(a) General provision. Under the CPSA, the Commission may rely on voluntary standards in lieu of developing mandatory ones. In recognition of the role of voluntary standards under the CPSA, section 15(b)(1) requires reports if a product fails to comply with a voluntary standard “upon which the Commission has relied under section 9” of the CPSA. The Commission has relied upon a voluntary consumer product safety standard under section 9 of the CPSA if, since August 13, 1981 it has terminated a rulemaking proceeding or withdrawn an existing consumer product safety rule because it explicitly determined that an existing voluntary standard, or portion(s) thereof, is likely to result in an adequate reduction of the risk of injury and it is likely there will be substantial compliance with that voluntary standard. (See appendix to this part 1115 for a list of such voluntary standards.) This provision applies only when the Commission relies upon a voluntary standard in a rulemaking proceeding under section 9 of the CPSA. In evaluating whether or not to rely upon an existing voluntary standard, the Commission shall adhere to all the procedural safeguards currently required under the provisions of the CPSA, including publication in the Federal Register of the Commission's intent to rely upon a voluntary standard in order to provide the public with a fair opportunity to comment upon such proposed action.

(b) Reporting requirement. A firm must report under this section if it has distributed in commerce, subsequent to the effective date of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 1990 (November 16, 1990), a product that does not conform to a voluntary standard or portion(s) of a voluntary standard relied upon by the Commission since August 13, 1981. If the Commission relied upon only a portion(s) of a voluntary standard, a firm must report under this section only nonconformance with the portion(s) of the voluntary standard relied upon by the Commission. Pursuant to section 7(b)(2) of the CPSA, the Commission shall monitor any modifications of a voluntary standard upon which it has relied and determine, as a matter of policy, at the time any substantive safety related modification is adopted, whether it shall continue to rely upon the former standard or whether it shall rely, subsequently, upon the modified standard. The Commission shall publish such decisions in the Federal Register. Until the Commission makes such a decision, subject firms need not report under this provision a product which complies with either the original version of the voluntary standard relied upon by the Commission or the new version of the standard. A firm must continue to evaluate whether deviations from other portions of a voluntary standard, or other voluntary standards not relied upon by the Commission, either constitute a defect which could create a substantial product hazard or create an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death.

[57 FR 34228, Aug. 4, 1992; 57 FR 39597, Sept. 1, 1992]