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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 3 (Monday, January 6, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 613-614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-31623]

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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

[Docket No. CPSC-2024-0045]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Bathtub Slip Resistance Study

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) requests 
comments on a request for approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for a new information collection. The proposed collection 
is a bathtub slip resistance study to support work on a voluntary 
Safety Standard for Bathtub and Shower Structure. Before CPSC can 
collect this information from the public, it must solicit public 
comment on this proposed collection of information and receive OMB 
approval. This notice describes the collection of information for which 
CPSC intends to seek OMB approval.

DATES: Submit comments on the collection of information by March 7, 
2025.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2024-
0045, within 60 days of publication of this notice 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. Do not submit through this 
website: confidential business information, trade secret information, 
or other sensitive or protected information that you do not want to be 
available to the public. The Commission typically does not accept 
comments submitted by email, except as described below.
    Mail/hand delivery/courier/written submissions: CPSC encourages you 
to submit electronic comments by using the Federal eRulemaking Portal. 
You may, however, submit comments by mail/hand delivery/courier to: 
Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, 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. CPSC may post all comments without 
change, including any personal identifiers, contact information, or 
other personal information provided, to: http://www.regulations.gov. If 
you wish to submit confidential business information, trade secret 
information, or other sensitive or protected information that you do 
not want to be available to the public, you may submit such comments by 
mail, hand delivery, or courier, or you may email them to [email protected].
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to: https://www.regulations.gov, insert docket 
number CPSC-2024-0045 into the ``Search'' box, and follow the prompts.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Gillham, Consumer Product 
Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814; (301) 
504-7791, or by email to: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), before an agency submits a proposed collection 
of information to OMB for approval, it must first publish a document in 
the Federal Register providing a 60-day comment period and otherwise 
consult with members of the public and affected agencies concerning the 
proposed collection of information. In this notice we provide the 
estimated burden associated with a bathtub slip resistance study 
necessary to update information to support work on a voluntary Safety 
Standard for Bathtub and Shower Structure to replace ASTM F462, 
Standard Consumer Safety

[[Page 614]]

Specification for Slip-Resistant Bathing Facilities, which ASTM 
withdrew in 2016.\1\ Under the PRA, an agency must publish the 
following information:
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    \1\ ASTM F462-79 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for 
Slip-Resistant Bathing Facilities (2007) (withdrawn 2016), available 
at https://www.astm.org/f0462-79r07.html.
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     A title for the collection of information;
     A summary of the collection of information;
     A brief description of the need for the information and 
the proposed use of the information;
     A description of the likely respondents and proposed 
frequency of response to the collection of information;
     An estimate of the burden that will result from the 
collection of information; and
     Notice that comments may be submitted to the agency and 
OMB.
    44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D). In accordance with this requirement, the 
Commission provides the following information: \2\
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    \2\ On December 26, 2024, the Commission voted (5-0) to publish 
this notice.
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    Title: Bathtub Slip Resistance Study.
    OMB Number: New.
    Type of Request: New information collection requirement.
    Type of Review Requested: Regular.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from date of 
approval.
    Summary of the Collection of Information: The objective of this 
study is to conduct human slip research on three bathtubs on the market 
and to measure the friction demand of participants stepping into and 
out of the bathtubs when dry and wet. CPSC contracted with Arizona 
State University (ASU) to conduct this study. Participants will be 
recruited from the Phoenix, Arizona metro area. The experiments will be 
conducted at ASU's Locomotion Research Laboratory. The study will 
involve a total of three sessions to test three bathtub surfaces, where 
participants will walk into the tub and step out, while wearing fall 
arresting harness systems for safety. During these sessions, resistance 
forces under the foot and motion of the foot movements will be 
measured. The study will quantify the minimum frictional performance 
required for a bathing surface to reduce slips and falls. CPSC staff 
will share the results of the study with the ASTM F15.03 Committee on 
Safety Standards for Bathtub and Shower Structure working on replacing 
ASTM F462.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information: Falls are the leading cause of injury and death for older 
adults 65 and older.\3\ Information collected as part of the bathtub 
slip resistance study is needed initially to support CPSC staff in 
efforts to work with the ASTM F15.03 Committee on Safety Standards for 
Bathtub and Shower Structures to replace the obsolete ASTM F462 
standard for bathing surface friction that ASTM withdrew in 2016. This 
study will be used to inform CPSC staff of major requirements needed to 
achieve an efficient and effective slip-resistance standard.
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    \3\ Chowdhury et al., U.S. Consumer Prod. Safety Comm'n., 
Consumer Product-related Injuries and Deaths Among Adults 65 Years 
of Age and Older, 67-68 (2021), available at https://tinyurl.com/2t88v33m.
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    Affected Public: Adults between ages 18 and 95 years old.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: We expect up to 200 respondents 
annually. Over the full authorized period of the study, which is three 
years, up to 600 respondents may participate.
    Frequency: One.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden: Though response times will vary, on 
average, it will take 2.5 hours for respondents to fully participate in 
the study. Therefore, the annual estimated response burden is 500 hours 
(200 responses x 2.5 hours per response).
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Cost: There are no costs to 
respondents and no respondent recordkeeping requirements associated 
with the study. There are no operating, maintenance, or capital costs 
associated with the collection. Participants will receive $100 for 
participation in the study.
    Request for Comments:
    CPSC requests that interested parties submit comments regarding 
this proposed information collection (see the ADDRESSES section at the 
beginning of this notice). Pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), the 
Commission specifically invites comments on:
     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;
     Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information the Commission proposes to collect; 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.

Alberta E. Mills,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2024-31623 Filed 1-3-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P
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