Respiratory Protection; Proposed Rule

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

29 CFR Parts 1910, 1915, and 1926

[Docket No. H-049]

RIN 1218-0099

Respiratory Protection; Proposed Rule

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Extension of date for filing of testimony and evidence before

the public hearing.

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SUMMARY: By this document the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA) is extending the date for submitting the text of

testimony and documentary evidence for those who intend to testify at

the public hearings from April 14, 1995 to May 15, 1995, in order to

provide additional time for the preparation of testimony for the

hearings.

DATES: Testimony and evidence to be submitted at the hearings must be

postmarked on or before May 15, 1995. Comments must be postmarked on or

before April 14, 1995. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday,

June 6, 1995 in Washington, DC.

ADDRESSES: Testimony and documentary evidence are to be submitted in

quadruplicate to: Mr. Thomas Hall, OSHA Division of Consumer Affairs,

Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue,

N.W., Room N3649, Washington, D.C. 20210; (202) 219-8615. Testimony and

documentary evidence will be available for inspection and copying in

the Docket Office, Room N2625 at the above address.

Written comments should be submitted in quadruplicate or 1 original

(hardcopy) and 1 disk (5\1/4\ or 3 \1/2\) in WordPerfect 5.0, 5.1, 6.0

or ASCII to: Docket Office, Docket H-49, U.S. Department of Labor,

Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Room N2625, 200

Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20210; (202) 219-7894. Any

information not contained on disk, e.g., studies, articles, etc., must

be submitted in quadruplicate.

The hearing will be held in the auditorium of the U.S. Department

of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Proposal: Mr. Richard Liblong, Director, Office of Information and

Consumer Affairs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 200

Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room N3647, Washington, D.C. 20210; (202)

219-8151.

Hearings: Mr. Thomas Hall, Division of Consumer Affairs,

Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue

NW., Room N3649, Washington, D.C. 20210; (202) 219-8615.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On November 15, 1994, OSHA published a notice of proposed

rulemaking on its respiratory protection standard (59 FR 58884 et

seq.). The proposal is intended to update the current respirator

standard to reflect changes in methodology, technology, and approach

related to respiratory protection that have occurred since the existing

respiratory protection standard was adopted in 1971.

A notice of the extension of the comment period and the

rescheduling of the public hearing was published on January 20, 1995

(60 FR 4132 et seq.). This notice extended the public comment period

for the proposal to April 14, 1995. The date for submitting a notice of

intention to appear at the hearing to testify was extended to March 31,

1995. The public hearings were rescheduled to start on June 6, 1995.

Extension of Date for Submitting Testimony and Evidence Before the

Hearing

Pursuant to section 6(b)(3) of the OSH Act, an opportunity to

submit oral testimony concerning all issues raised by the proposed

standard will be provided at an informal public hearing to be held in

Washington, DC from June 6, 1995 and continuing until Friday, June 23.

The hearing will commence at 9:30 a.m. on June 6, 1995, in the

auditorium of the Frances Perkins Building, U.S. Department of Labor,

3rd Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210.

All persons desiring to participate at the hearing must file in

quadruplicate a notice of intention to appear, postmarked on or before

March 31, 1995.

In addition to a notice of intention to appear, any party

requesting more than ten (10) minutes for a presentation, or who will

submit documentary evidence, must provide in quadruplicate the complete

text of the testimony, including any documentary evidence to be

presented. One copy shall not be stapled or bound and be suitable for

copying. These materials must be provided to Mr. Thomas Hall, OSHA

Division of Consumer Affairs at the [[Page 15264]] address above. By

this document OSHA is extending the date for submitting the text of

testimony and documentary evidence for those who intend to testify at

the public hearings from April 14, 1995 to May 15, 1995, in order to

provide additional time for the preparation of testimony for the

hearings.

Any party who has not substantially complied with this requirement

may be limited to a ten-minute presentation, and may be requested to

return for questioning at a later time during the hearing.

Notices of intention to appear, testimony and evidence will be

available for inspection and copying at the Docket Office at the

address above.

Authority and Signature: This document was prepared under the

direction of Joseph A. Dear, Assistant Secretary of Labor for

Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, 200

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. It is issued

pursuant to section 6(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act

of 1970 (84 Stat. 1593, 29 U.S.C. 655).

Signed at Washington, DC., this 20th day of March, 1995.

Joseph A. Dear,

Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 95-7200 Filed 3-22-95; 8:45 am]

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