[Federal Register: March 20, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 54)]
[Notices]
[Page 13712-13713]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20mr03-69]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Meeting
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the
following meeting.
Name: Continue Discussions on the Approval of Respiratory Devices
Used to Protect Workers in Hazardous Environments.
Times and Dates: 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m., April 10, 2003. 8 a.m.-11:30
a.m., April 24, 2003.
Place: Marriott Key Bridge, 1401 Lee Highway, Arlington, Virginia
(April 10); Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois Street, Golden,
Colorado (April 24).
Status: These meetings are hosted by NIOSH and will be open to the
public, limited only by the space available. The meeting room at each
location will accommodate approximately 75 people. Interested parties
should make hotel reservations directly with the Marriott Key Bridge
(703-524-6400/800-327-9789) in Arlington, Virginia, or the Golden Hotel
(303-279-0100/800-233-7214) in Golden, Colorado, referencing the NIOSH/
NPPTL Public Meeting. Interested parties should confirm their
attendance to either meeting by completing a registration form and
forwarding it by e-mail (confserv@netl.doe.gov) or fax (304-285-4459)
to the Event Management Office. A registration form may be obtained
from the NIOSH Homepage (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh) by selecting
from the NIOSH Homepage (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh) by selecting
Conferences and then the event.
Requests to make presentations at the public meeting should be
mailed to the NIOSH Docket Officer, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, M/S
C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, Telephone 513-533-
8303, Fax 513-533-8285, E-mail niocindocket@cdc.gov. All requests to
present should contain 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 presentation, NIOSH 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 opportunity to make a presentation may be given the
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 meetings
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
[[Page 13713]]
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 June 1, 2003, and should reference docket number,
NIOSH 05, in the subject heading.
Purpose: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
in consultation with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA),
is in the process of developing a proposed rule on the performance and
reliability requirements of close-circuit self-contained escape
breathing apparatus. Examples include self-contained self-rescuers
(SCSRs) as used in the mining industry and emergency escape breathing
apparatus (EEBD). The purpose of these meetings is to provide an
opportunity for an exchange of information between NIOSH and respirator
manufacturers, industry representatives, labor representatives, and
others with an interest in respiratory protection. Attendees will be
given an opportunity to ask questions; submit verbal and written
comments they wish to have included in the regulatory record; and
provide individual input into potential changes to the applicable
regulations and policies.
NIOSH and MSHA have not determined the final content of its
proposed rulemaking but is considering the regulatory actions listed
below. NIOSH and MSHA are specifically asking for comments on these
proposed actions, but would also welcome comments on additional areas
that the commenters believe may need to be addressed.
NIOSH and MSHA are considering:
(1) Proposing to use Breathing and Metabolic Simulators (BMS) to
uniformly evaluate the life support performance of these respirators.
The intent is to uniformly classify protection according to the length
of time that the apparatus provides a breathable gas supply, measuring
that performance to depletion. It is further proposed to retain certain
elements of human subject testing;
(2) Proposing new ruggedness and reliability requirements such as a
minimum shock and vibration standards, and means for unambiguous
determination of continued functionality at the approved level;
(3) Proposing new safety requirements such as fire and explosion
risk assessments to assure that the units do not introduce any new
hazards in the deployment environment;
(4) Proposing to require the inclusion of fog resistant eye
protection from gas and vapor hazards;
(5) Proposing to require post-deployment audits of approved
apparatus;
(6) Proposing to require unit registration as a condition of
certification.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Event Management, P.O. Box 880,
3610 Collins Ferry Road, Morgantown, WV 26507, Telephone 304-285-4750,
Fax 304-285-4459, E-mail confserv@netl.doe.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: March 14, 2003.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-6683 Filed 3-19-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P