91 FR 37958
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
AGENCY:
Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION:
Notice of public meeting and request for comment.
SUMMARY:
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission or CPSC) announces a public roundtable to discuss strategies for reducing childhood drowning associated with consumer products. The roundtable is intended to assist the Commission in evaluating existing approaches to childhood drowning prevention and identifying opportunities to strengthen future Commission actions, including public education, consumer product safety initiatives, standards development, research, stakeholder engagement, and other efforts intended to reduce childhood drowning. The roundtable will consist of invited participants representing a range of relevant disciplines and stakeholder perspectives. The Commission also invites interested persons and entities to submit written comments on the topics identified in this notice. Information received through the roundtable and public comments will assist the Commission in evaluating future priorities for reducing childhood drowning associated with consumer products.
DATES: The roundtable will be held on June 30, 2026, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Written comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 29, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
The meeting will be held in person at CPSC's headquarters and available online via webinar. For invitees attending in person, the meeting will be held at CPSC's headquarters, located at 4330 East-West Highway, 4th Floor—Hearing Room, Bethesda, MD 20814. Individuals from the public who plan to attend the meeting remotely should use the following link to access the meeting: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/affdfd61-f235-4c46-ad92-0b178670ff13@7f5de26c-a63d-475c-9b6c-4126a914e132 . The Commission will accept written comments as well. These must be received by the Office of the Secretary at cpsc-os@cpsc.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 29, 2026. Written comments should be sent by email to cpsc-os@cpsc.gov with the subject line, “National Roundtable on Childhood Drowning Prevention.”
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
If you have any questions about the roundtable, you may contact Noah Vehafric, Office of the Acting Chairman, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, telephone (301) 504-6795.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Drowning remains the leading cause of death for children ages one through four in the United States. Each year, hundreds of children die in pool- and spa-related drowning incidents, and thousands more receive emergency department treatment following submersion incidents.
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGBA), Public Law 110-140, title XIV, directs the Commission to undertake education, enforcement, and other activities intended to reduce childhood drowning and entrapment associated with pools and spas. Since enactment of the VGBA, the Commission has conducted its Pool Safely public education campaign and has undertaken numerous regulatory, compliance, and enforcement activities related to drowning prevention.
The Commission continues to evaluate its drowning prevention activities in light of current drowning data, emerging product hazards, technological developments, and evolving safety practices. Recent Commission actions have included the recall of approximately five million above-ground pools following multiple child drowning deaths, action on a petition concerning child-resistant pool ladders, mandatory safety requirements for children's neck floats, soliciting grant applications to support drowning prevention efforts, and other initiatives intended to reduce drowning risks associated with consumer products.
The Commission is convening this roundtable to obtain the views of experts and experienced stakeholders in search of the best evidence-based approaches to reducing childhood drowning and to inform future Commission activities.
The purpose of the roundtable is to facilitate discussion regarding current childhood drowning prevention strategies and to identify opportunities for improving the Commission's efforts to reduce drowning associated with consumer products.
Topics for discussion may include, but are not limited to:
• current trends in childhood drowning and submersion injuries;
• product-related drowning hazards;
• engineering controls and product innovation;
• voluntary standards and regulatory approaches;
• public education and risk communication;
• behavioral research and injury prevention;
• methods for evaluating the effectiveness of drowning prevention initiatives; and
• priorities for future Commission activities.
The roundtable will consist of invited participants representing a broad cross-section of organizations and disciplines involved in childhood drowning prevention. Participants are expected to include representatives from academia, medicine, engineering, standards organizations, consumer advocacy organizations, industry, state and local government, and other subject matter experts.
The roundtable will be open to the public and available for viewing by webcast. Information regarding attendance and webcast access will be posted on the Commission's website before the meeting.
The Commission invites interested persons and entities to submit written comments addressing any of the topics identified in this notice or other issues relevant to childhood drowning prevention associated with consumer products.
The Commission is particularly interested in comments addressing:
• interventions that have demonstrated measurable effectiveness in reducing childhood drowning;
• opportunities to improve public education and consumer outreach;
• engineering controls, product design improvements, and emerging technologies;
• methods for evaluating the effectiveness of drowning prevention initiatives; and
• recommendations regarding future Commission priorities.
All timely comments received will be considered by the Commission in connection with the roundtable and the Commission's continuing evaluation of its childhood drowning prevention activities.
Alberta E. Mills,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2026-12726 Filed 6-23-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P