Final Rule: Fireworks Devices; Fuse Burn Time

The Commission amends its regulation under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act that specifies the allowable fuse burn times of fireworks devices (except firecrackers). The amendment changes the allowable fuse burn times from the presently required range of 3 to 6 seconds to the range of 3 to 9 seconds. Increasing the range will improve safety by allowing manufacturers to more consistently produce fireworks that do not have dangerously short fuse burn times of below 3 seconds. Further, the increase in the maximum allowable fuse burn time to 9 seconds will not create any additional risk of injury to consumers. The amendment originally was requested in a petition from the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory.