents meeting the criteria of the survey--
owners of table saws with the modular blade guard system--will
participate in the follow-up, full-scale Computer Assisted Telephone
Interviewing (CATI) survey about their usage of, and opinions about,
the modular blade guard system. After completion of the full-scale CATI
survey, each respondent will be sent a $50 check for completing the
survey. CPSC staff anticipates that approximately 100 eligible
respondents will be interviewed. Up to an additional 100 respondents
may be interviewed, if additional funding becomes available.
A final report will summarize the data about modular blade use
collected from the surveyed table saw owners. Any patterns that emerge
can be considered in conjunction with other testing, subject matter
expert analyses, and any other data gathered as part of the rulemaking
process, to assess the potential effectiveness of the modular blade
guard design and to inform rulemaking. Any patterns that emerge may
also be used by CPSC staff to develop future studies.
B. Burden Hours
CPSC staff estimates that the recruitment stage time required to
verify whether the respondent fits the study's target group of
consumers will not exceed 10 minutes, and the actual survey will not
exceed 25 minutes. Thus, total time per eligible respondent is
estimated not to exceed 35 minutes. For the 100 anticipated eligible
respondents, time required in connection with the survey would be
estimated at approximately 58 hours (100 x 0.58 hours) in the
aggregate. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, March 2013,
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm, the average
compensational hourly rate is $28.89. The total cost burden for this
study is estimated at $1,676. If an additional 100 respondents were
interviewed, the total burden hours would be estimated at $3,352.
The estimated cost to the federal government is $182,159.87 for the
costs of recruiting respondents and conducting the survey. In addition,
one full-time CPSC employee will spend an estimated 600 hours of labor
for an estimated cost of $49,488, the equivalent of a GS-14 Step 5
employee with an additional 30.8 percent added for benefits for an
hourly compensation rate of $82.48. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
``Employer Costs for Employee Compensation,'' December 2012, Table 1,
percentage of wages and salaries for all civilian management,
professional, and related employees, http://www.bls.gov/ncs).
Accordingly, the total estimated cost to the federal government is
$231,647.87 ($182,159.87 plus $49,488). If an additional 100
respondents are surveyed, the additional estimated cost to the federal
government is $98,000 ($31,000 for recruiting + $67,000 for conducting
survey), for a total estimated cost to the federal government of
$329,647.87.
C. Request for Comments
The CPSC invites comments on these topics:
Whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of CPSC's functions, including
whether the information will have practical utility;
The accuracy of CPSC's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents, including through the use of automated
collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information
technology.
Dated: May 22, 2013.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2013-12552 Filed 5-24-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P