Notice of Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Notice of Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of a technical workshop; controlling environmental

tobacco smoke exposure in the hospitality industry.

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SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is

sponsoring a technical panel to discuss ventilation engineering

controls for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in the hospitality

sector. This meeting, which is in the form of a workshop, will be

moderated by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial

Hygienists (ACGIH). The workshop proceedings on recommended and

feasible ventilation engineering controls for the reduction of

occupational ETS exposures in the hospitality industry will be

published by ACGIH for the public.

DATES: The workshop will be held on June 7, 8, and 9, 1998, beginning

at 8:30 a.m. each day and ending at approximately 5:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held at the Drawbridge Inn, I-75 at

Buttermilk Pike, Fort Mitchell, Kentucky 41017 (Phone 606-341-2800).

The conference contact is Alexis Callender, American Conference of

Governmental Industrial Hygienists, 1330 Kemper Meadow Dr., Suite 600,

Cincinnati, Ohio 45240; Phone: 513-742-2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The conference contact is Alexis

Callender, American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists,

1330 Kemper Meadow Dr., Suite 600, Cincinnati, Ohio 45240; Phone: 513-

742-2020.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On April 5, 1994, OSHA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on

Indoor Air Quality (59 FR 15968). The proposal included a comprehensive

standard that would mandate the proper operation and maintenance of

building systems, require control of point sources of pollutants, and

require control of exposures from air pollutants generated by

renovation and remodeling activities. The proposal also indicated the

conditions under which smoking could be allowed in the workplace. For

example, if smoking were allowed in a workplace, the employer would be

required to establish designated smoking areas and permit smoking only

in such areas. The areas would have to be enclosed and exhausted

directly to the outside and maintained under negative pressure

sufficient to contain tobacco smoke. In addition, employees could not

be required to enter the designated smoking areas as part of their

normal work activities [59 FR at 16037].

The ETS provisions of the proposal received a substantial number of

comments. Information submitted to OSHA during the comment period and

public hearing indicated that the ETS provisions were feasible for many

employers. However, it became apparent to OSHA that in businesses where

there is substantial contact between customers who smoke and workers

(e.g., food, beverage and gaming industries), this provision was not

easily applied as written. During the hearing, OSHA asked

representatives of the hospitality industry for information on

engineering and administrative controls that could be used to protect

workers. Little information on feasible engineering and work practice

controls for this industry was submitted to the Agency in response to

these requests.

OSHA needs more information on this issue and is therefore

sponsoring a workshop on ventilation engineering controls for reducing

ETS exposure in the hospitality industry, which will be run under the

auspices of the ACGIH. The ACGIH will assemble a panel of experts to

identify issues and obtain information to help OSHA resolve feasibility

issues raised by the application of the proposal to the hospitality

industry. It is the intent of OSHA that the workshop results will be

published for the use of professionals who have responsibility for

reducing

[[Page 29036]]

occupational exposures to ETS in these sectors.

Public Attendance

Interested persons are invited to attend the ventilation workshop.

The ACGIH has indicated that 50 seats will be available for observers.

Because of the limited amount of seating available, space will be

assigned on a first come, first served basis. However, if there are

more requests to attend than space available, the ACGIH will give

preference to technical experts. No organization will be permitted more

than one observer unless there is space available after all admissions

requests are filled. All individuals who wish to attend must contact

Alexis Callender, American Conference of Governmental Industrial

Hygienists, no later than May 28, 1998 to register for this workshop.

Admittance to the workshop will be limited to those duly registered.

Individuals with disabilities wishing to attend should contact

Alexis Callender, no later than May 28, 1998 to obtain appropriate

accommodations.

The Workshop

The panel will consist of ventilation engineers experienced in

various aspects of ventilation engineering controls currently used in

general industry, and facility management representatives from the

restaurant, bar, and gambling establishments. The panel discussions

will be chaired by a member of the ACGIH's Committee on Industrial

Ventilation. Panel participants were chosen for their technical

expertise and experience in this area. This workshop is technical in

nature. The public is invited to observe the proceedings, but

participation in the discussion is limited to panel members.

Workshop Agenda

On the first day, each panelist will deliver a 15 minute

presentation. These presentations will cover various topics, including

historical perspectives of ACGIH's Industrial Ventilation Guide; local

source capture vs. general dilution ventilation; make up air (e.g.,

supply air islands); ventilation performance monitoring; displacement

ventilation systems; particulate and gas phase removal; and current

practice for design, operations, and maintenance of Heating

Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems in gaming, restaurant,

and beverage (bars) facilities. On the second day of the workshop,

working groups will be formed from the panel to explore the

technological and economic feasibility of applying current prudent

practice for the application of ventilation engineering controls to the

hospitality sector. The third day will involve the summarization of the

work completed by the working groups and discussion of how ACGIH plans

to incorporate the information into a ventilation guide for the

hospitality industry.

Authority and Signature

This document was prepared under the direction of Charles N.

Jeffress, 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. 1594, 29 U.S.C.

655).

Signed at Washington, D.C. this 19th day of May 1998.

Charles N. Jeffress,

Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 98-13970 Filed 5-26-98; 8:45 am]

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