DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. H-372]

RIN: 1218-AB58

Standards Advisory Committee on Metalworking Fluids

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of establishment and appointment of members to the Metalworking Fluids Standards Advisory Committee.

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Labor has established a committee to advise the Assistant Secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on the appropriate action(s) to take to protect workers from the hazards associated with occupational exposure to metalworking fluids. This standards advisory committee will provide collective expertise not otherwise available to the Secretary to address the complex and sensitive issues involved. Those chosen to serve on this committee have been drawn from industry, labor, professional organizations, academia and government agencies. The committee members represent those interested in, or significantly affected by, any action the Agency may take as a result of this inquiry.

ADDRESSES: Any written comments in response to this notice should be sent to the following address: U.S. Department of labor, OSHA, Directorate of Health Standards Programs, Metalworking Fluids Advisory Committee, Room N-3718, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20210. Phone: (202) 219-7111.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Peter Infante, Directorate of Health Standards Programs, Office of Standards Review, OSHA, (202) 219- 7111.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In December 1993, the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) petitioned OSHA to take emergency regulatory action to protect workers from the risks of occupational cancers and respiratory illnesses associated with exposure to metalworking fluids. Occupational exposure to metalworking fluids was identified by the Agency and its stakeholders as an issue worthy of Agency action during OSHA's Priority Planning Process in 1994. Subsequently, the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) recommended that OSHA form a Standards Advisory Committee (SAC) to address the health risks caused by occupational exposure to metalworking fluids. The Assistant Secretary accepted the recommendation of NACOSH. On August 29, 1996 OSHA published a Federal Register notice of intent to form a Standards Advisory Committee for Metalworking Fluids and asked the public for recommendations of individuals with suitable experience or expertise to serve on this advisory committee (61 FR 45459).

Section 7(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires that advisory committees have a balanced membership, including individuals appointed to represent the interests of affected employers and employees, as well as Federal and State safety and health organizations and professional organizations.

Committee Membership

Appointees to the committee include representatives from labor, industry, academia and government agencies. The appointees represent groups interested in, or affected by, the outcome of this proceeding. The following is a list of Committee members and their affiliations.

Employee Representatives

David Day -- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
James Frederick -- United Steelworkers of America
Arthur McGee -- Local Union 599 of the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America
Frank Mirer -- The United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America
David Wegman -- University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Work Environment

Industry Representative

David Burch -- Precision Machined Products Association
John Cox -- National Tooling & Machining Association
John Howell -- Castrol Industrial North America, Inc.
Henry Lick -- Ford Motor Company
Frank White -- Organization Resources Counselors, Inc.

Federal and State Representatives

Henry Anderson -- Wisconsin Bureau of Public Health
Dennis O'Brien -- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Academic/Professional Representatives

Maura Sheehan (Chairperson) -- West Chester University, Department of Health
Lee Newman -- National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine
Daniel Teitelbaum -- Medical Toxicology & Occupational Medicine Corporation

Alternative Representatives

These persons will serve on the Committee should one of the members listed above be unable to complete his or her term.

For Employees:

William Shortell -- Connecticut Council on Occupational Safety and Health

For Industry:

Kenneth Kushner -- The Timken Company

Public Participation

Interested persons are invited to attend and participate in the Committee's meetings. These meetings will be announced by notice in the Federal Register.

Authority: This document was prepared under the direction of Greg Watchman, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20210, pursuant to Sections 6(b)(1) and (7)(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5.U.S.C.App.2, and 29 CFR 1911.11.

Signed at Washington, D.C., this 17th day of July, 1997.

Greg Watchman,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 97-19331 Filed 7-22-97; 8:45 am)