[Federal Register: December 28, 1994] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 1000 Commission Organization and Functions AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission. ACTION: Final rule. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Commission is revising its statement of organization and functions to reflect the creation of three new organizational units and the implementation of fax-on-demand and Internet information dissemination services, and to correct an address. EFFECTIVE DATE: December 28, 1994. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph F. Rosenthal, Office of the General Counsel, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. 20207, telephone 301-504-0980. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 1000.3 has been amended to correct a telephone number and describe the Commission's fax-on-demand and Internet services. Section 1000.4 has been amended to correct the address of the Commission's Eastern Regional Center. Section 1000.12 has been amended to reflect the new organizational structure. Section 1000.19 has been amended to include a new organization reporting to the Executive Director. New sections describing the new Office of Human Resources Management, the new Office of Information Resources Management, and the new Directorate for Laboratory Sciences have been added. The sections describing the Office of Information and Public affairs and the Directorate for Administration have been amended to reflect the transfer of certain functions from those organizations to the new Office of Information Services. The sections describing the Directorate for Engineering Sciences and the Directorate for Health Sciences have been amended to reflect the trasfer of certain functions from those organizations to the new Directorate for Laboratory Sciences. Since this rule relates solely to internal agency management, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b), notice and other public procedures are not required and it is effective immediately on the specified effective date. Further, this action is not a rule as defined in the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601-612 and, thus, is exempt from the provisions of the Act. List of Subjects in 16 CFR Part 1000 Organization and functions (government agencies). Accordingly, 16 CFR part 1000 is amended as follows: PART 1000--[AMENDED] 1. The authority citation for part 1000 continues to read as follows: Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a). 2. Section 1000.3 is amended by revising paragraph (b) and adding paragraphs (c) and (d) to read as follows: Sec. 1000.3 Hotline. * * * * * (b) The Commission also operates a toll-free Hotline by which hearing or speech-impaired persons can communicate by teletypewriter with the Commission. The teletypewriter number for use in all states is 1-800-638-8270. (c) The Commission also makes information available to the public product recall information, its public calendar, and other information through its Internet web site service at Internet address www.cpsc.gov. The public may also report product hazards or other information to the Commission at its electronic mail address: info@cpsc.gov. (d) The Commission also provides a fax-on-demand service from which the public can request Commission documents by calling 1-301-504-0051 from the handset of a facsimile machine. 3. Section 1000.4 is amended by revising paragraph (b)(2) to read as follows: Sec. 1000.4 Commission addresses. * * * * * (b) * * * (2) Eastern Regional Center, 6 World Trade Center, Vesey Street, Room 350, New York, New York 10048-0950; Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Virgin Islands. * * * * * 4. Section 1000.12 is revised to read as follows: Sec. 1000.12 Organizational structure. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is composed of the principal units listed in this section. (a) The following units report directly to the Chairman of the Commission: (1) Office of the General Counsel; (2) Office of Congressional Relations; (3) Office of the Secretary; (4) Office of the Inspector General; (5) Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Minority Enterprise; (6) Office of the Executive Director. (b) The following units report directly to the Executive Director of the Commission: (1) Office of the Budget; (2) Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction; (3) Office of Information and Public Affairs; (4) Office of Compliance and Enforcement; (5) Office of Planning and Evaluation; (6) Office of Human Resources Management; (7) Office of Information Services; (8) Directorate for Administration; (9) Directorate for Field Operations. (c) The following units report directly to the Assistant Executive Director for Hazard Identification and Reduction: (1) Directorate for Epidemiology; (2) Directorate for Economic Analysis; (3) Directorate for Health Sciences; (4) Directorate for Engineering Sciences; (5) Directorate for Laboratory Sciences. 5. Section 1000.19 is revised to read as follows: Sec. 1000.19 Office of the Executive Director. The Executive Director with the assistance of the Deputy Executive Director, under the broad direction of the Chairman and in accordance with Commission policy, acts as the chief operating manager of the agency, supporting the development of the agency's budget and operating plan before and after Commission approval, and managing the execution of those plans. The Executive Director has direct line authority over the following directorates and offices: the Directorate for Administration, the Directorate for Field Operations, the Office of the Budget, the Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction, the Office of Information and Public Affairs, the Office of Compliance and Enforcement, the Office of Planning and Evaluation, the Office of Human Resources Management, and the Office of Information Services. 6. Section 1000.23 is revised to read as follows: Sec. 1000.23 Office of Information and Public Affairs. The Office of Information and Public Affairs, which is managed by the Director of the Office, is responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive national information and public affairs program designed to promote product safety. This includes responsibility for developing and maintaining relations with a wide range of national groups such as consumer organizations; business groups; trade associations; state and local government entities; labor organizations; medical, legal, scientific and other professional associations; and other Federal health, safety and consumer agencies. The Office also is responsible for implementing the Commission's media relations program nationwide. The Office serves as the Commission's spokesperson to the national print and broadcast media, develops and disseminates the Commission's news releases, and organizes Commission news conferences. 7. Sections 1000.25, 1000.26, 1000.27, 1000.28, 1000.29, and 1000.30 are redesignated as sections 1000.27, 1000.28 1000.29, 1000.30, 1000.32, and 1000.33 respectively. 8. Section 1000.25 is added to read as follows: Sec. 1000.25 Office of Human Resources Management. The Office of Human Resources Management, which is managed by the Director of the Office, provides human resources management support to the Commission in the areas of recruitment and placement, position classification, training and executive development, employee and labor relations, employee benefits and retirement assistance, employee assistance programs, drug testing, leave administration, disciplinary and adverse actions, grievances and appeals, and performance management. 9. Section 1000.26 is added to read as follows: Sec. 1000.26 Office of Information Services. The Office of Information Services, which is managed by the Assistant Executive Director for Information Services, is responsible for general policy, controlling and conducting managerial activities and operations relating to the collection, use, and dissemination of information by the agency. The Office manages the Commission's information system that supports all its program activities. The Office provides automated data processing and operational support for data collection, information retrieval, report generation, electronic mail, and statistical and mathematical operations of the agency. The Office maintains the agency's local area networks and develops and supports other network applications. The Office develops plans for improving agency operations through the use of information technology. The Office's functional responsibilities include planning, organizing, and directing information resources management (including records management and related requirements), and the managing of the agency's management directives system. The Office manages the headquarters telecommunications including the agency's toll-free Hotline by which the public reports hazardous consumer products and receives information about product recalls and product hazards. It also oversees operation of the Commission's Internet and fax-on-demand services. 10. Newly redesignated section 1000.29 is revised to read as follows: Sec. 1000.29 Directorate for Engineering Sciences. The Directorate for Engineering Sciences, which is managed by the Associate Executive Director for Engineering Sciences, is responsible for developing technical policy for and implementing the Commission's engineering programs. The Directorate manages hazard assessment and reduction projects as assigned by the Office of Hazard Identification and Reduction; develops and evaluates performance criteria, design specifications, and quality control standards for certain consumer products; provides scientific and technical expertise to the Commission and Commission staff; provides advice on proposed mandatory standards and industry voluntary standard efforts; performs or monitors research in the engineering sciences; and provides analytical services in support of the Commission's enforcement activities. It provides reliability engineering and quality control analysis in support of standards development, product certification, and compliance product testing; and provides engineering technical support to all Commission organizations, activities, and programs. The Directorate analyzes accident data, develops accident scenarios, and recommends solutions. 11. Newly redesignated section 1000.30 is revised to read as follows. Sec. 1000.30 Directorate for Health Sciences The Directorate for Health Sciences, which is managed by the Associate Executive Director for Health Sciences, is responsible for developing science policy and implementing the Commission's Health Sciences program. The Directorate's functional responsibilities include development and evaluation of the content of product safety standards and test methods based on the chemical, biological and medical sciences. The Directorate also provides health sciences and medical expertise to the Commission, and develops and evaluates performance criteria, design specifications, and quality control standards for certain consumer products. It provides advice on proposed standards. It collects health sciences, exposure, and medical data, reviews and evaluates toxicological, medical, and chemical hazards, and determines exposure, uptake and metabolism, including information on population segments at risk. It performs risk assessments for chemical hazards, and physical hazards based on methods such as medical injury modeling, in consumer products. It provides the Commission's primary source of technical expertise for implementation of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. It provides the expertise on how chemical products are manufactured and provides scientific support to the Commission's regulatory development and enforcement activities. It provides health sciences and medical support to all Commission organizations, activities, and programs. It manages hazard assessment and reduction projects as assigned. The Directorate provides scientific liaison with the National Toxicological Program, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, other federal agencies and programs, and other organizations concerned with reducing the risks to consumers from exposure to chemical hazards. 12. Section 1000.31 is added to read as follows: Sec. 1000.31 Directorate for Laboratory Sciences. The Directorate for Laboratory Sciences, which is managed by the Associate Executive Director for Laboratory Sciences, is responsible for implementing the Commission's engineering and health sciences laboratories programs. The Directorate's functional responsibilities include development and evaluation of product safety standards, and product safety tests and test methods, based on engineering and other physical sciences, chemical, and biological sciences to support general agency regulatory activities. The Directorate develops and evaluates performance criteria, design specifications and quality control standards for certain consumer products. It provides engineering, scientific, and technical expertise to the Commission, conducts engineering tests and studies of the safety of consumer products, evaluates industry voluntary standards efforts, and participates in the development of product safety standards. It performs and monitors research and conducts studies of the safety of, or improving the safety of, consumer products in engineering, other physical sciences, chemical, and biological sciences. The Directorate is composed of two divisions, the Engineering Laboratory Division and the Health Sciences Laboratory Division. The Directorate provides engineering and scientific services in support of the Commission's enforcement activities. It coordinates engineering research, testing, and evaluation activities with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and other federal agencies, private industry, and consumer interest groups. It provides the Commission's expertise and laboratory support to other laboratories and other chemical and biological testing facilities. It provides chemical and biological laboratory support to all Commission organizations, activities, and programs. The Directorate provides technical supervision and direction of engineering activities including tests and analyses conducted in the field. 13. Newly redesignated section 1000.32 is revised to read as follows: Sec. 1000.32 Directorate for Administration. The Directorate of Administration, which is managed by the Associate Executive Director for Administration, is responsible for formulating general administrative policies supporting the Commission in the areas of financial management, procurement, and general administrative support services including property and space management, physical security, printing, telecommunications, and warehousing. The Directorate is responsible for the payment, accounting, and reporting of all expenditures within the Commission and for operating and maintaining the Commission's accounting system and subsidiary Management Information System which allocates staff work time and costs to programs and projects. Sadye E. Dunn, Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission. [FR Doc. 94-31806 Filed 12-27-94;8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6355-01-F