Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 120 /Tuesday, June 23, 1998 / Proposed Rules 34139

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

29 CFR Part 1910

[Docket No. H–117–C]

Notice of Public Meeting on Review of

the Grain Handling Facilities Standard

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health

Administration, U.S. Department of

Labor.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and

Health Administration (OSHA) is

conducting a review of the Grain

Handling Standard in order to

determine, consistent with Executive

Order 12866 on Regulatory Planning

and Review and Section 610 of the

Regulatory Flexibility Act, whether this

standard should be maintained without

change, rescinded, or modified in order

to make it more effective or less

burdensome in achieving its objectives,

to bring it into better alignment with the

objectives of Executive Order 12866, or

to make it consistent with the objectives

of the Regulatory Flexibility Act to

achieve regulatory goals while imposing

as few burdens as possible on small

employers. Any revisions to the

standard must be consistent with the

Occupational Safety and Health Act,

which requires employers to provide

employees with a safe and healthy

workplace.

Written public comments on all

aspects of compliance with the Grain

Handling Standard are welcomed.

OSHA will also hold two stakeholder

meetings to provide opportunities for

interested parties to comment on

whether the Grain Handling Standard

should be eliminated, modified, or

continued without exchange to achieve

the objectives described above.

DATES: There will be two public

meetings. The first public meeting will

be held on July 28, 1998 in Chicago,

Illinois. The second public meeting will

be held on July 31, 1998 in Washington,

D.C. Both meetings will begin at 9:00

a.m. and are scheduled to end at 5:30

p.m. Written comments should be

submitted in quadruplicate to the OSHA

Docket Office at the address given

below. The deadline for submitting

written comments is August 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The first public meeting

will be held in the State of Illinois

Building, 160 N. LaSalle, Chicago,

Illinois, and the second will be held in

the Frances Perkin Building, 200

Constitution Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, D.C.

Requests to Appear: OSHA requests

that any person wishing to speak at the

public meetings notify OSHA in writing.

To assure that time is provided for oral

comments, the request should be

received by OSHA no later than July 21

for the meeting in Chicago, Illinois, and

July 24, 1998 for the Washington, D.C.

meeting and should identify the person

and/or organization intending to appear,

desired date of appearance, address and

phone/fax number, the amount of time

requested, audiovisual equipment

required, and a brief summary of the

comments to be presented. Please send

written requests to appear to Tom

Mockler at the following address: Office

of Regulatory Analysis, Directorate of

Policy, Occupational Safety and Health

Administration, Room N3627, 200

Constitution Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20210, Telephone

(202) 219–4916, extension 136, Fax

(202) 219–4383. Persons making timely

written requests to speak at a public

meeting will be given priority for oral

comments, as time permits. Other

persons wishing to speak should register

at the meetings from 8:30 to 9:00. OSHA

will make every effort to accommodate

individuals wishing to speak at the

public meetings.

Written Comments: OSHA welcomes

the submission of written public

comments on all aspects of the Grain

Handling Standard. OSHA will review

written public comments as part of the

process of conducting this regulatory

review of the Grain Handling Standard.

All comments received will be received

in Docket H–117–C and will be

available for public review in the Docket

Office at the address given below.

Written comments on the Grain

Handling Standard should be submitted

in quadruplicate to Elaine Bynum,

Docket Officer, Docket No. H–117–C,

OSHA Docket Office, Room N2625, 200

Constitution Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20210, Telephone

(202) 219–7894, Fax (202) 219–5046.

Comments 10 pages or fewer may be

faxed to (202) 219–5046 as long as paper

copies are subsequently sent. The

deadline for submitting written

comments is August 31, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom

Mockler, Office of Regulatory Analysis,

Directorate of Policy, Occupational

Safety and Health Administration,

Room N3627, 200 Constitution Avenue,

N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210,

Telephone (202) 219–4916, extension

136, Fax (202) 219–4383.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1987,

OSHA promulgated the Grain Handling

Standard (29 CFR 1910.272) (52 FR

49592, December 1, 1987). The standard

applies to grain handling facilities in

general industry and at marine

terminals under 29 CFR Parts 1910 and

1917. It does not cover construction,

shipyards, or agriculture. The standard

addresses practices, procedures and

equipment that are necessary to protect

workers from fires, grain dust

explosions, and other safety hazards

associated with grain handling facilities.

The Grain Handling Standard requires

that employers with grain handling

operations utilize a multi-faceted

approach to minimize the hazards

associated with such operations. This

entails the development of an

emergency action plan, training for

employees, permit procedures where

hot work is performed, special

procedures for entry into grain storage

structures and flat storage structures,

coordination with contractors,

housekeeping requirements to minimize

the accumulation of dust, requirements

for filter collectors on pneumatic dust

collection systems, requirements on

grate openings for receiving pits,

requirements for preventive

maintenance, requirements for grain

stream processing equipment,

provisions for emergency escape,

requirements for continuous-flow bulk

raw grain dryers, and requirements for

inside bucket elevators. These

provisions are intended to minimize the

possibility of igniting existing grain

dust, to reduce the amount of grain dust

present, or to minimize other risks such

as the threat of engulfment to

individuals who enter grain storage

structures.

OSHA estimated in the Final

Regulatory Impact Analysis for the

Grain Handling Standard that the rule

would prevent 18 fatalities and 394

injuries annually. OSHA also estimated

that the standard would have annual

costs of between $41 and $69 million

(52 FR 49622; Dec. 1, 1987).

In a supplemental rulemaking in 1996

(61 FR 9578, March 8, 1996), the Agency

modified the language of the standard to

clarify its intent that certain employee

protections be provided in all grain

storage structures, regardless of their

dimensions. This amendment was

expected to have little or no impact on

any grain elevators, regardless of size

(61 FR 9583; March 8, 1996).

At the present time, OSHA has

selected the Grain Handling Standard

for review in accordance with the

regulatorry review provisions at Section

5 of Executive Order 12866 (58 FR

51735, 51739, Oct. 4, 1993) and Section

610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5

U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The purpose of the

review is to determine whether the

standard should be continued without
34140 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 120 /Tuesday, June 23, 1998 / Proposed Rules

change, rescinded, or amended to make

it more effective or less burdensome in

achieving its objectives, to bring it into

better alignment with the objectives of

Executive Order 12866, or to make it

more consistent with the objectives of

the Regulatory Flexibility Act to achieve

regulatory goals while imposing as little

burden as possible on small employers.

In the event the Agency determines,

based on the results of this review, that

the rule should be rescinded or

modified, appropriate rulemaking will

be initiated.

An important step in the review

process involves the gathering and

analysis of information from affected

persons about their experience with the

rule and any material changes in

circumstances since issuance of the

rule. This notice requests written

comments and announces public

meetings to provide opportunities for

interested parties to comment on the

continuing need for, adequacy or

inadequacy of, and small business

impacts of this rule. Comment

concerning the following subjects would

assist the Agency in determing whether

to retain the standard unchanged or to

initiate rulemaking for purposes of

revision or rescission:

1. The benefits and utility of the rule

in its current form and, if amended, in

its amended form;

2. The continued need for the rule;

3. The complexity of the rule;

4. Whether and to what extent the

rule overlaps, duplicates, or conflicts

with other Federal, State, and local

governmental rules;

5. Information of any new

developments in technology, economic

conditions, or other factors affecting the

ability of affected firms to comply with

the Grain Handling standard; and

6. Alternatives to the rule or portions

of the rule that would minimize

significant impacts on small businesses

while achieving the objectives of the

Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Authority: This document was prepared

under the direction of Charles N. Jeffress,

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational

Safety and Health, 200 Constitution Avenue,

N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210.

Signed at Washington, D.C., this 15th day

of June, 1998.

Charles N. Jeffress,

Assistant Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–16643 Filed 6–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

29 CFR Part 1910

[Docket No. H–052–F]

Notice of Public Meeting on Review of

the Cotton Dust Standard

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health

Administration, U.S. Department of

Labor.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and

Health Administration (OSHA) is

conducting a review of the Cotton Dust

Standard in order to determine,

consistent with Executive Order 12866

on Regulatory Planning and Review and

Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility

Act, whether this standard should be

maintained without change, rescinded,

or modified in order to make it more

effective or less burdensome in

achieving its objectives, to bring it into

better alignment with the objectives of

Executive Order 12866, or to make it

more consistent with the objectives of

the Regulatory Flexibility Act to achieve

regulatory goals while imposing as few

burdens as possible on small employers.

Written public comments on all

aspects of the Cotton Dust Standard are

welcomed. OSHA will also hold two

stakeholder meetings that will be open

to the public to provide opportunities

for interested parties to comment on

whether the Cotton Dust Standard

should be eliminated, modified, or

continued without change to achieve

the objectives described above.

DATES: The first public meeting will be

held on July 24, 1998, in Atlanta,

Georgia. The second public meeting will

be held on July 30, 1998 in Washington,

DC. Both meetings will begin at 9:00

a.m. and will end at approximately 5:30

p.m. Requests from members of the

public to speak at these meetings should

be received by OSHA no later than July

17, 1998, for the meeting in Atlanta,

Georgia, and July 23, 1998, for the

meeting in Washington, DC. Written

comments must be postmarked by

August 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The Atlanta meeting will be

held at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel,

Atlanta Airport, 1900 Sullivan Road,

College Park, Georgia 30337, Telephone

(770) 997–1100, Fax (770) 997–1921.

The Washington, DC meeting will be

held in the Auditorium of the Frances

Perkins Building at 200 Constitution

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210.

Requests to speak at these public

meetings should be sent to Kathryn

Condit, Office of Regulatory Analysis,

Directorate of Policy, Occupational

Safety and Health Administration,

Room N3627; 200 Constitution Avenue,

NW., Washington, DC 20210, Telephone

(202) 219–4916, extension 145, Fax

(202) 219–4383.

Written comments on the Cotton Dust

Standard should be submitted in

quadruplicate to Elaine Bynum, Docket

Officer, Docket No. H–052–F, OSHA

Docket Office, Room N2625; 200

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,

DC 20210, Telephone (202) 219–7894,

Fax (202) 219–5046. Comments of 10

pages or fewer may be faxed to (202)

219–5046 as long as paper copies are

subsequently sent.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathryn Condit, Office of Regulatory

Analysis, Directorate of Policy,

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration, Room N3627, 200

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,

DC 20210, Telephone (202) 219–4916,

extension 145, Fax (202) 219–4383.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Additional Information Concerning

Public Participation

Requests to Speak at the Public

Meetings. Requests should identify the

person and organization intending to

appear, desired date of appearance,

address and phone and fax number, the

amount of time requested, audiovisual

equipment required, and a brief

summary of the comments to be

presented. Persons making timely

written requests to speak at the public

meetings will be given priority for oral

comments, as time permits. Other

persons wishing to speak should register

before the meetings from 8:30 to 9:00

a.m. OSHA will make every effort to

accommodate individuals wishing to

speak at the public meetings.

Written Comments. OSHA will review

written public comments as part of the

process of conducting this regulatory

review of the Cotton Dust Standard. All

comments received will be included in

Docket H–052–F and will be available

for public review in the Docket Office.

Additional Information on the

Regulatory Review

OSHA has selected the Cotton Dust

Standard for review in accordance with

the regulatory review provisions at

Section 5 of Executive Order 12866 (58

FR 51735, 51739; Oct. 4, 1993) and

Section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility

Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). In the event

the Agency determines, based on the

results of this review, that the rule

should be rescinded or modified,

appropriate rulemaking will be

initiated.