Hexavalent Chromium Standards; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements

Federal Register, Volume 77 Issue 195 (Tuesday, October 9, 2012)

Federal Register Volume 77, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 9, 2012)

Notices

Pages 61431-61432

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov

FR Doc No: 2012-24705

Page 61431

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Docket No. OSHA-2012-0034

Hexavalent Chromium Standards; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements

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

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements specified in the Hexavalent Chromium Standards for General Industry (29 CFR 1910.1026), Shipyard Employment (29 CFR 1915.1026), and Construction (29 CFR 1926.1126).

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by December 10, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting comments.

Facsimile: If your comments, including attachments, are not longer than 10 pages, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-

1648.

Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger, or courier service: When using this method, you must submit a copy of your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, OSHA Docket No. OSHA-2012-0034, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service) are accepted during the Department of Labor's and Docket Office's normal business hours, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., e.t.

Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and OSHA docket number (OSHA-2012-0034) for the Information Collection Request (ICR). All comments, including any personal information you provide, are placed in the public docket without change, and may be made available online at http://www.regulations.gov. For further information on submitting comments see the ``Public Participation'' heading in the section of this notice titled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at the address above. All documents in the docket (including this Federal Register notice) are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index; however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download from the Web site. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Theda Kenney at the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney or Todd Owen, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3468, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-

2222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

  1. Background

    The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent (i.e., employer) burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing information collection requirements in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA-95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program ensures that information is in the desired format, reporting burden (time and costs) is minimal, collection instruments are clearly understood, and OSHA's estimate of the information collection burden is accurate. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the OSH Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) authorizes information collection by employers as necessary or appropriate for enforcement of the OSH Act or for developing information regarding the causes and prevention of occupational injuries, illnesses, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657). The OSH Act also requires OSHA to obtain such information with minimum burden upon employers, especially those operating small businesses, and to reduce to the maximum extent feasible unnecessary duplication of efforts in obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657).

    The information collection requirements specified in the Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) Standards for General Industry (29 CFR 1910.1026), Shipyard Employment (29 CFR 1915.1026), and Construction (29 CFR 1926.1126) (the ``Standards'') protect workers from the adverse health effects that may result from occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium. The major information collection requirements in these Standards include conducting worker exposure monitoring, notifying workers of their chromium exposures, implementing medical surveillance of workers, providing examining physicians with specific information, implementing a respiratory protection program, demarcating regulated areas, implementing worker information and training programs, notifying laundry personnel of chromium hazards and maintaining workers' exposure monitoring and medical surveillance records for specific periods.

  2. Special Issues for Comment

    OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:

    Whether the proposed information collection requirements are necessary for the proper performance of the Agency's functions, including whether the information is useful;

    The accuracy of OSHA's estimate of the burden (time and costs) of the information collection requirements, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

    The quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and

    Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply; for example, by using automated or other technological information collection and transmission techniques.

  3. Proposed Actions

    OSHA is requesting an adjustment decrease in burden hours from 787,894 to 541,495 (a total decrease of 246,399 hours). The adjustment is primarily due to a reduction in plants and a decrease in covered workers, based on updated data.

    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

    Title: Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) Standards for General Industry (29 CFR 1910.1026), Shipyard Employment (29 CFR 1915.1026), and Construction (29 CFR 1926.1126).

    OMB Number: 1218-0252.

    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; Federal Government; State, Local or Tribal Government.

    Number of Respondents: 77,770.

    Frequency of Response: On occasion; Quarterly; Semi-annually; Annually.

    Total Responses: 1,086,390.

    Average Time per Response: Time per response ranges from 5 minutes (.08 hour) to provide a copy of a written medical opinion to a worker to 4 hours for a worker to receive a comprehensive medical examination.

    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 541,495.

    Page 61432

    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $46,589,912.

  4. Public Participation--Submission of Comments on This Notice and Internet Access to Comments and Submissions

    You may submit comments in response to this document as follows: (1) Electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal eRulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (fax); or (3) by hard copy. All comments, attachments, and other material must identify the Agency name and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2012-0034). You may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference to an electronic or facsimile submission, you must submit them to the OSHA Docket Office (see the section of this notice titled ADDRESSES). The additional materials must clearly identify your electronic comments by your name, date, and the docket number so the Agency can attach them to your comments.

    Because of security procedures, the use of regular mail may cause a significant delay in the receipt of comments. For information about security procedures concerning the delivery of materials by hand, express delivery, messenger, or courier service, please contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350, (TTY (877) 889-5627). Comments and submissions are posted without change at http://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about submitting personal information such as social security numbers and dates of birth. Although all submissions are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download through this Web site. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on using the http://www.regulations.gov Web site to submit comments and access the docket is available at the Web site's ``User Tips'' link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information about materials not available through the Web site and for assistance in using the Internet to locate docket submissions.

  5. Authority and Signature

    David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, directed the preparation of this notice. The authority for this notice is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506 et seq.) and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 1-2012 (77 FR 3912).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on October 2, 2012.

    David Michaels,

    Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.

    FR Doc. 2012-24705 Filed 10-5-12; 8:45 am

    BILLING CODE 4510-26-P

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