Safety Standard and Notification Requirements for Button Cell or Coin Batteries and Consumer Products Containing Such Batteries

This proposed rule aims to establish criteria for child-resistant button cell or coin battery compartments on any consumer product that features or is designed to feature these batteries. This will prevent children from accessing the batteries during both foreseeable and unforeseeable uses and abuses of the product. Proposed requirements are as follows:

For detachable batteries:

- The button cell or coin battery must pass an accessibility test

- The battery compartments must meet pre-conditioning requirements and abuse tests

- The battery compartment enclosures must be secured in a manner that requires a tool or at least two separate and simultaneous hand movements to open the battery compartment

For non-detachable batteries, button cell or coin batteries must not be accessible by:

- Using a battery compartment that fulfills the performance requirements for removable batteries, or

- Securing the button cell or coin battery with soldering, fasteners, or other comparable means that fulfill the secureness test

The proposed rule also establishes warning label requirements for packaging that contains button cell or coin batteries, packaging for consumer products that contain such batteries, consumer products, instructions and manuals that come with the products, as well as point-of-sale performance and technical data as specified in section 27(e) of the Consumer Product Safety Act.