[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 104 (Monday, June 1, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29702-29703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14340]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Notice of Public Meeting on the Fastener Quality Act (FQA)

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: NIST will hold an open meeting on June 16, 1998, to provide 
details and interpretations on the regulations related to the Quality 
Assurance System (QAS) of fastener manufacturing contained in the April 
14, 1998, final regulation under the Fastener Quality Act (FQA) (Public 
Law 101-592, as amended by Public Law 104-113). The purpose of this 
meeting is to provide information on requirements relevant to the 
registration of manufacturing facilities practicing QAS, accreditation 
of registrars, and recognition of registrar accreditation bodies. 
Fastener manufacturers, major end users of fasteners (automobile, 
aerospace, heavy machinery, and others), registrar accreditation 
bodies, quality system registrars, consensus standards bodies, and 
academics with interest in this subject may want to participate in this 
meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on June 16, 1998, from 9:00 am to 5:00 
pm. Individuals wishing to participate must register with NIST not 
later than June 10, 1998. Questions on the QAS

[[Page 29703]]

regulations to be addressed at the meeting should be sent to Dr. Subhas 
G. Malghan, by June 5, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Red Auditorium, 
Administration Building (Building 101), at NIST, in Gaithersburg, 
Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All questions related to this meeting 
should be directed to Dr. Subhas G. Malghan, FQA Program Manager, 
Building 820, Room 306, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899; telephone (301) 
975-5120, fax (310) 975-5414, E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

1. Welcome and opening remarks
2. Overview of QAS regulations
3. Overview of requirements of the registrar accreditation bodies and 
registrars
4. Overview of the requirements of the QAS manufacturing facilities 
requiring registration
5. Discussion/answers to questions sent to NIST by participants by June 
5, 1998
6. Closing

    Following issuance of the final regulations on September 26, 1996, 
the automobile industry expressed concern to the Department of Commerce 
(Department) that the Act and the implementing regulations did not 
recognize modern manufacturing methods using prevention-based QAS 
employing statistical process controls (SPC). On February 4, 1997, a 
public workshop was held at NIST to solicit information from all 
interested parties. The Department published a notice of proposed rule 
making in the Federal Register on September 8, 1997, seeking public 
comments on proposed amendments to the regulations that recognize the 
use of prevention-based QAS under the FQA. The final rule published on 
April 14, 1998, is based on comments received in response to the notice 
of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on September 
8, 1997, (62 FR 47240-47260)(1997) amending regulations found at 15 CFR 
Part 280 implementing the FQA. This final rule established the 
procedures for registration of in-process inspection activities of 
qualifying manufacturing facilities that use QAS, revised definitions 
and related sections for clarity, and corrected editorial errors. These 
changes will facilitate the implementation of the Act and will better 
accommodate modern industry practices by incorporating these practices 
into the certification process of fasteners covered by the Act.
    The purpose of the meeting is to address issues relevant to the 
implementation of the final regulations specific to QAS and provide a 
forum for discussion of questions on QAS. To facilitate coverage of 
issues raised by the participants, NIST is requesting that all 
questions be sent to NIST by June 5, 1998. Every attempt will be made 
to address these questions at the meeting. Other questions not related 
to QAS may be sent, and if time permits, these questions will also be 
addressed.

Registration Form

    Open meeting at NIST on June 16, 1998, to provide details and 
interpretations on the regulations related to the Quality Assurance 
System (QAS) of fastener manufacturing contained in the April 14, 1998, 
final regulation under the Fastener Quality Act.
    Names and addresses of proposed participants:

Name:------------------------------------------------------------------

Address:---------------------------------------------------------------

Telephone and fax numbers:---------------------------------------------

    Please fax this form to FQA program Office, (301) 975-5414 by June 
10, 1998.

    Dated: May 26, 1998.
Robert E. Hebner,
Acting Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 98-14340 Filed 5-29-98; 8:45 am]
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