[Federal Register: October 27, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 207)]
[Notices]
[Page 62000-62001]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27oc05-63]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0092 (2006)]

Lead in General Industry Standard; 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 comment.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comment concerning its request for an
extension of the information collection requirements contained in the
Lead in General Industry Standard (29 CFR 1910.1025).

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received)
by December 27, 2005.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be
received by December 27, 2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0092 (2006), by any of the following methods:
    Regular mail, express delivery, hand delivery, and messenger
service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket
Office, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-2350 (OSHA's TTY number
is (877) 889-5627). OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor hours
are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., ET.
    Facsimile: If your comments are 10 pages or fewer in length,
including attachments, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at
(202) 693-1648.
    Electronic: You may submit comments through the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov.
 Follow instructions on the OSHA Web page for submitting comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read or download comments or
background materials, such as the complete Information Collection
Request (ICR) (containing the Supporting Statement, OMB-83-I Form, and
attachments), go to OSHA's Web page at http://www.OSHA.gov. In
addition, the ICR, comments and submissions are available for
inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the address above.
You may also contact Todd Owen at the address below to obtain a copy of
the ICR. For additional information on submitting comments, please see
the ``Public Participation'' heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Owen, Directorate of Standards
and Guidance, OSHA, Room N-3609, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20210, telephone: (202) 693-2222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. 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 Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) authorizes information
collection by employers as necessary or appropriate for enforcement of
the Act or for developing information regarding the causes and
prevention of occupational injuries, illnesses, and accidents (29
U.S.C. 657).
    On January 5, 2005, OSHA published the Standards Improvement
Project--Phase II, Final Rule (70 FR 1112). The final rule removed and
revised provisions of standards that were outdated, duplicative,
unnecessary, or inconsistent and clarified or simplified regulatory
language. The final rule contained several revisions to collections of
information contained in the Lead in General Industry Standard. These
revisions included: reducing the frequency for employers to update
their written compliance plans from six months to annually; and
allowing employers the option to post employee exposure-monitoring
results instead of requiring individual written notification. Those
changes reduced paperwork burden hours while maintaining worker
protection and improving consistency among standards. The reductions
were taken in the prior information collection request.
    The information collection requirements specified in the Lead in
General Industry Standard are designed to reduce occupational lead
exposure in general industry. Lead exposure can result in both acute
and chronic effects and can be fatal in severe cases of lead toxicity.
The standard specifies the following requirements that impose paperwork
burdens on employers: establishing a compliance program and notifying
laundry personnel of lead hazards; instituting programs for exposure-
monitoring and medical surveillance (including medical examinations);
notifying employees of exposure levels, biological-monitoring results,
the option for multiple-physician review, and the availability of
chelation; providing information to physicians; obtaining written
medical opinions; implementing employee information and training
programs (including providing employees with copies of the standard,
and employees and other specified parties with copies of the training
and information materials); recording medical removals; maintaining and
transferring records of exposure-monitoring and medical surveillance
results, medical removals, and objective data used for the initial-
exposure-monitoring exemption; and making records available to
specified parties. These paperwork requirements permit OSHA and other
specified parties to determine the effectiveness of an employer's
compliance activities, thereby ensuring that they are providing
employees with all of the protection afforded by the Standard.

II. 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.

III. Proposed Actions

    OSHA is requesting that OMB extend the approval of these collection
of information (paperwork) requirements necessitated by the Lead in
General Industry Standard (29 CFR 1910.1025). OSHA will summarize the
comments submitted in response to this notice, and will include this
summary in its request to OMB to extend the approval of these
collection of information requirements.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information
collection requirements.
    Title: Lead in General Industry Standard.
    OMB Number: 1218-0092.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; Federal Government;
State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Average Time Per Response: Ranges from 1 minute to notify employees
of their right to seek a second medical opinion to 2 hours for an
employee to receive a medical examination.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,242,562.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $139,869,058.

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

    You may submit comments and supporting materials in response to
this notice by (1) hard copy, (2) FAX transmission (facsimile), or (3)
electronically through the OSHA Web page. Because of security-related
problems, there may be a significant delay in the receipt of comments
by regular mail. Please contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
2350 (TTY (877) 889-5627) for information about security procedures
concerning the delivery of submissions by express delivery, hand
delivery and courier service.
    All comments, submissions and background documents are available
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the above
address. Comments and submissions posted on OSHA's Web page are
available at http://www.OSHA.gov. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for
information about materials not available through the OSHA Web page and
for assistance using the Web page to locate docket submissions.
    Electronic copies of this Federal Register notice as well as other
relevant documents are available on OSHA's Web page. Since all
submissions become public, private infomation such as social security
numbers should not be submitted.

V. Authority and Signature

    Jonathan L. Snare, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for
Occuataional 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. 5-
2002 (67 FR 65008).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on October 21, 2005.
Jonathan L. Snare,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 05-21478 Filed 10-26-05; 8:45 am]

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