Feds Launch Official Study: How Slippery Are Your Bathtubs, America?
Published Date: 4/16/2025
Notice
Summary
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is starting a new study to see how slippery bathtubs really are, testing how people step in and out safely. This affects bathtub makers and users, aiming to create better safety rules without costing anyone extra. Comments on this study are open until May 16, 2025, so jump in and share your thoughts!
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Study Will Inform New Bathtub Safety Standard
CPSC will measure friction while people step into and out of three bathtub surfaces and will share results with the ASTM F15.03 Subcommittee to help replace the withdrawn ASTM F462 standard and support a voluntary Safety Standard for Bathtub and Shower Structure. The study’s goal is to quantify the minimum frictional performance required to reduce slips and falls.
Participants Paid $100; 2.5-Hour Study
If you participate in the study, you will be paid $100 and the average participation time is 2.5 hours. The study expects up to 200 respondents annually (up to 600 over three years) and there are no costs or respondent recordkeeping requirements for participants.
Participation Limited by Location, Age, and Sample Size
Participants will be recruited from the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area and must be adults between ages 18 and 95. The study involves three sessions per participant (to test three bathtub surfaces) and expects up to 200 respondents annually (up to 600 total over the requested three-year approval).
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