[Federal Register: September 17, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 180)]
[Notices]
[Page 54459-54460]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17se03-72]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Notice
of Meeting
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the
following meeting:
Name: Conceptual Discussions for Powered Air Purifying
Respirator Standards Development Efforts Used for Respiratory
Protection Against Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear
(CBRN) Agents.
Date and Time: October 16, 2003; 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Place: The Radisson Hotel at Waterfront Place, 2 Waterfront
Place, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Status: This meeting is hosted by NIOSH and will be open to the
public, limited only by the space available. The meeting room will
accommodate approximately 175 people. Interested parties should make
hotel reservations directly with the Radisson Hotel at Waterfront
Place (304/296-1700 or 1-800-333-3333) before the cut-off date of
October 2, 2003. The following special group rates have been
negotiated for meeting guests: $66.00 per night for Federal guests
and $79.00 per night for non-Federal guests. The NIOSH National
Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) Public Meeting
must be referenced to receive these special rates. Interested
parties should confirm their attendance to this meeting by
completing a registration form and forwarding it by e-mail
(npptlevents@cdc.gov) or fax (304-285-4459) to the NIOSH Event
Management Office. A registration form may be obtained from the
NIOSH homepage (www.cdc.gov/niosh) by selecting Conferences and then
the event.
An opportunity to make presentations regarding the conceptual
discussions of standards and testing processes for powered air
purifying respirator standards suitable for respiratory protection
against CBRN Agents will be given. Requests to make such
presentations at the public meeting should be made by e-mail
(npptlevents@cdc.gov) to the NIOSH Event Management Office. All
requests to present should include the name, address, telephone
number, relevant business affiliations of the presenter, a brief
summary of the presentation, and the approximate time requested for
the presentation. Oral presentations should be limited to 15
minutes. After reviewing the requests for presentations, NIOSH Event
Management will notify each presenter of the approximate time that
their presentation is scheduled to begin. If a participant is not
present when their presentation is scheduled to begin, the remaining
participants will be heard in order. At the conclusion of the
meeting, an attempt will be made to allow presentations by any
scheduled participants who missed their assigned times. Attendees
who wish to speak but did not submit a request for the
[[Page 54460]]
opportunity to make a presentation may be given this opportunity at
the conclusion of the meeting, at the discretion of the presiding
officer.
Comments on the topics presented in this notice and at the
meeting should be mailed to the NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft
Laboratories, M/S C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio
45226, Telephone 513-533-8303, Fax 513/533-8285. Comments may also
be submitted by e-mail to niocindocket@cdc.gov. E-mail attachments
should be formatted as WordPerfect 6/7/8/9 or Microsoft Word.
Comments should be submitted to NIOSH no later than November 16,
2003, and should reference Docket Number NIOSH-010 in the subject
heading.
Purpose: NIOSH will initiate conceptual discussions of standards
and testing processes for powered air purifying respirator standards
suitable for respiratory protection against CBRN Agents. NIOSH,
along with the U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command
(SBCCOM) and the National Institute for Standards and Technology
(NIST), will present information to attendees concerning the concept
development for the powered air purifying respirator CBRN standard.
Participants will be given an opportunity to ask questions on these
topics and to present individual comments for consideration.
Interested participants may obtain a copy of the powered air
purifying respirator CBRN concept paper, as well as earlier versions
of other concept papers used during the standard development effort,
from the NPPTL Web site, address: www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl. The
September 15, 2003, concept paper will be used as the basis for
discussion at the public meeting, as well as forming the basis for
the new powered air purifying respirator CBRN statement of standard.
The continuing threat of acts of terrorism has created an urgent
awareness of domestic security and preparedness issues. Municipal,
State, and Federal responder groups, particularly those in locations
considered potential targets, have been developing and modifying
response and consequence management plans. Since the World Trade
Center and anthrax incidents, most emergency response agencies have
operated with a heightened appreciation of the potential scope and
sustained resources requirements for coping with such events. The
Federal Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and
Interoperability (IAB) has worked to identify personal protective
equipment that is already available on the market for responders'
use. The IAB has identified the development of standards or
guidelines for respiratory protection equipment as a top priority.
NIOSH, NIST, the National Fire Protection Association, and the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration entered into a
Memorandum of Understanding defining each agency or organization's
role in developing, establishing, and enforcing standards or
guidelines for responders' respiratory protective devices. NIST
initiated Interagency Agreements with NIOSH and SBCCOM to aid in the
development of appropriate protection standards or guidelines. NIOSH
has the lead in developing standards or guidelines to test,
evaluate, and approve respirators. NIOSH, SBCCOM, and NIST hosted
public meetings on April 17 and 18, 2001; June 18 and 19, 2002;
October 16 and 17, 2002; April 29, 2003; and June 25, 2003,
presenting their progress in assessing respiratory protection needs
of responders to CBRN incidents. The methods or models for
developing hazard and exposure estimates, and the status in
evaluating test methods and performance standards that may be
applicable as future CBRN respirator standards or guidelines were
discussed at these meetings.
For Further Information Contact: NIOSH Event Management, 3610
Collins Ferry Road, P.O. Box 880, Morgantown, West Virginia 26507-
0880, Telephone 304-285-4750, Fax 304-285-4459, E-mail
npptlevents@cdc.gov. The Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, has been
delegated the authority to sign Federal Register notices pertaining
to announcements of meetings and other committee management
activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Dated: September 11, 2003.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-23686 Filed 9-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P