[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 157 (Wednesday, August 14, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 49524]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19676]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[CDC-2013-0015; NIOSH 237-A]


National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Personal 
Protective Technology Program and National Personal Protective 
Technology Laboratory Conformity Assessment Public Meeting

AGENCY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
announces the following public meeting: ``Conformity Assessment Meeting 
on Non-Respiratory Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).''
    To view the notice and related materials, visit www.regulations.gov 
and enter CDC-2013-0015 in the search field and click ``search.''
    Stakeholder Meeting Time and Date: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT, 
September 17, 2013.
    Place: NIOSH Pittsburgh Research Center located at 626 Cochrans 
Mill Road, Building 140, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236. This meeting 
will also be available by remote participation through ``live 
meeting.''
    Purpose of the Meeting: This meeting is being held to provide 1) a 
summary of the work conducted by the NIOSH Personal Protective 
Technology (PPT) Conformity Assessment Working Group 2) provide an 
overview of model Conformity Assessment programs, and 3) solicit input 
to define a national framework for PPE conformity assessment.
    This meeting will include presentations on Product and Standards, 
Risk Assessment, Surveillance and Compliance and Enforcement targeting 
General Industry, Healthcare, Public Safety, and Mining stakeholders.
    Moderated breakout sessions will discuss preferred Conformity 
Assessment (CA) components (as detailed in the background below); 
existing U.S. CA infrastructure capabilities; and gaps in legislation, 
standards, and infrastructure that need to be filled to define the 
framework. These breakout discussions will not be available through 
remote participation; however, the breakout reports will be available 
to remote participants when the groups reconvene.
    Status: The meeting is open to the public, limited only by the 
capacity (150) of the conference room. Registration will be accepted on 
a first-come first-served basis. Participants are encouraged to 
consider remote participation through ``live meeting.'' Registration by 
September 13, 2013 is required for both attendance in person and ``live 
meeting'' participation. Registration for both options is available on 
the NIOSH Web site. Non-U.S. citizens, attending in person, need to 
register on or before August 16, 2013, to allow sufficient time for 
mandatory CDC facility security clearance procedures to be completed. 
An email confirming registration will be sent from NIOSH to all 
participants. Government-issued photo identification is required to 
obtain entrance to the NIOSH location.
    An opportunity for individuals or organization representatives 
wishing to offer verbal comments (five minute time limit) will be 
provided as time permits after the breakout reports. Time slots are 
limited and available on a first-come first-served basis. 
Preregistration for providing verbal comment can be requested when 
registering for the meeting. Submit electronic comments through 
www.regulations.gov.
    All information received in response to this notice and meeting 
must include the agency name and docket number (CDC-2013-0015; NIOSH 
237-A). All relevant comments received will be posted without change to 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. All 
electronic comments should be formatted in Microsoft Word. Please make 
reference to CDC-2013-0015 and NIOSH Docket Number 237-A.
    Background: In response to recommendations made by the National 
Academies of Science during a programmatic review, the NIOSH Personal 
Protective Technology Conformity Assessment Working Group was 
established in 2011. The goal of this group is to prepare a national 
framework establishing criteria, including comprehensive and consistent 
processes, to address conformity assessment of non-respiratory personal 
protective equipment. Conformity assessment is defined as the 
``demonstration that specified requirements relating to a product, 
process, system, person or body are fulfilled.'' Conformity assessment 
processes for PPT products are focused on product effectiveness and 
include the following primary components: Certification (ISO/IEC 
17065), Inspection (ISO/IEC 17020), Testing (ISO/IEC 17025), 
Accreditation (ISO/IEC 17011), Surveillance (ISO/IEC 17011, ISO/IEC 
17065), Supplier's Declaration of Conformity (ISO/IEC 17050), 
Registration (ISO/IEC 17021) and Quality Management Systems (ISO/9001).
    The Conformity Assessment Project Report and preliminary framework 
documents will be available at www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Metzler, General Engineer, 
NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory Office of the 
Director at [email protected], telephone (412) 386-6866, fax 
(412) 386-6617.

    Dated: August 8, 2013.
John Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2013-19676 Filed 8-13-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P