Agency information collection activities: Submission for OMB review; comment request,

[Federal Register: September 2, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 170)]

[Notices]

[Page 46800]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr02se98-90]

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve the information collection listed below. This proposed information collection was previously published in the Federal Register on May 5, 1998, page 24814 and allowed 60-days for public comment. No public comments were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes of Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection that has been extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Proposed Collection

Title: Hazardous Waste Worker Training--42 CFR part 65. Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of OMB No. 0925-0348 and expiration date 09/30/98). Need and Use of Information Collection: This request for OMB review and approval of the information collection is required by regulation 42 CFR part 65(a)(6). The NIEHS has been given major responsibility for initiating a worker safety and health training program under Section 126 of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) for hazardous waste workers and emergency responders. A network of non-profit organizations that are committed to protecting workers and their communities by delivering high-quality, peer-reviewed safety and health curricula to target populations of hazardous waste workers and emergency responders has been developed.

During the first ten years of the NIEHS Worker Training program (FY 1987-97), the NIEHS has successfully supported 20 primary grantees who have trained over 1,140,000 workers across the country and presented nearly 60,000 classroom and hands-on training courses, which have accounted for almost 20 million contact hours of actual training. Generally, the grant will initially be for one year, and subsequent continuation awards are also for one year at a time.

Grantees must submit a separate application to have the support continued for each subsequent year. Grantees are to provide information in accordance with S65.4(a), (b), (c) and 65.6(a) on the nature, duration, and purpose of the training, selection criteria for trainees' qualifications, and competency of the project director and staff, cooperative arrangements in the case of joint applications, the adequacy of training plans and resources, including budget and response to meeting training criteria in OSHA's Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Regulations (29 CFR 1910.120 and 29 CFR 1910.121). The information collected is used by the Director through officers, employees, experts, and consultants to evaluate applications based on technical merit to determine whether to make awards.

Frequency of Response: Biannual. Affected Public: Non-profit organizations. Type of Respondents: Grantees. The annual reporting burden is as follows: Estimated Number of Respondents: 20; Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 2; Average Burden Hours per Response: 8; and Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours Requested: 320. The annualized costs to respondents is estimated at: $7,000. There are no Capital Costs, Operating Costs and/or Maintenance Costs to report.

Request for Comments

Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected agencies should address one or more of the following points: (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Direct Comments to OMB

Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, D.C. 20503, Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request more information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, contact: Joseph T. Hughes, Jr., Director, Worker Education and Training Program, Division of Extramural Research and Training, NIEHS, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 or call non-toll-free number (919) 541-0217 or E-mail your request, including your address to hughes3@niehs.nih.gov.

Comments Due Date

Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of having their full effect if received October 2, 1998.

Dated: August 17, 1998. Samuel Wilson, Deputy Director, NIEHS.

[FR Doc. 98-23576Filed9-1-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140-01-M