Document ID: OSHA-2010-0003-0247
Agency: osha
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2014-10-09T04:00Z

October 8, 2014

SER Name and Address

Dear [SER Name]

Thank you for agreeing to review the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) regulatory framework on preventing occupational
exposure to infectious diseases in healthcare and related settings.  I
am the Chair of a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel composed
of government officials from OSHA, the Office of Advocacy within the
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA Office of Advocacy), and the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  We very much appreciate your
willingness to take the time to help us review this important infectious
diseases regulatory framework.  

The SBAR panel is being formed in accordance with the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA).  Congress enacted
SBREFA to ensure that small businesses potentially affected by an OSHA
standard have the opportunity to review OSHA’s proposed standard
before it is published in the Federal Register for public comment. As a
small entity representative (SER), you are invited to provide comments
and recommendations at this early stage about the infectious diseases
regulatory framework and its potential impacts on your business.  

Attached are several documents for your review.  Of particular
importance are the Questions and Answers on OSHA’s Infectious Diseases
Regulatory Framework, the Infectious Diseases SBAR Panel Issues
Document, which includes a summary of the regulatory framework and
questions and issues that we are interested in discussing with the SERs,
and the regulatory framework itself.  We recommend that you review these
documents first.  This package also includes the SER Background Document
which delves extensively into the need for a rule, the components of the
regulatory framework, the affected entities, unit costs, duplicative or
overlapping rules, and the regulatory alternatives and options currently
under consideration.  A complete list of enclosed materials is provided
at the end of this letter and the materials have been placed in the
public docket of this rulemaking (Docket No. OSHA-2010-0003), which is
available at   HYPERLINK "http://www.regulations.gov" 
http://www.regulations.gov , the Federal eRulemaking portal.  You are
free to share these materials with anyone or you may direct them to the
Federal eRulemaking portal to view and download the materials.  The
rulemaking docket also includes the request for information (RFI) that
OSHA issued in 2010, the public responses to that RFI, a summary of two
stakeholder meetings held in 2011, and the sources relied upon to
develop the analysis in the Background Document.   If you wish to see
some scientific articles identified in the SER Background Document’s
list of references, we will be happy to provide them to you.  However,
you are not being asked to review these materials.  

About five weeks after this letter is mailed, the SBAR Panel will
convene and you will have the opportunity to participate in a
teleconference to provide the Panel with your comments.  You may also
attend the teleconference in person in Washington, DC, if you wish.  We
will notify you shortly of the exact date and time of the teleconference
calls (we schedule multiple calls to ensure that each SER can
participate in a call).  The calls will likely take place on November
12, 13 and 14, 2014.  There will probably be between ten and fifteen
SERs participating in each of the teleconference calls.  Following the
teleconference call, you will have an opportunity to provide written
comments if you wish.  You will not be able to participate in the
teleconference if OSHA and SBA—Advocacy have not received an Email
from you indicating that you are a small entity according to
SBA—Advocacy’s definition.  

After receiving comments from the SERs, including written responses, the
Panel prepares a report based on your comments to present to Dr. David
Michaels, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and
Health.  The report, including your written comments, will then become
part of the public record of this rulemaking.

In order to include the substance of your written comments in the SBAR
Panel’s report, we request that you provide them within two weeks
after the teleconference call (or earlier, if possible).  This deadline
is necessary so that the Panel can complete its report within the time
limits specified by SBREFA.  Your written comments may address any of
the issues or concerns you have with the regulatory framework or any of
the materials provided.  Your written comments can be sent by e-mail to
LaJuane Paige at   HYPERLINK "mailto:Paige.LaJuane@dol.gov" 
Paige.LaJuane@dol.gov  or by fax to (202) 693-1678.  Ms. Paige is
organizing much of the work of the SBAR Panel, including the
teleconference calls, so please direct any administrative questions to
her at (202) 693-1778.  She can also assure that any technical questions
you may have are directed to the correct person. 

Please feel free to telephone or e-mail us before the teleconference
calls with any questions regarding this process or the enclosed
materials.  You may also contact Bruce Lundegren from SBA’s Office of
Advocacy, whose office represents the views of small business in the
SBREFA process.  Mr. Lundegren’s telephone number is (202) 205-6144
and his e-mail address is   HYPERLINK "mailto:Bruce.Lundegren@sba.gov" 
Bruce.Lundegren@sba.gov .  At OSHA, you may contact Ms. Paige or me by
phone at (202) 693-1952.  You are free to discuss these materials with
the other SERs, or anyone else, as they are public documents.  

Thank you again for agreeing to participate in this important review. 
We appreciate your efforts and look forward to working with you.  				

					Sincerely yours,

					Robert Burt

					Chair, Small Business Advocacy Review Panel

					Occupational Safety and Health Administration

cc:	Bruce Lundegren, SBA Office of Advocacy

	Cortney Higgins, OMB

Enclosures:

Tab 1   List of SERs and contact numbers for all, including OSHA, SBA,
and OMB

Tab 2   Schedule 

Tab 3   Questions and Answers on the Regulatory Framework 

Tab 4   Infectious Diseases SBAR Panel Issues Document

Tab 5   Outline of Key Provisions in the Regulatory Framework 

Tab 6   Regulatory Framework 

Tab 7   SER Background Document

Tab 8   Relevant provisions from the Regulatory Flexibility Act
pertaining to the functions of the SBAR Panel and the role of the SERs