Author: US CPSC Staff   Published: 4/24/2023    CPSC Newsletter

Dear Small Business Community,

Thank you for subscribing to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Business Education newsletter. If you have any questions about CPSC product safety requirements, you can reach the Small Business Ombudsman (SBO) team by sending an email through our online contact form, or by sending an email to us directly at: sbo@cpsc.gov. You can also call our business line at: (301) 504-7945, and leave us a voicemail, and we will call you back directly.

Commission Agenda and Priorities: Notice of Hearing on May 10, 2023

The Commission will conduct a public hearing to receive views from interested parties about the Commission’s agenda and priorities for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The hybrid hearing will be held in person at CPSC’s headquarters and remotely via webinar on May 10, 2023, beginning at 10 a.m. EDT. Individuals who plan to attend the meeting remotely should pre-register here. In-person attendees do not need to register for the hearing. Comments or requests to make oral presentations—in person or remotely—and the written text of any oral presentations must be received by the Office of the Secretary not later than 5 p.m. EDT on April 28, 2023. For information about the hearing, or to request an opportunity to make an oral presentation, please see the Federal Register notice and Public Calendar notice.

Clothing Storage Units (CSUs)

On April 19, 2023, pursuant to the federal STURDY law, the Commission voted to adopt ASTM F2057-23 as a mandatory safety standard to protect young children from injury and death from furniture tip over incidents. Per STURDY, the Commission’s adoption of ASTM F2057-23 supersedes the current 16 CFR part 1261 rule, which was published on November 25, 2022 (87 FR 72598), unless the Commission receives a significant adverse comment within 30 days of publication in the Federal Register. A read-only copy of the ASTM standard is available for viewing at: https://www.astm.org/​READINGLIBRARY/​. For more information please see the CPSC press release and audio recording of the Commission’s decisional meeting. To stay up to date on this rulemaking, subscribe to CPSC’s Federal Register notices.

Other Recent Commission Activity

Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Safety Standard for Portable Generators (comment period closes on June 20, 2023)

The Commission proposed a rule (81 FR 83556) that limits carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from portable generators and requires generators to shut off when specific emission levels are reached. The Commission is providing an opportunity for interested parties to present comments on a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking on June 14, 2023. Any person interested in making an oral presentation must send an email indicating this intent to the Office of the Secretary at cpsc-os@cpsc.gov by May 22, 2023. For additional information, or to submit a comment, please see the Federal Register notice.

Agency Information Collection Activities & Comment Request: Testing and Labeling of Non-Children’s Products Containing or Designed to Use Button Cell or Coin Batteries and Labeling of Button Cell or Coin Battery Packaging (comment period closes on June 12, 2023)

On February 9, 2023, CPSC published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) to establish testing and labeling requirements for consumer products that contain or are designed to use button cell or coin batteries, and for the labeling of button cell or coin battery packaging. The NPR estimated the burden associated with these requirements for children’s products, but did not include an estimated burden for testing and labeling of non-children’s products or for labeling button cell or coin battery packaging. Therefore, CPSC is currently requesting comments on a proposed collection of information for Testing and Labeling of Non-Children’s Products Containing or Designed to Use Button Cell or Coin Batteries and Labeling of Button Cell or Battery Packaging. For additional information, or to submit a comment please see the Federal Register notice.

Recent Commission Public Meetings and Briefings: Recordings of the Commission’s public meetings are available on the CPSC YouTube Channel:

• Commission Meeting – Briefing Matter – Supplemental NPR: Safety Standard for Portable Generators (March 15, 2023)
• Commission Meeting – Decisional Matter – Supplemental NPR: Safety Standard for Portable Generators (April 5, 2023)
• Commission Meeting – Decisional Matter – Implementation of STURDY § 201(d): Determination Regarding ASTM F2057-23 and Draft Direct Final Rule (April 19, 2023)
• Commission Meeting – Briefing Matter: FY 2023 Proposed Operating Plan Alignment and Midyear Review (April 19, 2023)

CPSC Public Calendar: Please see the CPSC Public Calendar for information about upcoming Commission Meetings and other CPSC Events: Public Calendar | CPSC.gov. Subscribe to CPSC Public Calendar emails here: Subscriptions | CPSC.gov.

Helpful Information from the CPSC Newsroom

CPSC Report Finds 37 Percent Spike in Child Poisoning Deaths in 2021

Unintentional pediatric poisoning deaths spiked 37 percent in 2021, with 59 children under five years old losing their lives after gaining access to prescribed or illicit drugs. CPSC encourages consumers to safeguard their families, especially those more vulnerable, from poisoning by taking control of potentially harmful household products, medications, and drugs. For safety tips for drugs or medications, laundry packets, household cleaning supplies, and button cell or coin batteries, view the news release here.

New CPSC Report Shows Upward Trend in Carbon Monoxide (CO) Fatalities

CPSC released a new report that shows an upward trend in non-fire carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning deaths. The report, Non-Fire Carbon Monoxide Deaths Associated with the Use of Consumer Products 2019 Annual Estimates, covers deaths from 2009 to 2019. For 2019, there were an estimated 250 consumer product-related CO deaths in the United States—greater than any other year in the report. Engine-Driven Tools, including generators, were associated with the largest percentage of non-fire CO poisoning deaths for 2019. The report shows that since 2009, portable generators alone have been associated with an estimated 765 non-fire CO poisoning deaths, accounting for 40 percent of all CO deaths related to consumer products under CPSC’s jurisdiction. For information about safety precautions involving portable generators, heating products, and CO alarms, view the news release here.

We hope you find the information presented here helpful, and we encourage you to share these resources with your employees and members, as well. Please get in touch with us if we can be of additional assistance.