Safety Standard for Operating Cords on Custom Window Coverings

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Consumer Product Safety Commission 16 CFR Parts 1112 and 1260 [CPSC Docket No. CPSC-2013-0028] AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission. ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. SUMMARY: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has determined preliminarily that custom window coverings with accessible operating cords that are longer than 8 inches pose an unreasonable risk of strangulation to children 8 years old and younger. To address this risk of strangulation, the Commission proposes a rule under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) to require that operating cords on custom window coverings meet the same requirements as operating cords on stock window coverings, as set forth in the applicable voluntary standard. Thus, the rule proposes that operating cords on custom window coverings must be cordless, inaccessible, or 8 inches or shorter in length in any use position. If finalized, operating cords on custom window coverings would require testing and certification to the rule under section 14 of the CPSA. Moreover, operating cords on custom window coverings that meet the definition of a “children's product” would require third party testing by a CPSC-accredited third party conformity assessment body. Accordingly, the rule also proposes to amend the Commission's regulation on requirements pertaining to third party conformity assessment bodies to add “Safety Standard for Operating Cords on Custom Window Coverings” to the list of rules that re…