[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 5 (Friday, January 8, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1266-1267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-356]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
[Public Notice 2955]


Public Meeting Regarding Government Activities on International 
Harmonization of Chemical Classification and Labeling Systems

AGENCY: Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific 
Affairs (OES), Department of State.

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting regarding Government Activities on

[[Page 1267]]

International Harmonization of Chemical Classification and Labeling 
Systems.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This public meeting will provide an update on current 
activities related to international harmonization since the previous 
public meeting, conducted October 7, 1998. (See Department of State 
Public Notice 2896 on pages 51394-51395 of the Federal Register of 
September 25, 1998.) The meeting will also offer interested 
organizations and individuals the opportunity to provide information 
and views for consideration in the development of United States 
Government policy positions. For more complete information on the 
harmonization process, please refer to State Department Public Notice 
2526, pages 15951-15957 of the Federal Register of April 3, 1997.
    The meeting will take place from 10 a.m. until noon on January 11, 
1999, in Room N 3437 A, B&C, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Attendees should use the entrance at C and 
Third Streets NW. To facilitate entry, please have a picture ID 
available and/or a U.S. Government building pass if applicable.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or to submit 
written comments or information, please contact Mary Frances Lowe, U.S. 
Department of State, OES/ENV, Room 4325, 2201 C Street NW, Washington 
DC 20520. Phone (202) 736-4660, fax (202) 647-5947. A public docket is 
also available for review (OSHA docket H-022H.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of State is announcing a 
public meeting of the interagency committee concerned with the 
international harmonization of chemical hazard classification and 
labeling systems (an effort often referred to as the ``globally 
harmonized system'' or GHS). The purpose of the meeting is to provide 
interested groups and individuals with an update on activities since 
the October 7, 1998, public meeting, a preview of upcoming 
international meetings, and an opportunity to submit additional 
information and comments for consideration in developing U.S. 
Government positions. Representatives of the following agencies 
participate in the interagency group: the Department of State, the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Consumer Product 
Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of 
Commerce, the Department of Agriculture, the Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative, and the National Institute of Environmental Health 
Sciences.
    The Agenda of the public meeting will include:

1. Introduction
2. Reports on recent international meetings
    --UN Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, 
December 7-16, Geneva, Switzerland. Among the GHS-related topics 
discussed at this meeting were the status of classification criteria 
for physical hazards and a proposed institutional setting within the UN 
ECOSOC for the GHS.
3. Preparation for upcoming meetings
    --Second meeting of the Inter-Organization Program for the Sound 
Management of Chemicals (IOMC)/International Labour Organization 
Working Group on Hazard Communication, January 26-27, 1999, Geneva 
Switzerland
    --Thirteenth Consultation of Coordinating Group for the 
Harmonization of Chemical Classification Systems, January 28-29, 1999, 
Geneva Switzerland.
    --Third meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and 
Development Working Group on Classification Criteria for Mixtures, 
February 1-3, 1999, Paris, France.
4. Public Comments
5. Concluding Remarks

    Interested parties are invited to submit their comments as soon as 
possible for consideration in the development of U.S. positions and to 
present their views orally and/or in writing at the public meeting. 
Participants may address other topics relating to harmonization of 
chemical classification and labeling systems and are particularly 
invited to identify issues of concern to specific sectors that may be 
affected by the GHS. Participants who attended and participated in 
recent international sessions may also offer their observations on the 
results of the sessions.
    All written comments will be placed in the public docket (OSHA 
docket H-022H). The docket is open from 10 am until 4 pm, Monday 
through Friday, and is located at the Department of Labor, Room 2625, 
200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC. (Telephone: 202-219-7894; 
Fax: 202-219-5046.) The public may also consult the docket to review 
previous Federal Register notices, comments received, Questions and 
Answers about the GHS, a response to comments on the April 3, 1997, 
Federal Register notice, and other relevant documents.

    Dated: December 29, 1998.
Michael Metelits,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy, Bureau of Oceans and 
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-356 Filed 1-7-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-09-M