DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

29 CFR Parts 1910, 1915, and 1926

[Docket No. H-049]

RIN 1218-0099

Respiratory Protection; Proposed Rule

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Extension of date for filing of testimony and evidence before the public hearing.

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SUMMARY: By this document the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is extending the date for submitting the text of testimony and documentary evidence for those who intend to testify at the public hearings from April 14, 1995 to May 15, 1995, in order to provide additional time for the preparation of testimony for the hearings.

DATES: Testimony and evidence to be submitted at the hearings must be postmarked on or before May 15, 1995. Comments must be postmarked on or before April 14, 1995. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 6, 1995 in Washington, DC.

ADDRESSES: Testimony and documentary evidence are to be submitted in quadruplicate to: Mr. Thomas Hall, OSHA Division of Consumer Affairs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room N3649, Washington, D.C. 20210; (202) 219-8615. Testimony and documentary evidence will be available for inspection and copying in the Docket Office, Room N2625 at the above address.

Written comments should be submitted in quadruplicate or 1 original (hardcopy) and 1 disk (5 1/4 or 3 1/2) in WordPerfect 5.0, 5.1, 6.0 or ASCII to: Docket Office, Docket H-49, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Room N2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20210; (202) 219-7894. Any information not contained on disk, e.g., studies, articles, etc., must be submitted in quadruplicate.

The hearing will be held in the auditorium of the U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Proposal: Mr. Richard Liblong, Director, Office of Information and Consumer Affairs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room N3647, Washington, D.C. 20210; (202) 219-8151.

Hearings: Mr. Thomas Hall, Division of Consumer Affairs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N3649, Washington, D.C. 20210; (202) 219-8615.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On November 15, 1994, OSHA published a notice of proposed rulemaking on its respiratory protection standard (59 FR 58884 et seq.). The proposal is intended to update the current respirator standard to reflect changes in methodology, technology, and approach related to respiratory protection that have occurred since the existing respiratory protection standard was adopted in 1971.

A notice of the extension of the comment period and the rescheduling of the public hearing was published on January 20, 1995 (60 FR 4132 et seq.). This notice extended the public comment period for the proposal to April 14, 1995. The date for submitting a notice of intention to appear at the hearing to testify was extended to March 31, 1995. The public hearings were rescheduled to start on June 6, 1995.

Extension of Date for Submitting Testimony and Evidence Before the Hearing

Pursuant to section 6(b)(3) of the OSH Act, an opportunity to submit oral testimony concerning all issues raised by the proposed standard will be provided at an informal public hearing to be held in Washington, DC from June 6, 1995 and continuing until Friday, June 23. The hearing will commence at 9:30 a.m. on June 6, 1995, in the auditorium of the Frances Perkins Building, U.S. Department of Labor, 3rd Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210.

All persons desiring to participate at the hearing must file in quadruplicate a notice of intention to appear, postmarked on or before March 31, 1995.

In addition to a notice of intention to appear, any party requesting more than ten (10) minutes for a presentation, or who will submit documentary evidence, must provide in quadruplicate the complete text of the testimony, including any documentary evidence to be presented. One copy shall not be stapled or bound and be suitable for copying. These materials must be provided to Mr. Thomas Hall, OSHA Division of Consumer Affairs at the address above. By this document OSHA is extending the date for submitting the text of testimony and documentary evidence for those who intend to testify at the public hearings from April 14, 1995 to May 15, 1995, in order to provide additional time for the preparation of testimony for the hearings.

Any party who has not substantially complied with this requirement may be limited to a ten-minute presentation, and may be requested to return for questioning at a later time during the hearing.

Notices of intention to appear, testimony and evidence will be available for inspection and copying at the Docket Office at the address above.

Authority and Signature: This document was prepared under the direction of Joseph A. Dear, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. It is issued pursuant to section 6(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (84 Stat. 1593, 29 U.S.C. 655).

Signed at Washington, DC., this 20th day of March, 1995.

Joseph A. Dear,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 95-7200 Filed 3-22-95; 8:45 am]

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