[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22358-22359]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8882]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Preparations for the 23rd Session of the UN Sub-Committee of 
Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and 
Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and Stakeholder Input for the 
Regulatory Coordination Council (RCC)

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: OSHA invites interested parties to participate in an open, 
informal public meeting in Washington, DC to discuss proposals in 
preparation for the 23rd session of the United Nations Sub-committee of 
Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and 
Labelling of Chemicals (UNSCEGHS). The UNSCEGHS meeting will be held 
July 4-6, 2012, in Geneva, Switzerland. OSHA, along with the U.S. 
Interagency Coordinating Group, plans to consider the comments and 
information gathered at this public meeting when developing the U.S. 
Government positions for the UNSCEGHS meeting. OSHA is also requesting 
stakeholder input on behalf of the Regulatory Coordination Council 
(RCC).

DATES: The date for the public meeting is as follows: May 11, 2012, 
beginning at 10 a.m., in Washington, DC.

ADDRESSES: The location for the public meeting is as follows: The U.S. 
Department of Labor, Francis Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Avenue 
NW., Washington, DC 20210, Room C5515, Conference Room 2.
    Conference Call Information: Conference call-in capability will be 
provided for this meeting. To participate by telephone, dial 1-888-456-
0281, and enter participant passcode 10935. During the call, please 
press *6 to mute/unmute your individual lines.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maureen Ruskin, Director, Office of 
Chemical Hazards--Metals, OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance, 
Room N-3718, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-1950.
    Copies of this Federal Register notice can be obtained as follows: 
Electronic copies are available at http://www.regulations.gov. This 
Federal Register notice, as well as other relevant information, is 
available also on the OSHA Web page at http://www.osha.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Meeting

    OSHA is hosting an open informal public meeting of the U.S. 
Interagency GHS Coordinating Group to provide interested groups and 
individuals with an update on GHS-related issues and an opportunity to 
express their views orally and in writing for consideration in 
developing U.S. Government positions for the upcoming UNSCEGHS meeting. 
Interested stakeholders may also provide input on issues related to the 
RCC at the meeting. The public is invited to attend without prior 
notification. The meeting agenda, in general, is as follows:
     Discussion of working papers for the 23rd Session of the 
UNSCEGHS,
     Update on UNSCEGHS correspondence group activity, and
     Update of RCC activity and discussion of issues.

OSHA does not seek stakeholder consensus in this meeting, but rather to 
learn stakeholders' individual views on these issues and receive any 
relevant information they may have.

II. Background

    The GHS was formally adopted by the United Nations Committee of 
Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally 
Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals in 
December 2002. The GHS is a single, harmonized system for 
classification of chemicals according to their health, physical, and 
environmental effects. It also provides harmonized communication 
elements, including labels and safety data sheets. The GHS is 
considered to be a living document and is regularly revised and updated 
as necessary to reflect new technology and scientific developments or 
to provide additional explanatory text.
    The UNSCEGHS is responsible for maintaining and updating the GHS. 
The U.S. has been an active member of the UNSCEGHS for many years, and 
OSHA currently serves as the head of the U.S. delegation for this Sub-
committee.
    In preparation for the biannual meetings of the UNSCEGHS, the U.S. 
Interagency GHS Coordinating Group

[[Page 22359]]

meets to discuss issues related to the GHS and to develop a coordinated 
U.S. position on issues and proposals regarding the GHS. The U.S. 
Interagency Coordinating Group consists of U.S. agencies that regulate 
in the areas of chemical hazard communication and include the 
Department of Transportation (DOT), the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and OSHA.
    Information on the work of the UNSCEGHS including meeting agendas, 
reports, and documents from previous sessions, can be found on the 
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Transport 
Division Web site located at the following web address: http://www.unece.org/trans/welcome.html. The UNSCEGHS bases its decisions on 
Working Papers. The Working Papers for the 23rd session of the UNSCEGHS 
are located at http://www.unece.org/trans/main/dgdb/dgsubc4/c42012.html. Informal Papers submitted to the UNSCEGHS provide 
information for the subcommittee and are used either as a mechanism to 
provide information to the subcommittee or as the basis for future 
Working Papers. Informal Papers for the 23rd session of the UNSCEGHS 
are located at http://www.unece.org/trans/main/dgdb/dgsubc4/c4inf23.html.

Authority and Signature

    This document was prepared under the direction of David Michaels, 
Ph.D., MPH, 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 1-2012 (77 FR 3912).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on April 9, 2012.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2012-8882 Filed 4-12-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P