For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to: The ANSI/WCMA-2018 standard requires that corded custom window covering products have warning labels regarding the strangulation hazard to children, as summarized below: A warning tag containing a pictogram and similar text as above must be placed on accessible cords, including operating cords, tension devices that are intended to keep For 13 fatalities, staff does not know the window covering type. Among other requirements, each certificate must identify the manufacturer or private labeler issuing the certificate and any third-party conformity assessment body, on whose testing the certificate depends, the date and place of manufacture, the date and place where the product was tested, each party's name, full mailing address, telephone number, and contact information for the individual responsible for maintaining records of test results. This proposed rule is intended to address an unreasonable risk of injury and death posed by hazardous operating cords on custom window coverings. CPSC staff does not recommend that the Commission pursue this option. Industrial Cord The ANPR initiated a rulemaking proceeding under the CPSA. Roller Shades: Based on CPSC's Injury Cost Model, about 185 medically treated nonfatal injuries have occurred annually from 2009 through 2020, involving children eight years and younger. Many sources of uncertainty are inherent in a complex cost-benefit analysis because of using estimated parameters, inputs from several models, assumptions based on expert judgement, and public/private data. document.write('
Counts are subject to sampling, reprocessing and revision (up or down) throughout the day.
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[43] Since the ANPR was published in 2014, 37 children have died by strangulation on a window covering cord. accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed During the meeting, the attendees agreed on the need for more education for online sellers regarding distinguishing stock and custom products, such as a guidance document for online sellers. (5) Custom window covering cords have a long product life, and it may take consumers several decades to replace these products.
Horizontal blinds and pleated shades generally have two inner cords, one on each side of the blind; but products manufactured for wider windows may require more than two inner cords to be operational. Nearly 46 percent were fatal incident reports (89 of 194), while the remaining were near-miss nonfatal incidents. The Commission issues this notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) using its authorities in sections 7 and 9 of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 553. Strangulation proceeding along one or more of these pathways can progress rapidly to anoxia, associated cardiac arrest, and death.
CPSC field staff also confirmed compliance of the categorization for stock and custom window coverings, as defined in the ANSI/WCMA standard. The requirements to address the hazard and the available technologies are widely known and already utilized on the least expensive products. (d), II, IV and Table 3 of this preamble summarize the provisions of ANSI/WCMA A100.1-2018 that the Commission proposes to incorporate by reference. One victim, who remained hospitalized for 72 days, was released from the hospital with 75 percent permanent brain damage and is now confined to a bed. In accordance with the OFR's requirements, sections I.B.2. Staff does not expect small manufacturers to suffer a disproportionate cost effect from the proposed rule, because the cost calculations and research were completed on a per unit basis; staff expects little if any redesign costs.
2058, and 5 U.S.C. For the hazards addressed by the voluntary standard, the Commission is issuing a separate rule under section 15(j) of the CPSA, leaving for this NPR to address, under sections 7 and 9 of the CPSA, operating cords on custom window coverings. String Restringing kit for date night shade, Tensioner Tension pulleys and tie-down devices, Continuous Cord Loops safety tensioner tie down. documents in the last year, by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Proposed sections 1260.2(c) and (d) contain the test methods to confirm whether a cord shroud is rigid. The requirements for rigid cord shrouds are not currently in the ANSI/WCMA standard. Each operating cord on a custom window covering shall comply with section 4.3.1, instead of section 4.3.2, of ANSI/WCMA A100.1-2018 (incorporated by reference, see 1260.5). The OFR/GPO partnership is committed to presenting accurate and reliable necessary to reduce that unreasonable risk of injury and death.
CPSC staff created an estimate of custom window coverings in use using multiple data sources. Cord | Blinds This per unit cost was for potential modifications to comply with the rule, in cases where CPSC staff was able to estimate the potential cost. The certificate must be legible and in English and include the date and place of manufacture, the date and place where the product was tested, including the full mailing address and telephone number for each party, and the contact information for the person responsible for maintaining records of the test results. on In a separate, concurrent rulemaking under section 15(j) of the CPSA, the Commission is proposing to deem a substantial product hazard (SPH), as defined in section 15(a)(2) of the CPSA: (1) The presence of hazardous operating cords on stock window coverings; (2) the presence of hazardous inner cords on stock and custom window coverings; or (3) the absence of a required manufacturer label. [19] The two product codes 337920 and 442291 encompass most products in the window coverings market. Even well-designed warning labels will have limited effectiveness in communicating the hazard on this type of product. (5) The rule would apply the same requirements to custom window coverings that already apply to stock products. cpsc.gov Federal Register Follow the instructions to ensure a good fit for your blinds. If CPSC did not issue a mandatory standard, the Commission believes that most manufacturers would comply with ANSI/WCMA-2018, because manufacturers already substantially comply with the voluntary standard. In one incident, although caregivers normally wrapped the cord around the cleat, on the day of the incident, cords were not wrapped, and the child accessed the cords after climbing on a couch. Start Printed Page 1038 Because a child would need some extra length of cord to hold the cord out and wrap it around their neck, staff calculated that a cord must be longer than 8 inches to cause strangulation. After receiving written and oral comments, CPSC staff must have time to review and evaluate those comments. Most of the incident window coverings that CPSC reviewed had a permanent warning label on the product. 2-cord Night shade Width + 1/2 Width +
Online sales of the product or the size of the order, such as multi-family housing, do not make the product a non-stock product. 2052(a)(11). As the NAICS code for importers is non-specific to window coverings, CPSC staff reviewed Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data, firm financial reports, and Dun Bradstreet reports to obtain a more precise estimate of importers. documents in the last year, 913 In some cases involving bead chains, parents thought that the connector clip on the bead chain loop was supposed to break away. Stock products currently on the market that comply with ANSI/WCMA-2018 are available in a variety of materials, sizes, and types to meet consumer needs. An example operating cord is pictured in Figure 8 of this preamble. IF YOU ARE UNSURE PLEASE CONTACT OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT. in the chart below, the required number of rings is indicated. See 17. The Commission's 2015 ANPR on Window Coverings presented incident data covering the period 1996 through 2012. Custom window coverings that already meet the voluntary standard would continue to serve the purpose of covering windows in consumers' homes. Children's products may be decorated or embellished with a childish theme, be sized for children, or be marketed to appeal primarily to children. Id. [col. 2 col. 3], [5] Commissioner Feldman issued a statement in connection with his vote. The average hourly wage rate for a mid-level salaried GS-12 employee in the Washington, DC metropolitan area (effective as of January 2021) is $47.35 (GS-12, step 5). Given the availability of technologies applicable to both stock and custom window coverings, and the identical hazard patterns associated with cords on stock and custom window coverings, custom window coverings can be made as safe as stock window coverings to address the strangulation risk to children, by complying with the same operating cord requirements as stock window coverings. A children's product is a consumer product that is designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger. 15 U.S.C. not mounted on a tension device), inner cord, pull cord (with loops or long cords), and tilt cord; The President of the United States communicates information on holidays, commemorations, special observances, trade, and policy through Proclamations. of pressure on the neck may occlude the jugular vein (Brouardel, 1897); and 3kg to 5 kg (7-11 lbs.)
However, only 2 of the 35 custom product incidents (both are fatalities) were associated with vertical blinds, and there were no curtain or drape incidents where the stock/custom classification could be determined. ANSI/WCMA-2018 requires that a tension device be attached to the cord or bead chain loop by the manufacturer and also requires a sequential process or tools to be removed, which essentially means that consumers would have to go through multiple steps or need to use a tool such as a screwdriver to remove the tension device. Submit all other comments on the proposed rule, identified by Docket No. 1200.2(d)(1). ANSI/WCMA-2018 segments the market between stock and custom window coverings. This NPR relies on the definitions of window coverings and their features as set forth in the ANSI/WCMA-2018 standard, which currently requires stock and custom window coverings to meet different sets of operating cord requirements. Solar-powered, motorized window coverings use a rechargeable battery wand combined with a solar panel to charge the batteries. Technologies to address hazardous window covering cords are also known and utilized on stock products. Agencies review all submissions and may choose to redact, or withhold, certain submissions (or portions thereof). Only corded custom window coverings would be subject to the rule, which we estimate to be around 65 percent of custom window coverings. see Staff reiterated their belief that substantial improvements have been made to the latest version of the standard, particularly on stock window coverings; however, staff asserted, expanding the requirements to custom corded window coverings would improve window covering safety. online orders is at: Blind Repair Parts | Register (ACFR) issues a regulation granting it official legal status. If the custom window covering is a children's product, the window covering must be third party tested and certified (Children's Product Certificate, or CPC) for compliance with the rule. The regulations governing the content, form, and availability of the certificates of compliance are codified at 16 CFR part 1110. The Commission does not expect the rule to have a substantial effect on the utility or availability of custom window coverings. As described in section II.A of this preamble, the revised version of the voluntary standard, ANSI/WCMA-2018, adequately addresses the risk of injury from operating and inner cords on stock window coverings, and the risk of inner cord strangulation on custom window coverings. This estimate has an implicit assumption that the share of annual sales will equate to a similar share of product in use. WCMA stated in their response to the ANPR that the expected product life for a window covering is 10 years for a custom-made window covering and 3-5 years for a stock window covering. On December 14, 2021, the Commission voted 4-0 to issue this notice of proposed rulemaking. documents in the last year, by the Maritime Administration yourself. Id. CPSC invited comments concerning the risk of injury associated with corded window coverings, the regulatory alternatives discussed in the notice, the costs to achieve each regulatory alternative, the effect of each alternative on the safety, cost, utility, and availability of window coverings, and other possible ways to address the risk of strangulation posed to young children by window covering cords.
However, the Commission does not consider the operating cord requirements for custom window coverings in the standard adequate to address the risk of injury, because the voluntary standard still allows accessible and hazardous operating cords to be present on custom products.
Death classifications use the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), implemented in 1999. because the neck circumference of a fifth percentile 6- to 9-month-old child is 8 inches (BSI, 1990, as cited in Norris and Wilson, 1995). Effective performance requirements for operating cords on window coverings are well known and already utilized for lower-priced stock window coverings. This document has been published in the Federal Register. Ports, Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material, Rate Adjustments for Indian Irrigation Projects, Bolstering Efforts To Bring Hostages and Wrongfully Detained United States Nationals Home, Establishing an Emergency Board To Investigate Disputes Between Certain Railroads Represented by the National Carriers' Conference Committee of the National Railway Labor Conference and Their Employees Represented by Certain Labor Organizations. Staff's October 1, 2014 Petition Briefing Package, and a copy of the petition at Tab A, is available on CPSC's website at: Additionally, this NPR includes a rigid cord shroud requirement based on the WCMA Rigid Cord Shroud Task The proposed consumer product safety standard prescribes the safety requirements for operating cords on custom window coverings, and requires that these cords meet the same requirements for operating cords on stock window coverings, as set forth in the voluntary standard, section 4.3.1 of ANSI/WCMA-2018. Section 4:
29. 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 the Commission proposes to collect; ways to reduce the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology; the estimated burden hours associated with labels and hang tags, including any alternative estimates; and. class of products, the Commission will regulate operating cords on custom window coverings. 61 FR 4729 (Feb. 7, 1996). In 14 incidents, the child climbed on an item including couch, chair, toy chest or dog kennel and accessed the cord. Of the potential modifications for which staff was able to estimate the potential cost, the lowest costs were about $2.15 per unit. Reasons for Not Relying on a Voluntary Standard, 1. CPSC's incident search focused on fatal and near-miss strangulations suffered by young children due to window covering cords. Based on an analysis of the relevant data, as set forth in section I.E of this preamble and Tab A of Staff's NPR Briefing Package, staff reports an average of 9 fatal injuries annually to children less than 5 years old.
However, researchers' projections indicate that there is not a consistent trend towards greater custom sales, and in the case of metal/vinyl blinds, there is an increasing share of stock sales over time. (b) Operating cord is 8 inches or shorter in any use position. Therefore, this anti-stockpiling provision should not adversely impact manufacturers. CPSC issued a contract to investigate the effectiveness of safety devices in reducing the risk of a child's access to hazardous cords and loops on window coverings. Additionally, the Commission seeks comment on the following topics: A. Section 1260.1(a) limits the scope of the proposed rule to operating cords on custom window coverings. shade For information on the availability of this material at NARA, email Wands are simple pieces of plastic that the consumer rotates or pulls to operate the window covering in place of a cord.
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