[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 15 (Monday, January 25, 2010)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 3881-3883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1322]


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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:

[[Page 3882]]

    <bullet> February 17, 2010, at 9 a.m., in Atlanta, GA;
    <bullet> February 17, 2010, at 1:30 p.m., in Atlanta, GA;
    <bullet> Additional meetings are planned for 2010, and will be 
announced in one or more subsequent notices.
Deadline for confirmed registration at the meetings is February 3, 
2010.

ADDRESSES:

Registration

    Submit your notice of intent to participate in one of the 
stakeholder meetings by one of the following:
    <bullet> Electronic. Register at https://www2.ergweb.com/projects/conferences/osha/register-osha-stakeholder.htm (follow the instructions 
online).
    <bullet> Facsimile. Fax your request to: (781) 674-2906, and label 
it ``Attention: OSHA Combustible Dust Stakeholder Meeting 
Registration.''
    <bullet> 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.

Meetings

    The February 17, 2010, meetings will be held at the Marriott 
Perimeter Center, 246 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30346.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information regarding this notice is 
available from the following sources:
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> General and technical information. Contact David Wallis, 
Director, Office of Engineering Safety, OSHA Directorate of Standards 
and Guidance, Room N-3609, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2277.
    <bullet> 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

    OSHA conducted two stakeholder meetings in Washington, DC, on 
December 14, 2009. This notice announces two additional 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. 
The stakeholder meeting discussion will center on major issues such as:
    <bullet> Scope.
    <bullet> Organization of a prospective standard.
    <bullet> The role of consensus standards.
    <bullet> Economic impacts.
    <bullet> Additional topics as time permits.

III. Public Participation

    Approximately 25 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 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 (ERG), 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:
    <bullet> February 17, 2010, at 9 a.m., at the Marriott Perimeter 
Center, 246 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30346;
    <bullet> February 17, 2010, at 1:30 p.m., at the Marriott Perimeter 
Center, 246 Perimeter Center Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30346;
    <bullet> The additional 2010 meeting dates and locations will be 
announced in one or more subsequent notices.
    To participate in one of the February 17, 2009 stakeholder 
meetings, or be a nonparticipating observer, you may submit notice of 
intent electronically, by facsimile, or by hard copy. To encourage as 
wide a range of viewpoints as possible, OSHA intends to limit 
participation to organizations that have not participated in previous 
stakeholder meetings. OSHA will confirm participants as necessary to 
ensure a fair representation of interests and to facilitate gathering 
diverse viewpoints. To receive a confirmation of your participation 1 
week before the meeting, register by the date listed in the DATES 
section of this notice. However, registration will remain open until 
the meetings are full. Additional nonparticipating observers that do 
not register for the meeting will be accommodated as space permits. 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:
    <bullet> Name, address, phone, fax, and e-mail.
    <bullet> First and second preferences of meeting time.
    <bullet> Organization for which you work.
    <bullet> Organization you represent (if different).
    <bullet> 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 specify).

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    <bullet> 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 specify).
    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.

Authority and Signature

    This document was prepared under the direction of David Michaels, 
PhD, 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 5-2007 (72 FR 31160).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on January 19, 2010.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2010-1322 Filed 1-22-10; 8:45 am]
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