[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 54 (Thursday, March 20, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13712-13713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6683]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Meeting

    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
following meeting.
    Name: Continue Discussions on the Approval of Respiratory Devices 
Used to Protect Workers in Hazardous Environments.
    Times and Dates: 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m., April 10, 2003. 8 a.m.-11:30 
a.m., April 24, 2003.
    Place: Marriott Key Bridge, 1401 Lee Highway, Arlington, Virginia 
(April 10); Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois Street, Golden, 
Colorado (April 24).
    Status: These meetings are hosted by NIOSH and will be open to the 
public, limited only by the space available. The meeting room at each 
location will accommodate approximately 75 people. Interested parties 
should make hotel reservations directly with the Marriott Key Bridge 
(703-524-6400/800-327-9789) in Arlington, Virginia, or the Golden Hotel 
(303-279-0100/800-233-7214) in Golden, Colorado, referencing the NIOSH/
NPPTL Public Meeting. Interested parties should confirm their 
attendance to either meeting by completing a registration form and 
forwarding it by e-mail ([email protected]) or fax (304-285-4459) 
to the Event Management Office. A registration form may be obtained 
from the NIOSH Homepage (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh) by selecting 
Conferences and then the event.
    Requests to make presentations at the public meeting should be 
mailed to the NIOSH Docket Officer, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, M/S 
C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, Telephone 513-533-
8303, Fax 513-533-8285, E-mail [email protected]. All requests to 
present should contain the name, address, telephone number, relevant 
business affiliations of the presenter, a brief summary of the 
presentation, and the approximate time requested for the presentation. 
Oral presentations should be limited to 15 minutes.
    After reviewing the requests for presentation, NIOSH will notify 
each presenter of the approximate time that their presentation is 
scheduled to begin. If a participant is not present when their 
presentation is scheduled to begin, the remaining participants will be 
heard in order. At the conclusion of the meeting, an attempt will be 
made to allow presentations by any scheduled participants who missed 
their assigned times. Attendees who wish to speak but did not submit a 
request for the opportunity to make a presentation may be given the 
opportunity at the conclusion of the meeting, at the discretion of the 
presiding officer.
    Comments on the topics presented in this notice and at the meetings 
should be mailed to the NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft 
Laboratories, M/S C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, 
Telephone 513-533-8303, Fax 513-533-8285. Comments may also be 
submitted by e-mail to

[[Page 13713]]

[email protected]. E-mail attachments should be formatted as 
WordPerfect 6/7/8/9 or Microsoft Word. Comments should be submitted to 
NIOSH no later than June 1, 2003, and should reference docket number, 
NIOSH 05, in the subject heading.
    Purpose: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
in consultation with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), 
is in the process of developing a proposed rule on the performance and 
reliability requirements of close-circuit self-contained escape 
breathing apparatus. Examples include self-contained self-rescuers 
(SCSRs) as used in the mining industry and emergency escape breathing 
apparatus (EEBD). The purpose of these meetings is to provide an 
opportunity for an exchange of information between NIOSH and respirator 
manufacturers, industry representatives, labor representatives, and 
others with an interest in respiratory protection. Attendees will be 
given an opportunity to ask questions; submit verbal and written 
comments they wish to have included in the regulatory record; and 
provide individual input into potential changes to the applicable 
regulations and policies.
    NIOSH and MSHA have not determined the final content of its 
proposed rulemaking but is considering the regulatory actions listed 
below. NIOSH and MSHA are specifically asking for comments on these 
proposed actions, but would also welcome comments on additional areas 
that the commenters believe may need to be addressed.
    NIOSH and MSHA are considering:
    (1) Proposing to use Breathing and Metabolic Simulators (BMS) to 
uniformly evaluate the life support performance of these respirators. 
The intent is to uniformly classify protection according to the length 
of time that the apparatus provides a breathable gas supply, measuring 
that performance to depletion. It is further proposed to retain certain 
elements of human subject testing;
    (2) Proposing new ruggedness and reliability requirements such as a 
minimum shock and vibration standards, and means for unambiguous 
determination of continued functionality at the approved level;
    (3) Proposing new safety requirements such as fire and explosion 
risk assessments to assure that the units do not introduce any new 
hazards in the deployment environment;
    (4) Proposing to require the inclusion of fog resistant eye 
protection from gas and vapor hazards;
    (5) Proposing to require post-deployment audits of approved 
apparatus;
    (6) Proposing to require unit registration as a condition of 
certification.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:  Event Management, P.O. Box 880, 
3610 Collins Ferry Road, Morgantown, WV 26507, Telephone 304-285-4750, 
Fax 304-285-4459, E-mail [email protected].
    The Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, has been 
delegated the authority to sign Federal Register Notices pertaining to 
announcements of meetings and other committee management activities, 
for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency 
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

    Dated: March 14, 2003.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-6683 Filed 3-19-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P