[Federal Register: November 26, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 228)]
[Notices]
[Page 66447-66448]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26no03-65]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Meeting
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
announces the following meeting:
Name: NIOSH B Reader Certification Program: Looking to the Future.
Date and Time: 1-5 p.m., March 4, 2004.
Place: Fairfax Ballroom, Courtyard Marriott, 1960-A Chain Bridge
Road, McLean, Virginia.
Status: This meeting is hosted by NIOSH and will be open to the
public, limited only by the space available. The meeting room will
accommodate approximately 100 people. An opportunity to provide
comments regarding the NIOSH B Reader Program will be given.
Requests to make comments at this public meeting must be made by
completing the online registration form or by sending the completed
form by fax to (304) 285-6058. The registration form may also be
obtained on the NIOSH homepage at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh by selecting
Conferences and then the event, or by calling (304) 285-5724. All
requests to speak should include the name, mailing and e-mail
addresses, telephone number, relevant business affiliations of the
speaker, and a brief outline of the content of the comments. No audio-
visual aids (other than a microphone) will be available, however,
[[Page 66448]]
speakers may wish to provide printed copies of their presentations for
distribution. Presentations will be strictly limited to a maximum of 5
minutes. After reviewing all requests, NIOSH will notify each speaker
of the order and approximate timing of the presentations. Speakers who
are not ready when the preceding speaker has finished will be skipped,
and the remaining speakers will be heard in order. At the conclusion of
the meeting, as time permits, an attempt will be made to include
presentations by scheduled speakers who missed their assigned slot.
Attendees who wish to speak but did not submit a prior request also may
be given this opportunity at the conclusion of the meeting, at the
discretion of the presiding officer.
Interested parties may make hotel reservations directly with the
Courtyard Marriott, 1960-A Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA, 22102,
telephone, (703) 790-0207, before the cut-off date of February 1, 2004.
A special rate has been negotiated for meeting guests of $150.00 per
night. The NIOSH B Reader Meeting must be referenced to receive these
special rates.
Comments on the topics presented in this notice and at the meeting
should be mailed to the NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft
Laboratories, M/S C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226,
telephone: (513) 533-8303, fax: (513) 533-8285. Comments may also be submitted by e-mail to niocindocket@cdc.gov. E-mail attachments should
be formatted as WordPerfect 6/7/8/9 or Microsoft Word. Comments should
be submitted no later than April 5, 2004, and should reference Docket
Number NIOSH-015, B Reader Program, in the subject heading.
Purpose: Chest radiographic imaging is a widely applied and
important tool for assessing lung health in clinical medicine, research
investigations, hazard evaluations, and medical monitoring of workers
exposed to silica, asbestos, coal, beryllium, and other dusts capable
of producing occupational pneumoconiosis. Valid reproducible
categorization of chest radiographic images requires close adherence to
standard methods of radiograph classification and adoption of
procedures for quality assurance. The International Labour Office (ILO)
(Geneva) has for many years provided a standardized system for
classification of chest radiographs for pneumoconiosis, including
specification of procedures for obtaining images. The ILO system has
been widely used by physicians and epidemiologic researchers in the
investigation of work-related respiratory hazards.
Under the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations [42 CFR part 37], since
1970, chest radiographic examinations have been provided to underground
coal miners at approximate five year intervals. As part of this
mandated Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP), NIOSH
arranges for the determination of the presence and degree of dust-
related changes on those films by physicians who have demonstrated
proficiency in the ILO system. NIOSH developed and currently
administers the B Reader Certification Program, a unique quality
assurance program for training and certifying physicians who classify
chest radiographs of pneumoconiosis. Under this Program, physicians who
wish to obtain B Reader Certification must successfully complete an
extensive initial examination. To demonstrate ongoing competence and
maintain certification, every four years each individual who passed the
initial examination must complete a recertification examination.
Because the B Reader Certification Program objectively documents
proficiency in the evaluation of lung images for occupational disease,
it has attained high visibility in the U.S. and throughout the world.
The Program continues to have important impacts on occupational lung
disease research, surveillance, clinical practice, regulation, and
litigation. Numerous research studies and hazard evaluations have
relied upon the classification of chest radiographs by certified B
Readers as a useful health outcome in the investigation and assessment
of occupational health risks. State-based surveillance programs have
utilized B Reader classifications as a criterion for identifying
silicosis cases. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) asbestos standard (Sec. 1910.1001, App. E) requires that
roentgenograms be interpreted and classified only by a B Reader, a
board eligible/certified radiologist, or an experienced physician with
known expertise in pneumoconioses. OSHA also specifies B Readers and
the ILO classification in its safety and health standards for general
industry (Sec. 1910.1001, App. E), construction (Sec. 1926.1101, App.
E), and shipyard employment (Sec. 1915.1001, App. E).
The ILO, with NIOSH involvement and support, has recently completed
a revision of the classification system (ILO 2000). Additionally, in
the years since the development of the B Reader Certification process,
the field of professional competency testing, as well as the field of
radiology, have experienced considerable advances in knowledge,
techniques, and methodology. The B Reader Certification Program has not
been substantially revised since its first development, and would
benefit from critical evaluation and modification in order to assure
optimal test validity, reliability, and efficiency, and overall
effectiveness of the Program. In order for NIOSH to maintain the B
Reader Program as a contemporary, relevant, and effective quality
assurance program for the classification of chest radiographs for
occupational lung disease research and prevention, and to assure the
Program is adherent to the ILO 2000 system, ongoing refinements and
modifications are required to the B Reader examinations and related
training activities and materials. This open meeting is intended to
serve as an important additional step in the continuing evolution and
improvement of the NIOSH B Reader Program.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: CWHSP, 1095 Willowdale Road,
Morgantown, West Virginia 26505-2888, Telephone: (304) 285-6263/5724, Fax: (304) 285-6058, E-mail: CWHSP@cdc.gov.
The Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, has been
delegated the authority to sign Federal Register notices pertaining to
announcements of meetings and other committee management activities,
for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Dated: November 21, 2003.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-29630 Filed 11-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P