DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

29 CFR Part 1926

Steel Erection Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee (SENRAC)

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

ACTION: Notice of committee meeting and signing ceremony.

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), notice is hereby given of a meeting of SENRAC. Notice is also hereby given of a signing ceremony which will take place if the members reach consensus on the text of a proposed rule. In addition, notice is given of the location of the meeting and signing ceremony. This meeting and signing ceremony will be open to the public.

DATES: The meeting and signing ceremony will take place on July 24, 1997. The meeting will begin at 11:00 a.m. and the signing ceremony is scheduled to take place at 1:00 p.m. on July 24th.

ADDRESSES: The meeting and signing ceremony will be held at the U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-2508, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bonnie Friedman, Director Office of Information and Consumer Affairs, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3647, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210; telephone (202) 219-8151.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 11, 1994, OSHA announced that it had established the Steel Erection Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee (SENRAC)(59 FR 24389) in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Negotiated Rulemaking Act of 1990 (NRA) and section 7(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) to resolve issues associated with the development of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Steel Erection. Appointees to the Committee include representatives from labor, industry, public interests and government agencies.

SENRAC began negotiations in mid-June, 1994, and has met eleven times since. Initial meetings dealt with procedural matters, including schedules, agendas and the establishment of workgroups. The Committee established workgroups to address issues on Fall Protection, Allocation of Responsibility, Construction Specifications and Scope. During subsequent meetings foundations for negotiations were established, and additional workgroups were formed.

Considerable progress was made towards reaching a consensus on the first portion of a proposed steel erection standard by the December 1995 meeting. Following that meeting, OSHA completed the preamble and prepared a NPRM for publication in the Federal Register. At this meeting SENRAC will consider the draft text. If it reaches a consensus on this draft, a signing ceremony will take place wherein SENRAC will present its recommended proposed rule on steel erection to OSHA.

All interested parties are invited to attend the Committee meeting and the signing ceremony at the time and the place indicated above. Persons with disabilities who need special accommodations should contact OSHA by July 17, 1997.

The SENRAC Facilitator, Philip J. Harter, can be reached at Suite 404, 2301 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037; telephone (202) 887- 1033, FAX (202) 887-1036.

Signed at Washington, D.C., this 7th day of July, 1997.

Greg Watchman,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 97-18193 Filed 7-10-97; 8:45 am)