Department of Health and Human Services January 9, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

As stipulated by the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is hereby giving notice that the National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB) will be holding a public meeting, followed by a closed portion of the meeting under exemption 9(B) of the Government in Sunshine Act, 5 U.S.C. 552b(c).

With this notice of proposed rulemaking, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposes to modify its regulations on Specifications for Medical Examinations of Underground Coal Miners. Existing regulations establish specifications for providing, interpreting, classifying, and submitting film-based roentgenograms (now commonly called chest radiographs or X-rays) of underground coal miners for the surveillance of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (black lung) under the Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program, administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The current standards specify requirements that permit the use of film- based radiography systems only; proposed amendments would retain those standards (with minor modifications that reflect more commonly-used terms) and add a parallel set of standards to specify requirements that would permit the use of digital radiography systems. An additional proposed amendment would require coal mine operators to provide NIOSH with employee rosters to assist the Program in improving participation by miners.