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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22358-22359]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8882]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Preparations for the 23rd Session of the UN Sub-Committee of
Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and
Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and Stakeholder Input for the
Regulatory Coordination Council (RCC)

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: OSHA invites interested parties to participate in an open,
informal public meeting in Washington, DC to discuss proposals in
preparation for the 23rd session of the United Nations Sub-committee of
Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and
Labelling of Chemicals (UNSCEGHS). The UNSCEGHS meeting will be held
July 4-6, 2012, in Geneva, Switzerland. OSHA, along with the U.S.
Interagency Coordinating Group, plans to consider the comments and
information gathered at this public meeting when developing the U.S.
Government positions for the UNSCEGHS meeting. OSHA is also requesting
stakeholder input on behalf of the Regulatory Coordination Council
(RCC).

DATES: The date for the public meeting is as follows: May 11, 2012,
beginning at 10 a.m., in Washington, DC.

ADDRESSES: The location for the public meeting is as follows: The U.S.
Department of Labor, Francis Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Avenue
NW., Washington, DC 20210, Room C5515, Conference Room 2.
    Conference Call Information: Conference call-in capability will be
provided for this meeting. To participate by telephone, dial 1-888-456-
0281, and enter participant passcode 10935. During the call, please
press *6 to mute/unmute your individual lines.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maureen Ruskin, Director, Office of
Chemical Hazards--Metals, OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance,
Room N-3718, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-1950.
    Copies of this Federal Register notice can be obtained as follows:
Electronic copies are available at http://www.regulations.gov. This
Federal Register notice, as well as other relevant information, is
available also on the OSHA Web page at http://www.osha.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Meeting

    OSHA is hosting an open informal public meeting of the U.S.
Interagency GHS Coordinating Group to provide interested groups and
individuals with an update on GHS-related issues and an opportunity to
express their views orally and in writing for consideration in
developing U.S. Government positions for the upcoming UNSCEGHS meeting.
Interested stakeholders may also provide input on issues related to the
RCC at the meeting. The public is invited to attend without prior
notification. The meeting agenda, in general, is as follows:
     Discussion of working papers for the 23rd Session of the
UNSCEGHS,
     Update on UNSCEGHS correspondence group activity, and
     Update of RCC activity and discussion of issues.

OSHA does not seek stakeholder consensus in this meeting, but rather to
learn stakeholders' individual views on these issues and receive any
relevant information they may have.

II. Background

    The GHS was formally adopted by the United Nations Committee of
Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally
Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals in
December 2002. The GHS is a single, harmonized system for
classification of chemicals according to their health, physical, and
environmental effects. It also provides harmonized communication
elements, including labels and safety data sheets. The GHS is
considered to be a living document and is regularly revised and updated
as necessary to reflect new technology and scientific developments or
to provide additional explanatory text.
    The UNSCEGHS is responsible for maintaining and updating the GHS.
The U.S. has been an active member of the UNSCEGHS for many years, and
OSHA currently serves as the head of the U.S. delegation for this Sub-
committee.
    In preparation for the biannual meetings of the UNSCEGHS, the U.S.
Interagency GHS Coordinating Group meets to discuss issues related to
the GHS and to develop a coordinated U.S. position on issues and proposals
regarding the GHS. The U.S. Interagency Coordinating Group
consists of U.S. agencies that regulate in the areas of chemical hazard
communication and include the Department of Transportation (DOT),
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC), and OSHA.
    Information on the work of the UNSCEGHS including meeting agendas,
reports, and documents from previous sessions, can be found on the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Transport
Division Web site located at the following web address:
http://www.unece.org/trans/welcome.html. The UNSCEGHS bases its decisions on
Working Papers. The Working Papers for the 23rd session of the UNSCEGHS
are located at http://www.unece.org/trans/main/dgdb/dgsubc4/c42012.html.
Informal Papers submitted to the UNSCEGHS provide
information for the subcommittee and are used either as a mechanism to
provide information to the subcommittee or as the basis for future
Working Papers. Informal Papers for the 23rd session of the UNSCEGHS
are located at http://www.unece.org/trans/main/dgdb/dgsubc4/c4inf23.html.

Authority and Signature

    This document was prepared under the direction of David Michaels,
Ph.D., 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 1-2012 (77 FR 3912).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on April 9, 2012.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2012-8882 Filed 4-12-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P