Survey of Nanomaterial Risk Management Practices, 36784-36785 [2013-14564]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc)

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 118 (Wednesday, June 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36784-36785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14564]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

[CDC-2013-0010, Docket Number NIOSH-265]


Survey of Nanomaterial Risk Management Practices

AGENCY: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Proposed NIOSH Survey of Nanomaterial Risk Management 
Practices; Notice of Public Meeting and Request for Comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
announces a public meeting and opportunity for comment on a proposed 
NIOSH survey. The primary purpose of the survey is to evaluate the use 
of NIOSH guidelines and risk mitigation practices for safe handling of 
engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in the workplace. Information collected 
from the survey will be useful in future revisions of the guidelines. 
The public is invited to comment on the proposed survey through a 
public docket and/or participation in a one-day public meeting.
    To view the notice and related materials, visit https://www.regulations.gov and enter CDC-2013-0010 in the search field and 
click ``Search.''
    Public comment period: Submit either electronic or written comments 
by September 15, 2013.
    Registration to attend the meeting must be received by July 17, 
2013 and will be accepted on a first come first served basis. See the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for information on how to register 
for the meeting.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the NIOSH Alice Hamilton 
building, 5555 Ridge Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45213. The public meeting 
will be held on July 31, 2013, from 8 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT.
    Security Considerations: Due to mandatory security clearance 
procedures at the NIOSH Alice Hamilton building, in-person attendees 
must present valid government-issued picture identification to security 
personnel upon entering the parking lot.
    Non-U.S. citizens: Because of CDC Security Regulations, any non-
U.S. citizen wishing to attend this meeting must provide the following 
information in writing to the NIOSH Docket Officer at the address below 
no later than June 29, 2013 to allow time for mandatory CDC facility 
security clearance procedures to be completed.

 1. Name:
 2. Gender:
 3. Date of Birth:
 4. Place of birth (city, province, state, country):
 5. Citizenship:
 6. Passport Number:
 7. Date of Passport Issue:
 8. Date of Passport Expiration:
 9. Type of Visa:
10. U.S. Naturalization Number (if a naturalized citizen):
11. U.S. Naturalization Date (if a naturalized citizen):
12. Visitor's Organization:
13. Organization Address:
14. Organization Telephone Number:
15. Visitor's Position/Title within the Organization:

    This information will be transmitted to the CDC Security Office for 
approval. Visitors will be notified as soon as approval has been 
obtained.
    You may submit comments, identified by CDC-2013-0010 and Docket 
Number NIOSH-265, by either of the following two methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 
4676 Columbia Parkway, MS C-34, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226.
    Instructions: All information received in response to this notice 
must include the agency name and docket number (CDC-2013-0010; NIOSH-
265). All relevant comments received will be posted without change to 
https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. All electronic comments should be formatted as Microsoft 
Word. Please make reference to CDC-2013-0010 and Docket Number NIOSH-
265.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Attendance: The meeting is open to the 
public, limited only by the capacity (80) of the conference room. 
Confirm your attendance to this meeting by sending an email to 
jun1@cdc.gov by July 17, 2013. An email confirming registration will be 
sent from NIOSH and will include details needed to participate. Oral 
comments given at the meeting will be recorded and included in the 
NIOSH Docket Number 265.
    Background: NIOSH is among the world's leaders in promoting the 
safe and responsible development and use of ENMs. NIOSH has published 
guidelines on the safe use of ENMs including ``Approaches to Safe 
Nanotechnology: Managing the Health and Safety Concerns Associated with 
Engineered Nanomaterials'' (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-125/pdfs/2009-125.pdf) and ``General Safe Practices for Working With 
Engineered Nanomaterials in Research Laboratories'' (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2012-147/pdfs/2012-147.pdf). Other organizations 
in the U.S. and around the world have also developed guidelines for the 
safe use of ENMs. The proposed survey will examine the extent to which 
these and other guidelines are implemented and the barriers to using 
the guidelines.

[[Page 36785]]

    A draft questionnaire is available for review at https://www.regulations.gov.
 NIOSH requests public input on the content of the questionnaire and 
consideration of the following:
    (1) Apart from a survey, what alternative methods should be 
considered to gather this information?
    (2) What resources are available that can be used to identify 
nanomaterial producers, distributors, end-users, and R&D laboratories 
for inclusion in a sampling frame?
    (3) A web-based survey is being proposed primarily because it is 
cost-efficient and can be easy to administer. Should any other modes 
(telephone, mail) be considered?
    (4) In small and medium-sized establishments, who would be the 
person best suited to respond to questions addressing risk management 
practices for ENMs?
    (5) What should be the maximum amount of time needed to complete 
the survey?
    (6) Is benchmarking adherence to safe use guidelines of value to 
your organization?
    (7) What guidelines are being used by your organization to minimize 
worker exposure to ENMs?
    (8) Are there any questions in the draft survey that should be 
excluded? Are there any questions not included in the draft survey that 
should be included?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Boiano_jboiano@cdc.gov; 513-841-
4246 or Rebecca Tsai_rtsai@cdc.gov; 513-841-4398, NIOSH, 4676 Columbia 
Parkway, Mail Stop R17, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226-1998.

    Dated: June 13, 2013.
John Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2013-14564 Filed 6-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P