Page images
PDF
EPUB

(5) The proposed standard is not appropriate for development and maintenance by a private standards-writing organization; and

(6) The proposed standard will be funded by a proponent organization or government agency to cover costs for administrative and technical support services provided by the Department.

(c) Role of the Department. The Department assists in the establishment of a Voluntary Product Standard as follows:

(1) Acts as an unbiased coordinator in the development of the standard;

(2) Provides editorial assistance in the preparation of the standard;

(3) Supplies such assistance and review as is required to assure the technical soundness of the standard;

(4) Seeks satisfactory adjustment of valid points of disagreement;

(5) Determines the compliance with the criteria established in these procedures for such voluntary standards;

(6) Provides secretarial functions for each committee appointed by the Department under these procedures;

(7) Publishes the standard as a public document;

(8) Administers the funds for administrative and technical support services; and

(9) Seeks listing for standards developed under these procedures as American National Standards through the American National Standards Institute, when deemed appropriate by the Department.

(d) Role of producers, distributors, users, and consumers. Producers, distributors, users, consumers, and other interested groups may contribute to the development of a Voluntary Product Standard as follows:

(1) Initiate and participate in the development of the standard;

(2) Provide technical or other relevant counsel, as appropriate, relating to the standard;

(3) Promote the use of, and support for, the standard; and

(4) Assist in keeping the standard current with respect to advancing technology and marketing practices.

(e) Role of the National Institute of Standards & Technology. The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) administers these procedures

for the Department. Any communications concerning these procedures (e.g., questions, clarifications, appeals) should be addressed to the Office of Product Standards Policy, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899.

[51 FR 22497, June 20, 1986, as amended at 55 FR 38315, Sept. 18, 1990]

§ 10.1 Initiating development of a new standard.

(a) Any group or association of producers, distributors, users, or consumers, or a testing laboratory, or a State or Federal agency, may request the Department to initiate the development and publication of a Voluntary Product Standard under these procedures. Requests shall be in writing, signed by a representative of the group or agency, and forwarded to the Department. The initial request may be accompanied by a copy of a draft of the suggested standard.

(b) The request shall include a commitment to provide sufficient funding to cover all costs associated with the development and maintenance of the proposed Voluntary Product Standard.

(c) The Department may require additional information such as technical, marketing, or other appropriate data essential to discussion and development of the proposed standard, including, but not limited to, physical, mechanical, chemical, or performance characteristics, and production figures.

(d) Upon receipt of an appropriate request and after a determination by the Department that the development of a Voluntary Product Standard is justified, the Department may initiate the development by requesting that a draft of the suggested standard be prepared by an appropriate committee, provided such a draft has not previously been submitted under paragraph (a) of this section.

(e) The Department may initiate the development of a Voluntary Product Standard, if such action is deemed by the Department to be in the public interest, notwithstanding the absence of a request from an outside source. A voluntary standard initiated by the Department shall be processed in accordance with all requirements of these procedures and shall be developed in

the same manner as a voluntary standard initiated by any group referred to in paragraph (a) of this section.

(f) An agreement regarding funding procedures and receipt of a deposit estimated by the Department to be sufficient to cover the first year's costs shall occur prior to the initiation of any project.

§ 10.2 Funding.

Groups who represent producers, distributors, consumers or users, or others that wish to act or continue to act as proponent organizations for the development or maintenance of a Voluntary Product Standard will be required to pay for administrative and technical support services provided by the National Institute of Standards & Technology and such other direct or indirect costs associated with the development or maintenance of that standard as may be deemed appropriate by the Department, including costs to the Department in connection with the operation of the Standard Review Committee and and the Standing Committee. Funds may also be provided by a government agency at the request of a proponent organization or when acting on its own behalf for the development or maintenance of a Voluntary Product Standard. Proponents of standards that meet sponsorship criteria established in these procedures shall furnish an initial deposit of funds sufficient to cover the first year's services and other costs. Estimated annual costs will be based on an hourly rate for salary and overhead established by the Department for the National Institute of Standards & Technology's administrative and technical support services plus estimates of direct costs to provide funds for such items as the travel of consumer representatives unable to otherwise attend committee meetings, travel for Department staff, and printing costs. Project funds will be reviewed annually. Excess funds may be refunded or applied to the next accounting period. Should funds from deposits be inadequate during an counting period, work on the project will continue only if funds are restored

ac

[blocks in formation]

(a) A proposed standard as submitted to the Department:

(1) Shall be based on adequate technical information, or, in the case of size standards (including standards covering the quantities for packaged consumer commodities), on adequate marketing information, or both, as determined to be appropriate by the Department;

(2) Shall not be contrary to the public interest;

(3) Shall be technically appropriate and such that conformance or nonconformance with the standard can be determined either during or after the manufacturing process by inspection or other procedures which may be utilized by either an individual or a testing facility competent in the particular field;

(4) Shall follow the format prescribed by the National Institute of Standards & Technology. (Copies of the recommended format may be obtained from the Office of Product Standards Policy, National Institute of Standards & Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899.);

(5) Shall include performance requirements if such are deemed by the Department to be technically sound, feasible, and practical, and the inclusion of such is deemed to be appropriate;

(6) May include dimensions, sizes, material specifications, product requirements, design stipulations, component requirements, test methods, testing equipment descriptions, and installation procedures. The appropriateness of the inclusion in a standard of any particular item listed in this subparagraph shall be determined by the Department; and

(7) Shall be accompanied by rational statements pertaining to the requirements and test methods contained in the standard, if deemed necessary by the Department.

(b) A proposed standard that is determined by the Department to meet the

criteria set forth in paragraph (a) of this section may be subjected to further review by an appropriate individual, committee, organization, or agency (either government or nongovernment, but not associated with the proponent group).

(c) A proposed standard may be circulated by the Department to appropriate producers, distributors, users, consumers, and other interested groups for consideration and comment as well as to others requesting the opportunity to comment.

(d) The proponent group or appropriate committee which drafted the initial proposal under §10.1(d) shall consider all comments and suggestions submitted by the reviewer designated under paragraph (b) of this section, and those received by the Department as a result of any circulation under paragraph (c) of this section, and may make such adjustments in the proposal as are technically sound and as are believed to cause the standard to be generally acceptable to producers, distributors, users, consumers, and other interested parties. The proposal will then be submitted to the Department for further processing.

[51 FR 22497, June 20, 1986, as amended at 55 FR 38315, Sept. 18, 1990]

§ 10.4 Establishment of the Standard Review Committee.

(a) The Department shall establish and appoint the members of a Standard Review Committee within a reasonable time after receiving a proposed standard. The committee shall consist of qualified representatives of producers, distributors, and users or consumers of product for which a standard is sought or any other appropriate general interest groups such as State and Federal agencies. When requested by the Standard Review Committee, the Department shall appoint one voting member from among the representatives of the Federal agencies, other than the Department of Commerce. All other representatives of Federal agencies on the Standard Review Committees shall be advisory nonvoting members. (Alternates to committee members may be designated by the Department.) When deemed appropriate by the Department, project funds under §10.2 may be

made available to assure participation by consumer interests on the committee at required meetings.

(b) A Standard Review Committee may remain in existence for a period necessary for the final development of the standard, or for 2 years, whichever is less.

(c) The Department shall be responsible for the organization of the committee. Any formal operating procedures developed by the committee shall be subject to approval by the Department. The committee may conduct business either in a meeting or through correspondence, but only if a quorum participates. A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of all voting members of the committee. A majority of the voting members of the committee participating shall be required to approve any actions taken by the committee except for the action of recommending a standard to the Department, the requirements for which are contained in § 10.5(b).

§ 10.5 Development of a recommended

standard.

(a) The Standard Review Committee, with the guidance and assistance of the Department and, if appropriate, the reviewer designated under §10.3(b), shall review a proposed standard promptly. If the committee finds that the proposal meets the requirements set forth in §10.3(a), it may recommend to the Department that the proposal be circulated for acceptance under §10.6. If, however, the committee finds that the proposal being reviewed does not meet the requirements set forth in §10.3(a), the committee shall change the proposal, after consulting with the proponent group, so that these requirements are met, before recommending such proposal to the Department.

(b) The recommendation of a standard by the Standard Review Committee shall be approved by at least threequarters, or rejected by more than onequarter, of all of the members of the committee eligible to vote. The voting on the recommendation of a standard shall be conducted by the Department if conducted by letter ballot. If such voting is accomplished at a meeting of the committee, the balloting shall be either by roll call or by signed written

ballot conducted by the Department or the chairman of this committee. If conducted by the chairman, a report of the vote shall be made to the Department within 15 days. If the balloting at the meeting does not result in either approval by at least three-quarters of all members (or alternates) eligible to vote (whether present or not), or rejection by more than one-quarter of the members (or alternates) or the committee eligible to vote, the balloting shall be disregarded and the Department shall subsequently conduct a letter ballot of all members of the committee.

(c) Any member of the committee casting a negative ballot shall have the right to support an objection by furnishing the chairman of the committee and the Department with a written statement setting forth the basis for the objection. The written statement of objection shall be filed within 15 days after the date of the meeting during which the voting on the standard was accomplished, or, in the case of a letter ballot, within the time limit established for the return of the ballot.

(d) At the time a recommended standard is submitted to the Department, the Chairman of the Standard Review Committee shall furnish a written report in support of the committee's recommendation. Such report shall include a statement with respect to compliance with the requirements as established by these procedures, a discussion of the manner in which any objections were resolved, and a discussion of any unresolved objections together with the committee's reasons for rejecting such unresolved objections.

§ 10.6 Procedures for acceptance of a recommended standard.

(a) Upon receipt from the Standard Review Committee of a recommended standard and report, the Department shall give appropriate public notice and distribute the recommended standard for acceptance unless:

(1) Upon a showing by any member of the committee who has voted to oppose the recommended standard on the basis of an unresolved objection, the Department determines that if such objection

[blocks in formation]

(c) Distribution for comment will be made to any party filing a written request with the Department, and to such other parties as the Department may deem appropriate, including testing laboratories and interested State and Federal agencies.

(d) The Department shall analyze the recommended standard and the responses received under paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. If such analysis indicates that the recommended standard is supported by a consensus, it shall be published as a Voluntary Product Standard by the Department: Provided, That all other requirements listed in these procedures have been satisfied.

(e) The following definitions shall apply to the term used in this section:

(1) "Consensus" means general concurrence and, in addition, no substantive objection deemed valid by the Department.

(2) "General concurrence" means acceptance among those responding to the distribution made under paragraph (b) of this section in accordance with the conditions set forth in paragraph (f) of this section.

(3) "Substantive objection" means a documented objection based on grounds that one or more of the criteria set forth in these procedures has not been satisfied.

(4) Average industry acceptance" means a percentage equal to the sum of the percentages of acceptance obtained

from responses to distribution of the recommended standard in the producer segment, the distributor segment, and the user and consumer segment, divided by three. No consideration will be given to volume of production or volume of distribution in determining average industry acceptance.

both of such acceptances is deemed necessary by the Department; or

(2) The Department determines that publication of the standard is appropriate under the procedures set forth in paragraph (g) of this section and, in addition, an analysis of the responses to the distribution under paragraph (b) of this section indicates:

(i) An average industry acceptance of not less than 66% percent; means

(5) "Producer segment" means those persons who manufacture or produce the product covered by the standard. (6) "Distributor segment" those persons who distribute at wholesale or retail the product covered by the standard.

(7) “User and consumer segment" means those persons who use or consume the product covered by the standard.

(8) "Acceptance by volume of production" means the weighted percentage of acceptance of those responding to the distribution in the producer segment. The weighting of each response will be made in accordance with the volume of production represented by each respondent.

(9) "Acceptance by volume of distribution" means the weighted percentage of acceptance of those responding to the distribution in the distributor segment. The weighting of each response will be made in accordance with the volume of distribution represented by each respondent.

(f) A recommended standard shall be deemed to be supported by general concurrence whenever:

(1) An analysis of the responses to the distribution under paragraph (b) of this section indicates:

(i) An average industry acceptance of not less than 75 percent;

(ii) Acceptance of not less than 70 percent by the producer segment, the distributor segment, and the user and consumer segment, each segment being considered separately; and

(iii) Acceptance by volume of production and acceptance by volume of distribution of not less than 70 percent in each case: Provided, That the Department shall disregard acceptance by volume of production or acceptance by volume of distribution or both unless, in the judgment of the Department, accurate figures for the volume of production or distribution are reasonably available and an evaluation of either or

(ii) Acceptance of not less than 60 percent by the producer segment, the distributor segment, and the user and consumer segment, each segment being considered separately; and

(iii) Acceptance by volume of production and acceptance by volume of distribution of not less than 60 percent in each case: Provided, That the Department shall disregard acceptance by volume of production or acceptance by volume of distribution or both unless, in the judgment of the Department, accurate figures for the volume of production or distribution are reasonably available and an evaluation of either or both of such acceptances is deemed necessary by the Department.

(g) A recommended standard which fails to achieve the acceptance requirements of paragraph (f)(1) of this section, but which satisfies the acceptance criteria of paragraph (f)(2) of this section, shall be returned to the Standard Review Committee for reconsideration. The committee, by the affirmative vote of not less than three-quarters of all members eligible to vote, may resubmit the recommended standard without change to the Department with a recommendation that the standard be published as a Voluntary Product Standard. The Department shall then conduct a public rulemaking hearing in accordance with the requirements of law as set forth in section 553 of Title 5, United States Code, to assist it in determining whether publication of the standard is in the public interest. If the Department determines that publication of the standard is in the public interest, the standard shall be published as a Voluntary Product Standard.

« PreviousContinue »