[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 4, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 32199-32200]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12928]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
29 CFR Part 1910
[Docket Number: OSHA-2007-0073]
RIN 1218-AC17
Emergency Response and Preparedness
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.
ACTION: Notice of stakeholder meeting.
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SUMMARY: OSHA invites interested parties to participate in an informal
stakeholder meeting on emergency response and preparedness. OSHA plans
to use the information obtained at the stakeholder meeting as it
considers the development of a proposed standard for emergency response
and preparedness.
DATES: Date and location for the stakeholder meeting are: July 30,
2014, at 9:00 a.m., in Washington, DC. If needed, a second session will
be held July 31, 2014.
The deadline to request registration for the meeting is July 2,
2014.
ADDRESSES:
I. Registration
Submit your request to attend the stakeholder meeting by one of the
following methods:
Electronic. Register at http://ersregistration.pec1.net/
(follow the instructions online).
Facsimile. Fax your request to (240) 686-3959 and label it
``Attention: OSHA Emergency Response and Preparedness Stakeholder
Meeting Registration.''
Regular or express mail, hand delivery, or messenger
(courier) service. Send your request, postmarked by July 2, to: Project
Enhancement Corporation, 20300 Century Blvd. Ste. 175, Germantown, MD
20874; Attention: OSHA Emergency Response and Preparedness Stakeholder
Meeting Registration.
II. Stakeholder Meeting
The stakeholder meeting will be held at the Frances Perkins
Building, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC, 20210.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information regarding this notice is
available from the following sources:
Press inquiries. Contact Frank Meilinger, Director, OSHA
Office of Communications, Room N-3647, U.S. Department of Labor, 200
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC, 20210;
[[Page 32200]]
telephone: (202) 693-1999; email: [email protected].
General and technical information. Contact Mat Chibbaro or
Bill Hamilton, Fire Protection Engineers, Office of Safety Systems,
OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance, Room N-3609, U.S.
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC,
20210; telephone: (202) 693-2255; email: [email protected] or
[email protected].
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 and
documents, also are available on the OSHA Web page at http://www.osha.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Emergency response is one of the most hazardous occupations in
America (see the National Fire Protection Association report
``Firefighter Fatalities in the United States--2012'' and the 2012
Federal Emergency Management Agency report ``Firefighter Fatalities in
the United States in 2012''). Emergency responders include
firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, hazardous material
employees, and technical rescue specialists. Also, law enforcement
officers usually are considered emergency responders because they often
assist in emergency response incidents. OSHA notes, however, that there
are no standards issued by the Agency that specifically address
occupational hazards uniquely related to law enforcement activities.
Many emergency responders have cross training in these specialties, and
may serve in multiple roles depending upon the type of emergency
incident involved. Skilled support employees are not emergency
responders, but nonetheless have specialized training that can be
important to the safe and successful resolution of an emergency
incident.
The Agency issued a Request for Information (RFI) (74 FR 51735,
Sept. 11, 2007) that solicited comments from the public to evaluate
what action, if any, the Agency should take to further address
emergency response and preparedness. Recent events, such as the April
2013 tragedy in West, Texas, that killed several emergency responders,
and an analysis of the information provided in response to the 2007
RFI, make it clear that emergency responder health and safety continues
to be an area of ongoing concern. Accordingly, OSHA determined it would
be beneficial to hold a stakeholder meeting to gather additional
information. OSHA plans to use the information received in response to
the 2007 RFI and obtained at this stakeholder meeting when considering
a proposed standard for emergency response and preparedness.
II. Stakeholder Meeting
OSHA will conduct the stakeholder meeting as a group discussion
addressing views, concerns, and issues surrounding emergency response
and preparedness. To facilitate as much group interaction as possible,
OSHA is not permitting formal presentations. OSHA will focus the
meeting on major issues such as scope and approach. OSHA will provide
participants with additional information on the major issues for
discussion prior to the meeting.
III. Public Participation
The meeting will accommodate about 20 participants. Members of the
general public (if registered) may observe, but not participate in, the
meeting if space permits. OSHA staff will be present to take part in
the discussions. PEC Solutions, Inc. (PEC) is managing the logistics
for the meeting. Accordingly, PEC will provide a facilitator and
compile notes summarizing the discussion; these notes will list
participants and their affiliations, but will not attribute specific
comments to individual speakers. PEC also will make an audio recording
of each session to ensure that the summary notes are accurate, but will
not transcribe these recordings. OSHA will post the summary notes in
the docket for this rulemaking, Docket No. OSHA 2007-0073; the docket
is available at http://www.regulations.gov and OSHA's Docket Office.
The meeting will take place July 30, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m., at the Frances Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC, 20210. Based on the number of interested participants,
OSHA may hold a second meeting on July 31, 2014.
To participate in the stakeholder meeting, or to be a
nonparticipating observer, you must submit a request using one of the
three methods specified above under ADDRESSES by the deadline specified
under DATES. OSHA will select participants to ensure a fair
representation of interests and diverse viewpoints, and will send you
confirmation of your registration no later than one week prior to the
meeting. OSHA will not accommodate walk-in attendees at the meeting.
When submitting your request, please provide the following information:
Name, address, phone, fax, and email;
Organization for which you work;
Organization you represent (if different);
Participant or nonparticipating observer; and
Stakeholder category: public fire/rescue service, federal
fire/rescue service, contract fire/rescue service, private fire
brigade, emergency medical service, technical rescue, emergency
management, law enforcement, other (please specify).
Authority and Signature
David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Secretary of Labor for
Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, authorized
the preparation of this notice pursuant to 29 U.S.C. 653, 655, and 657,
Secretary of Labor's Order No. 1-2012 (77 FR 3912; Jan. 25, 2012), and
29 CFR part 1911.
Signed at Washington, DC, on May 28, 2014.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2014-12928 Filed 6-3-14; 8:45 am]
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