[Federal Register: July 11, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 133)]
[Notices]
[Page 41401-41403]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11jy03-89]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. ICR-1218-0184(2003)]
4,4[min]-Methylenedianiline (MDA) General Industry Standard (29
CFR 1910.1050); 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 comment.
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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning its proposal to increase the
existing burden-hours estimates, and to extend OMB approval of the
information-collection requirements of the 4,4[min]-Methylenedianiline
General Industry Standard (the ``MDA General Industry Standard'') (29
CFR
[[Page 41402]]
1910.1050).\1\ The standard protects employees from adverse health
effects from occupational exposure to MDA, including cancer and liver
disease.
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\1\ Based on its assessment of the paperwork requirements
contained in this standard, the Agency estimates that the total
burden hours increased compared to its previous burden-hour
estimate. Under this notice, OSHA is not proposing to revise these
paperwork requirements in any substantive manner, only to increase
the burden hours imposed by the existing paperwork requirements.
DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received)
by September 9, 2003.
Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be sent
by September 9, 2003.
ADDRESSES:
I. Submission of Comments
Regular mail, express delivery, hand-delivery, and messenger
service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket
Office, Docket No. ICR-1218-0184(2003), Room N-2625, U.S. Department of
Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. OSHA Docket
Office and Department of Labor hours of operation are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45
p.m., EST.
Facsimile: If your comments, including any attachments, are 10
pages or fewer, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202)
693-1648. You must include the docket number ICR 1218-0184(2003), in
your comments.
Electronic: You may submit comments, but not attachments, through
the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov.
II. Obtaining Copies of the Supporting Statement for the Information
Collection Request
The Supporting Statement for the Information Collection Request is
available for downloading from OSHA's website at www.osha.gov. The
supporting statement is available for inspection and copying in the
OSHA Docket Office, at the address listed above. A printed copy of the
supporting statement cab be obtained by contacting Todd Owen at (202)
693-2222.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Owen, Directorate of Standards
and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3641, 200
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-
2222. A copy of the Agency's Information-Collection Request (ICR)
supporting the need for the information-collection requirements
specified in the MDA General Industry Standard is available for
inspection and copying in the Docket Office, or by requesting a copy
from Todd Owen at (202) 693-2222. For electronic copies of the ICR
contact OSHA on the Internet at http://www.osha.gov/comp-links.html,
and select ``Information Collection Requests.''
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 cost)
is minimal, collection instruments are clearly understandable, and
OSHA's estimate of the information-collection burden is correct. The
Occupational Safety and Health Act of the 1970 (the Act) 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).
The information-collection requirements specified in the MDA
General Industry Standard protect employees from the adverse health
effects that may result from their exposure to MDA. The major
information-collection requirements of the MDA General Industry
Standard require employers to perform exposure monitoring; exposure
monitoring includes initial monitoring to determine the extent of
employee exposure to MDA; periodic (i.e., at least semi-annually)
monitoring if the employees' MDA exposures is at or below the
permissible exposure limit but above the action level; and additional
monitoring if any changes occur in MDA-production processes, control
equipment, personnel or work practices that may result in new or
increased employee exposures to MDA. Employers must routinely inspect
the hands, face and forearms of employees potentially exposed to MDA
for dermal exposure to MDA. Employers must also notify each employee in
writing, either individually or by posting results, within 15 days
after receiving exposure-monitoring results, establish written
compliance program, institute a respiratory-protection program in
accordance with 29 CFR 1910.134 (OSHA's Respiratory Protection
Standard); and develop a written emergency plan for any workplace that
could have an emergency (i.e. an unexpected and potentially hazardous
release of MDA).
Other paperwork requirements of the Standard specify that employers
must provide employees with medical examinations, including initial
examinations for new employees prior to their initial job assignment;
follow-up annual examinations for employees receiving initial medical
examinations; and emergency examinations if employees receive
potentially hazardous MDA exposures under emergency conditions. As part
of the medical-surveillance program, employers must provided specific
written information to the examining physicians, and obtain from these
physicians a written opinion regarding the employee's medical results
and exposure limitations.
Additional provisions of the Standard require employers to train
employees exposed to MDA at the time of their initial assignment and at
least annually thereafter. In addition, employers must post warning
signs at entrances or access ways to regulated areas; and label any
material or products containing MDA, this includes any containers
storing MDA-contaminated protective clothing and equipment. Personnel
who launder MDA-contaminated clothing must be informed by the employer
that the clothing is contaminated and the potentially harmful effects
of MDA.
The Standard also requires employers to establish and maintain
exposure-monitoring and medical-surveillance records for each employee
who is subject to these respective requirements, make any record
required by the Standard available to OSHA compliance officers and the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for
examination and copying, and provides exposure-monitoring and medical-
surveillance records to employees and their designated representatives.
Finally, employers who cease to do business without a successor
employer to receive and retain records for the require periods, and
employers who plan to dispose of records at the end of the required
retention periods, must transfer these records to NIOSH.
II. Special Issues for Comment
OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:
--Whether the information-collection requirements are necessary for the
proper performance of the Agency's functions, including whether the
information is useful;
[[Page 41403]]
--The accuracy of the Agency'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 proposes to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB)
approval of the collection-of-information requirements specified by the
Standards on 4, 4'-Methylenedianiline in General Industry (29 CFR
1910.1050). The Agency 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 information-collection
requirements.
Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information-
collection requirements.
Title: MDA General Industry Standard (29 CFR 1910.1050).
OMB Number: 1218-0184(2003).
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit
institutions; Federal government; State, local or tribal Governments.
Number of Respondents: 15.
Frequency: On occasion.
Total Responses: 807.
Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes to provide
information to the examining physician to 2 hours to conduct exposure-
monitoring.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 387 hours.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $11,430.
III. Authority and Signature
John L. Henshaw, 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) and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 5-2002 (67 FR 65008).
Dated: Signed at Washington, DC, on July 7, 2003.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 03-17633 Filed 7-10-03; 8:45 am]
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