[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 16, Volume 2]
[Revised as of January 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 16CFR1204.1]
[Page 239-241]
TITLE 16--COMMERCIAL PRACTICES
CHAPTER II--CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
PART 1204--SAFETY STANDARD FOR OMNIDIRECTIONAL CITIZENS BAND BASE STATION
ANTENNAS--Table of Contents
Subpart A--The Standard
Sec. 1204.1 Scope of the standard.
(a) General. This subpart A of part 1204 is a consumer product
safety standard which prescribes safety requirements for Citizens Band
omnidirectional base station antennas. The standard is intended to
reduce the risk of electrocution or serious injuries occurring if the
antenna contacts an electric power line while the antenna is being put
up or taken down. One way that this can be accomplished is to insulate
the antenna so that if it contacts the power line, there is less of a
likelihood that a harmful electric current will be transmitted from the
power line through the antenna and mast and ultimately through a person
holding the antenna mast. Another possible way to provide this
protection is to incorporate an insulating barrier between the antenna
and the mast or other supporting structure, so that a harmful electric
current will not pass from the antenna to a person in contact with the
mast. (If this alternative were chosen, the feed cable from the antenna
would have to be insulated or otherwise protected so that it would not
provide an electrical path to the mast or a person touching the cable.)
(b) Description of the standard--(1) Performance tests. The standard
describes two performance tests to determine if the means chosen by the
manufacturer to protect against the shock hazard will provide adequate
protection.
(i) First, there is an Insulating Material Effectiveness Test (Sec.
1204.4(d) of this subpart) in which a high voltage electrode or test rod
is brought into contact with the antenna at any point within the
protection zone established by Sec. 1204.2(k) of this subpart to ensure
that the insulation can withstand the voltage for 5 minutes without
transmitting more than 5 milliamperes (mA) root-mean-square (rms) of
electric current.
(ii) The other test is an Antenna-Mast System Test (Sec. 1204.4(e)
of this subpart) which is intended to determine whether the means
provided to protect against electrocution will withstand the stress
imposed when an antenna-mast system falls onto a power line. This test
consists of mounting the antenna to be tested on a specified mast and
allowing the assembled antenna and mast to fall onto a power line of
14,500 volts rms phase to ground.
(2) Recommended materials. (i) Since a substantial portion of the
accidents addressed by this standard occur when the antenna is being
taken down after it has been installed in an outdoor environment for a
number of years, the materials selected to provide protection from shock
should be weather resistant.
(ii) Although other materials may also be suitable, materials
meeting the following criteria should be reasonably weather resistant:
(A) Material composition includes an ultraviolet stabilizer or
screen.
(B) Heat resistance of 212 F (100 C)
without loss of elasticity (ANSI/ASTM D 746-79).
[[Page 240]]
(C) Moisture absorption of not more than 0.2 percent (ANSI/ASTM D
570-77).
(D) For heat shrinkable sleeving, temperature flexibility to -40
F (-40 C) with no cracks (Mil Spec. MIL-I-
23053C, 20 May 1976).
(3) Warning: Section 1204.5 of this subpart requires a statement in
the instructions that the standard will not protect in every instance
against electrocution caused by contact with power lines. This is
because the standard is intended to provide protection for power line
voltages of up to 14,500 volts. Some power lines carry more voltage than
this. In addition, not all portions of the antenna are required to be
insulated, and the antenna's mast is not required to be insulated. If
the power line were to contact one of these uninsulated areas, an
electrocution could occur. Furthermore, when the antenna was
manufactured it may not in fact have complied with the standard, or the
insulation may have deteriorated or been damaged since the antenna was
manufactured. In addition, the insulation cannot withstand high voltages
indefinitely, and, after a period of time, the current may penetrate the
insulation. Therefore, even if a harmful amount of current is not
transmitted immediately, the user should not attempt to remove an
antenna that falls into electric power lines, since the insulation could
break down while the antenna is being removed. For these reasons,
persons handling these antennas should ensure that the antennas are kept
away from power lines so that the antenna cannot contact the line while
being transported, installed, or removed, even if the antenna is
dropped. The Commission recommends that antennas be located at least
twice the combined length of the antenna and mast from the nearest power
line.
(c) Scope. (1) Except as noted below, the standard applies to all
omnidirectional CB base station antennas that are consumer products and
are manufactured or imported on or after May 24, 1983.
(2) The Commission may extend the effective date of the standard for
as long as an additional 90 days for any firm which has 750 employees or
fewer and, is not a subsidiary or division of a firm having more than
750 employees, and which manufactures or imports products subject to the
standard, upon written application, addressed to the Associate Executive
Director for Compliance and Administrative litigation, Consumer Product
Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. 20207, received not later than
January 17, 1983. An application for extension of the effective date
shall:
(i) Identify the requesting firm as a manufacturer or importer of
products subject to the standard.
(ii) State the total number of employees of the firm, including all
employees of any subsidiary or division, and all employees of any firm
of which the requesting firm is a subsidiary or division.
(iii) Request extension of the effective date to a specific date not
later than May 27, 1983.
(iv) Explain why the requested extension of the effective date is
needed.
(v) Describe all activities undertaken by the requesting firm to
achieve compliance with the requirements of the standard.
(vi) State that the requesting firm will market complying products
after the extended effective date.
(3) The Associate Executive Director for Compliance and
Administrative Litigation will evaluate each request for extension of
the effective date. The following criteria will be used in determining
whether to grant an application for extension of the effective date:
(i) Does the application demonstrate that the requesting firm cannot
meet the general effective date,
(ii) Does the application demonstrate that the requesting firm has
made a good faith effort to achieve compliance with the requirements of
the standard by the general effective date.
(iii) Does the application demonstrate that the firm is likely to
produce or market complying products if the requested extension is
granted.
(4) The Associate Executive Director will advise each requesting
firm in writing if the requested extension is granted or denied. If the
Associate Executive Director for Compliance and Administrative
Litigation denies a request for extension of the effective
[[Page 241]]
date, the firm may request the Commission to reconsider the denial.
(5) Section 3(a)(1) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA, 15
U.S.C. 2052(a)(1) defines the term consumer product as an ``article, or
component part thereof, produced or distributed (i) for sale to a
consumer for use in or around a permanent or temporary household or
residence, a school, in recreation, or otherwise, or (ii) for the
personal use, consumption or enjoyment of a consumer in or around a
permanent or temporary household or residence, a school, in recreation,
or otherwise.'' The term does not include products that are not
customarily produced or distributed for sale to, or for the use or
consumption by, or enjoyment of, a consumer. A limited exception from
coverage of the standard is provided by section 18(a) of the CPSA, 15
U.S.C. 2067, for certain products intended for export and meeting the
requirements of section 18(b) of the CPSA.
(d) Prohibited acts. It is unlawful to manufacture for sale, offer
for sale, distribute in commerce, or import into the United States any
product subject to this standard that does not conform with the
standard.
(Sec. 9(h), Pub. L. 92-573, 86 Stat. 1207, as amended, Pub. L. 95-319,
92 Stat. 386, Pub. L. 95-631, 92 Stat. 3742, Pub. L. 96-373, 94 Stat.
1366, Pub. L. 97-35, 95 Stat. 703, 15 U.S.C. 2058(h))
[47 FR 36201, Aug. 19, 1982, as amended at 48 FR 29683, June 28, 1983]