[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66447-66448]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-29630]


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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) 
announces the following meeting:
    Name: NIOSH B Reader Certification Program: Looking to the Future.
    Date and Time: 1-5 p.m., March 4, 2004.
    Place: Fairfax Ballroom, Courtyard Marriott, 1960-A Chain Bridge 
Road, McLean, Virginia.
    Status: This meeting is hosted by NIOSH and will be open to the 
public, limited only by the space available. The meeting room will 
accommodate approximately 100 people. An opportunity to provide 
comments regarding the NIOSH B Reader Program will be given.
    Requests to make comments at this public meeting must be made by 
completing the online registration form or by sending the completed 
form by fax to (304) 285-6058. The registration form may also be 
obtained on the NIOSH homepage at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh by selecting 
Conferences and then the event, or by calling (304) 285-5724. All 
requests to speak should include the name, mailing and e-mail 
addresses, telephone number, relevant business affiliations of the 
speaker, and a brief outline of the content of the comments. No audio-
visual aids (other than a microphone) will be available, however,

[[Page 66448]]

speakers may wish to provide printed copies of their presentations for 
distribution. Presentations will be strictly limited to a maximum of 5 
minutes. After reviewing all requests, NIOSH will notify each speaker 
of the order and approximate timing of the presentations. Speakers who 
are not ready when the preceding speaker has finished will be skipped, 
and the remaining speakers will be heard in order. At the conclusion of 
the meeting, as time permits, an attempt will be made to include 
presentations by scheduled speakers who missed their assigned slot. 
Attendees who wish to speak but did not submit a prior request also may 
be given this opportunity at the conclusion of the meeting, at the 
discretion of the presiding officer.
    Interested parties may make hotel reservations directly with the 
Courtyard Marriott, 1960-A Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA, 22102, 
telephone, (703) 790-0207, before the cut-off date of February 1, 2004. 
A special rate has been negotiated for meeting guests of $150.00 per 
night. The NIOSH B Reader Meeting must be referenced to receive these 
special rates.
    Comments on the topics presented in this notice and at the meeting 
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 [email protected]. E-mail attachments should 
be formatted as WordPerfect 6/7/8/9 or Microsoft Word. Comments should 
be submitted no later than April 5, 2004, and should reference Docket 
Number NIOSH-015, B Reader Program, in the subject heading.
    Purpose: Chest radiographic imaging is a widely applied and 
important tool for assessing lung health in clinical medicine, research 
investigations, hazard evaluations, and medical monitoring of workers 
exposed to silica, asbestos, coal, beryllium, and other dusts capable 
of producing occupational pneumoconiosis. Valid reproducible 
categorization of chest radiographic images requires close adherence to 
standard methods of radiograph classification and adoption of 
procedures for quality assurance. The International Labour Office (ILO) 
(Geneva) has for many years provided a standardized system for 
classification of chest radiographs for pneumoconiosis, including 
specification of procedures for obtaining images. The ILO system has 
been widely used by physicians and epidemiologic researchers in the 
investigation of work-related respiratory hazards.
    Under the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations [42 CFR part 37], since 
1970, chest radiographic examinations have been provided to underground 
coal miners at approximate five year intervals. As part of this 
mandated Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP), NIOSH 
arranges for the determination of the presence and degree of dust-
related changes on those films by physicians who have demonstrated 
proficiency in the ILO system. NIOSH developed and currently 
administers the B Reader Certification Program, a unique quality 
assurance program for training and certifying physicians who classify 
chest radiographs of pneumoconiosis. Under this Program, physicians who 
wish to obtain B Reader Certification must successfully complete an 
extensive initial examination. To demonstrate ongoing competence and 
maintain certification, every four years each individual who passed the 
initial examination must complete a recertification examination. 
Because the B Reader Certification Program objectively documents 
proficiency in the evaluation of lung images for occupational disease, 
it has attained high visibility in the U.S. and throughout the world. 
The Program continues to have important impacts on occupational lung 
disease research, surveillance, clinical practice, regulation, and 
litigation. Numerous research studies and hazard evaluations have 
relied upon the classification of chest radiographs by certified B 
Readers as a useful health outcome in the investigation and assessment 
of occupational health risks. State-based surveillance programs have 
utilized B Reader classifications as a criterion for identifying 
silicosis cases. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
(OSHA) asbestos standard (Sec.  1910.1001, App. E) requires that 
roentgenograms be interpreted and classified only by a B Reader, a 
board eligible/certified radiologist, or an experienced physician with 
known expertise in pneumoconioses. OSHA also specifies B Readers and 
the ILO classification in its safety and health standards for general 
industry (Sec.  1910.1001, App. E), construction (Sec.  1926.1101, App. 
E), and shipyard employment (Sec.  1915.1001, App. E).
    The ILO, with NIOSH involvement and support, has recently completed 
a revision of the classification system (ILO 2000). Additionally, in 
the years since the development of the B Reader Certification process, 
the field of professional competency testing, as well as the field of 
radiology, have experienced considerable advances in knowledge, 
techniques, and methodology. The B Reader Certification Program has not 
been substantially revised since its first development, and would 
benefit from critical evaluation and modification in order to assure 
optimal test validity, reliability, and efficiency, and overall 
effectiveness of the Program. In order for NIOSH to maintain the B 
Reader Program as a contemporary, relevant, and effective quality 
assurance program for the classification of chest radiographs for 
occupational lung disease research and prevention, and to assure the 
Program is adherent to the ILO 2000 system, ongoing refinements and 
modifications are required to the B Reader examinations and related 
training activities and materials. This open meeting is intended to 
serve as an important additional step in the continuing evolution and 
improvement of the NIOSH B Reader Program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: CWHSP, 1095 Willowdale Road, 
Morgantown, West Virginia 26505-2888, Telephone: (304) 285-6263/5724, 
Fax: (304) 285-6058, 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: November 21, 2003.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-29630 Filed 11-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P