[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 232 (Thursday, December 3, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 75639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-30440]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 232 / Thursday, December 3, 2015 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 75639]]
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
16 CFR Part 1408
[Docket No. CPSC-2015-0033]
Petition for Labeling Requirements Regarding Slip Resistance of
Floor Coverings; Request for Comments
AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION: Notice of petition for rulemaking.
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SUMMARY: The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC''
or ``Commission'') received a petition requesting that the Commission
initiate rulemaking under the Consumer Product Safety Act (``CPSA'') to
require that manufacturers of floor coverings, floor coverings with
coatings, and treated floor coverings label their products' slip
resistance in accordance with the applicable American National
Standards Institute (``ANSI'') standard. The Commission invites written
comments concerning the petition.
DATES: The Office of the Secretary must receive comments on the
petition by February 1, 2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2015-
0033, 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 by mail/hand
delivery/courier 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 proposed 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
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-2015-0033, into the ``Search'' box, and follow the
prompts. A copy of the petition is available at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. CPSC-2015-0033, Supporting and
Related Materials.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Stevenson, Office of the
Secretary, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 820, 4330 East
West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; telephone (301) 504-6833.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission received a petition
requesting that manufacturers of floor coverings, floor coverings with
coatings, and treated floor coverings (herein abbreviated as ``floor
coverings'') be required to label their products to provide point-of-
sale information regarding such products' degree of slip resistance, in
accordance with the labeling requirements of ANSI B101.5-2014.\1\
Specifically, petitioner requests a rule that would require a label
indicating the slip resistance (also known as ``coefficient of
friction'' or ``COF'') for floor coverings based on tests described in
ANSI B101.1 and B101.3. The required label would provide a graphic of a
traction scale and indicate the COF value for the product.
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\1\ The petition does not apply to floor coatings, such as
waxes, that are sold separately or to coverings such as carpets,
rugs, mats, runners or artificial turf.
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The petition was filed by the National Floor Safety Institute.
Petitioner notes that manufacturers of floor coverings currently are
not required to provide consumers with information relating to slip
resistance of their products. Petitioner asserts that because different
types of floor coverings have pronounced differences in slip
resistance, many flooring materials will be inappropriate for specific
uses. Petitioner states that the primary focus of the petition is to
protect the elderly, a population petitioner believes to be most
vulnerable to the risk of slip and fall events. As an example,
petitioner cites that in 2014, more than 23,000 elderly Americans died
as a result of accidental falls. Furthermore, petitioner notes that the
CDC stated that in 2013, the direct medical costs of older adult falls
was approximately $34 billion.
Petitioner states that slip resistance labeling would be analogous
to the requirements for labeling nutritional content in food, noting
that labeling regarding flooring slip resistance would allow consumers
to make more informed decisions when selecting a flooring product,
enabling elderly consumers to select flooring that offers higher slip
resistance, potentially reducing the risk of accidental slip and fall
events.
By this notice, the Commission seeks comments concerning this
petition. Interested parties may obtain a copy of the petition by
writing or calling the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission, Room 820, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD
20814; telephone (301) 504-7923. A copy of the petition is also
available for viewing under ``Supporting and Related Materials'' in
www.regulations.gov, under Docket No. CPSC-2015-0033.
Dated: November 25, 2015.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2015-30440 Filed 12-2-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P