News Release USDL: 97-23
Friday, January 24, 1997
Contact: Al Belsky, (202)-219-8151
Advisory Committee To Continue Negotiated Rulemaking On Shipyard Fire Protection
Feb, 4 - 6 In Jacksonville, Fla.
How best to combat the dangers of fire in shipyard employment will be the focus of a
public meeting Feb. 4 through 6 in Jacksonville, Fla. Representatives of shipyard operators,
labor unions, professional groups and government agencies will continue work on a proposed
standard for fire protection covering shipyard workers.
The meeting will mark the first time the Fire Protection and Shipyard Employment
Negotiated Rulemaking Advisory Committee has convened since its initial gathering, October 15
- 17, 1996, in Portland, Ore.
"Committee members are using the tools of negotiation to ensure that all groups that have
a stake in protecting shipyard workers will have a say in this matter," said Gregory R. Watchman,
acting assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. "Through this process, we
hope to reach consensus on what works best to protect these workers against fire hazards, both on
board vessels as well as landside."
The committee's work will result in a proposed rule and supporting documentation that
will become a new standard under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Key issues the committee will address include:
- What should the scope of the new standard be?
- What controls and work practices will provide adequate protection for employees?
- Should shipyards be required to have in-yard fire brigades?
- Should written fire plans should be required for landside and on board vessels?
- What advances in fire technology should be incorporated into the shipyard standard?
- What costs would be incurred by shipyards in meeting the provisions of a new standard?
Are there cost savings or benefits that could be expected?
- Should the new standard include technical information about fire prevention in an appendix,
and, if so, should it be mandatory for shipyards to use this information in their fire prevention
programs?
There is no advance registration for the meeting, which will be held at the Holiday Inn,
1617 North First St., Jacksonville, Fla., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Persons who wish to
make oral presentations will be allowed to do so to the extent time allows.
Written comments should be directed to Docket No. S-051. Four copies should be sent to
the OSHA Docket Office, U.S. Dept. Of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Ave., NW,
Washington, D.C. 20210 (Telephone 202-219-7894). Minutes of the committee's previous
meeting and materials prepared for the committee are available for public inspection at this
address. Notice of the Jacksonville, Fla. meeting was published in the Federal Register on Dec.
24, 1996.
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