[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 1, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8923-8925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-02058]
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
[Docket No. CPSC-2017-0008]
Request for Information Regarding Mattress Materials
AGENCY: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) is
requesting information on the materials,
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components, and methods of assembly currently used to comply with the
Standard for the Flammability of Mattresses and Mattress Pads, and the
Standard for the Flammability (Open Flame) of Mattress Sets.
DATES: Submit comments by April 3, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit 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: 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 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-2017-0008, into the ``Search'' box, and follow the
prompts.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa L. Scott, Fire Protection
Engineer, Laboratory Sciences, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,
5 Research Place, Rockville, MD 20850; telephone: 301.987.2064; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Commission has issued two federal flammability standards for
mattresses under the Flammable Fabrics Act (FFA), 15 U.S.C. 1191: The
Standard for the Flammability of Mattresses and Mattress Pads
(Cigarette Ignition Standard), 16 CFR part 1632 and the Standard for
the Flammability (Open Flame) of Mattress Sets (Open Flame Standard),
16 CFR part 1633. Each standard prescribes requirements for testing of
mattress prototypes. Both the Cigarette Ignition Standard and the Open
Flame Standard prescribe requirements for testing of prototype designs
before products using those designs are introduced into commerce. Both
standards allow changes to ticking materials used in prototypes under
certain conditions. The ticking substitution procedure of the Cigarette
Ignition Standard provides procedures for evaluating the cigarette
ignition characteristics of ticking and classifying ticking into one of
three performance classes based on the results. The procedures may be
used to change ticking in a particular prototype of a mattress or
mattress pad without conducting a new cigarette ignition prototype
test. When the Open Flame Standard was developed, CPSC staff believed
that the ticking substitution procedures in the Cigarette Ignition
Standard could be used to allow for ticking changes under the Open
Flame Standard. Although staff expected that manufacturers would be
relying on the ticking substitution procedures to make changes to
ticking and use those procedures to comply with the Open Flame
Standard, staff seeks information regarding the usefulness of the
ticking substitution procedure for meeting the Open Flame Standard.
The ticking substitution procedure in the Cigarette Ignition
Standard prescribes testing representative specimens of ticking
material over a wooden box filled with cotton felt and a urethane foam
pad using a standard cigarette ignition source. Depending on the
results of that test, the test is repeated without the urethane foam
pad. The Cigarette Ignition Standard defines a schedule of
classifications (Class A, Class B, or Class C) based on the results of
the test and identifies the scope and application of these
classifications for substituting ticking. There is no specific test
procedure in the Open Flame Standard related to ticking substitution.
CPSC staff is requesting information on the materials, components,
and methods of assembly currently being used to comply with both
standards, as described below. This information will be used to inform
CPSC staff of current practices in the industry and determine whether
the current testing protocols used for the ticking substitution
procedure in the Cigarette Ignition Standard (16 CFR 1632.6) are
adequate or need revision to reduce variability in the current test
procedure. In addition, based on CPSC staff's recent rule review of the
Open Flame Standard, (81 FR 91923 (Dec. 19, 2016)), staff concluded
that the industry could benefit from additional outreach and guidance
from CPSC staff to ensure compliance with the requirements.
Accordingly, CPSC staff is interested in learning about stakeholder
experiences related to prototyping to meet the requirements of the Open
Flame Standard so that staff can provide appropriate guidance on these
topics.
II. Request for Information
If you provide any information in response to the request for
information that contains confidential business information, trade
secret information, or other sensitive or protected information that
you do not want to be available to the public, you should submit such
information in writing to the Office of the Secretary, as provided in
the ADDRESSES section above.
A. The Cigarette Ignition Standard
CPSC staff is seeking information about industry experience with
the test procedure, apparatus, and materials used in the ticking
substitution procedure in the Cigarette Ignition Standard.
Additionally, CPSC staff is interested in the specifications of the
components used and the availability of specified testing materials for
this procedure. CPSC staff is aware that stakeholders have expressed
concerns related to conducting both parts of the procedure as described
above, and staff requests information from manufacturers, importers,
laboratories and suppliers to better understand these concerns.
1. What types of procedures or alternative test protocols are
likely 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 and whether and why the different ticking classification
results are more or less accurate for the different methods.
2. How are sources for the test materials specified in the ticking
substitution procedure selected? Are there alternative test materials
or material specifications that may improve the repeatability of the
test?
3. 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 or the ticking supplier or another party)? Please explain.
Is the ticking classification verified by a lab report or some other
documentation?
[[Page 8925]]
4. If a ticking is to be substituted on a qualified mattress
prototype, how are candidate tickings for a substitution selected?
Other than ticking classification, what factors or features are
important when selecting a ticking material? Please explain the
benefits and/or concerns related to structure (e.g., knit, woven,
nonwoven), fiber content, or other factors that may affect the
decision. Is effect on compliance with the Open Flame Standard a
consideration in the selection process?
5. How do different ticking design features, when used in
combination with flat areas or non-designed sections, impact the
placement of cigarettes during the test (e.g., color patterns, weave
pattern features, heat-bonded sections, quilted sections, 3-D designs,
etc.)?
B. The Open Flame Standard
Under the Open Flame Standard, a prototype is tested and serves as
a model for production. The Open Flame Standard distinguishes between a
qualified prototype, confirmed prototype, and subordinate prototype.
CPSC staff is interested in learning about stakeholder experiences
related to prototyping to meet the requirements of the Open Flame
Standard so that staff can provide appropriate guidance on these
topics.
6. What are the materials, components and, methods of assembly used
to comply with the performance requirements of the Open Flame Standard?
7. Does the fiber content, barrier type, material construction, and
method of assembly impact the performance of a mattress tested using
the procedure in 16 CFR 1633.7?
8. What conditions might influence a decision to include specific
technologies to comply with the Open Flame Standard (e.g., inherently
flame resistant material, topically applied flame retardant chemical
treatment, FR thread, etc.)?
9. A subordinate prototype is a mattress set that is based on a
qualified or confirmed prototype and is the same as the qualified or
confirmed prototype, except with respect to length and/or width, not
depth; ticking material, unless the ticking of the qualified prototype
has characteristics designed to improve test performance; and/or any
component, material, design or method of assembly, so long as the
manufacturer can demonstrate on an objectively reasonable basis that
such differences will not cause the mattress set to exceed the test
criteria of the Open Flame Standard. See 16 CFR 1633.4(b).
Please provide examples of how the subordinate prototype provisions
are implemented in production.
10. For purposes of the Open Flame Standard, each factory location
is considered a manufacturer. Prototype pooling is a cooperative
arrangement--whereby one or more manufacturers build mattress sets
based on a qualified prototype produced by another manufacturer or
prototype developer. A manufacturer who relies on another
manufacturer's or prototype developer's qualified prototype must
perform a confirmation test on the mattress set it manufactures. See 16
CFR 1633.5.
What are some examples of how a prototype pooling arrangement may
be accomplished? How frequently are confirmation tests performed, as
described in 16 CFR 1633.2(r)?
11. What types of quality assurance programs are in use? What
controls, inspection procedures, and production testing schemes are
most effective? When mattresses are produced by a secondary firm under
contract for a primary firm (e.g., under private label) or are
imported, what quality assurance controls are in place to ensure that
the mattresses that are produced are the same as those used in the
qualified and/or confirmed prototype on which they are based?
Dated: January 26, 2017.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2017-02058 Filed 1-31-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P