[Federal Register: November 10, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 216)][Proposed Rules] [Page 57974-57975]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10no09-25]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
29 CFR Part 1910
RIN 1218-AC41
Combustible Dust
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.
ACTION: Notice of stakeholder meetings.
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SUMMARY: OSHA invites interested parties to participate in informal
stakeholder meetings on the workplace hazards of combustible dust. OSHA
plans to use the information gathered at these meetings in developing a
proposed standard for combustible dust.
DATES: Dates and locations for the stakeholder meetings are:
December 14, 2009, at 9 a.m., in Washington, DC.
December 14, 2009, at 1 p.m., in Washington, DC.
Additional meetings are planned for early 2010, and will
be announced in one or more subsequent notices.
ADDRESSES:
I. Registration
Submit your notice of intent to participate in one of the scheduled
or future stakeholder meetings by one of the following:
Electronic. Register at https://www2.ergweb.com/projects/
conferences/osha/register-osha-stakeholder.htm (follow the instructions
online).
Facsimile. Fax your request to: (781) 674-2906, and label
it "Attention: OSHA Combustible Dust Stakeholder Meeting
Registration."
Regular mail, express delivery, hand (courier) delivery,
and messenger service. Send your request to: ERG, Inc., 110 Hartwell
Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421; Attention: OSHA Combustible Dust
Stakeholder Meeting Registration.
II. Meetings
The December 14, 2009, meetings will be held at the Marriott at
Metro Center, 775 12th Street, NW., Washington, DC, 20005.
The 2010 meeting dates and locations will be announced in one or
more subsequent notices.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information regarding this notice is
available from the following sources:
Press inquiries. Contact Jennifer Ashley, Director, OSHA
Office of Communications, Room N-3647, U.S. Department of Labor, 200
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-
1999.
General and technical information. Contact Don Pittenger,
Director, Office of Safety Systems, OSHA Directorate of Standards and
Guidance, Room N-3609, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2255.
Copies of this Federal Register notice. Electronic copies
are available at http://www.regulations.gov. This Federal Register
notice, as well as news releases and other relevant information, also
are available on the OSHA Web page at http://www.osha.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The hazards of combustible dust encompass a wide array of
materials, industries, and processes. Any combustible material can burn
rapidly when in a finely divided form. Materials that may form
combustible dust include, but are not limited to, wood, coal, plastics,
biosolids, candy, sugar, spice, starch, flour, feed, grain, fertilizer,
tobacco, paper, soap, rubber, drugs, dried blood, dyes, certain
textiles, and metals (such as aluminum and magnesium). Industries that
may have combustible dust hazards include, among others: Animal food
manufacturing, grain handling, food manufacturing, wood product
manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, textile manufacturing, furniture
manufacturing, metal processing, fabricated metal products and
machinery manufacturing, pesticide manufacturing, pharmaceutical
manufacturing, tire manufacturing, production of rubber and plastics,
plastics and rubber products manufacturing, recycling, wastewater
treatment, and coal handling.
OSHA is developing a standard that will comprehensively address the
fire and explosion hazards of combustible dust. The Agency has issued
an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) (74 FR 54334)
requesting comments, including data and other information, on issues
related to the hazards of combustible dust in the workplace. OSHA plans
to use the information received in response to the ANPR and at the
stakeholder meetings in developing a proposed standard for combustible
dust.
II. Stakeholder Meetings
The stakeholder meetings will be conducted as a group discussion on
views, concerns, and issues surrounding the hazards of combustible
dust. To facilitate as much group interaction as possible, formal
presentations will not be permitted. Formal input should be submitted
as indicated in the ANPR referenced earlier in this notice. OSHA
believes the stakeholder meeting discussion should center on major
issues such as:
Possible regulatory approaches.
Scope.
Organization of a prospective standard.
The role of consensus standards.
Economic impacts.
Additional topics as time permits.
OSHA plans to hold additional meetings in the early part of 2010,
after the ANPR comment period has closed and the Agency has begun to
analyze the comments received. One or more additional notices will be
published with the information for those meetings. Stakeholders
interested in participating in a 2010 meeting may express their intent
through one of the methods specified in the ADDRESSES section of this
notice under Registration. You will be contacted regarding the dates
and locations of the future meetings.
III. Public Participation
Approximately 35 participants will be accommodated in each meeting,
and three hours will be allotted for each meeting. Members of the
general public may observe, but not participate in, the meetings on a
first-come, first-served basis as space permits. OSHA staff will be
present to take part in the discussions. Logistics for the meetings are
being managed by Eastern Research Group, which will provide a
facilitator and compile notes summarizing the discussion; these notes
will not identify individual speakers. ERG also will make an audio
recording of each session to ensure that the summary notes are
accurate; these recordings will not be transcribed. The summary notes
will be posted on the docket for the Combustible Dust ANPR, Docket ID:
OSHA2009-0023, available at the Web site http://www.regulations.gov.
The meetings are as follows:
December 14, 2009, 9 a.m., Marriott at Metro Center, 775
12th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005.
December 14, 2009, 1 p.m., Marriott at Metro Center, 775
12th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005.
The 2010 meeting dates and locations will be announced in
one or more subsequent notices.
You may submit notice of intent to participate in one of the
stakeholder meetings electronically, by facsimile, or by hard copy. See
the ADDRESSES section of this notice for the registration Web site,
facsimile number, and address. To register electronically, follow the
instructions provided on the Web site. To register by mail or
facsimile, please indicate the following:
Name, address, phone, fax, and e-mail.
First and second preferences of meeting time.
Organization for which you work.
Organization you represent (if different).
Stakeholder category: government, industry, standards-
developing organization, research or testing agency, union, trade
association, insurance, fire protection equipment manufacturer,
consultant, or other (if other, please be specific).
Industry sector (if applicable): metals, wood products,
grain or wet corn milling, food (including sugar), pharmaceutical or
chemical manufacturing, paper products, rubber or plastics, coal, or
other (if other, please be specific).
Electronic copies of this Federal Register notice, as well as news
releases and other relevant documents, are available on the OSHA Web
page at: http://www.osha.gov.
IV. Authority and Signature
This document was prepared under the direction of Jordan Barab,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health,
U.S. Department of Labor, pursuant to sections 4, 6, and 8 of the
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 653, 655, 657),
29 CFR part 1911, and Secretary's Order 5-2007 (72 FR 31160).
Signed at Washington, DC, on November 5th, 2009.
Jordan Barab,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. E9-27003 Filed 11-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P
