[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 216 (Tuesday, November 10, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57974-57975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27003]


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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.

[[Page 57975]]

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]
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