[Federal Register: October 27, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 207)]
[Notices]
[Page 62002-62003]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27oc05-64]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0134 (2006)]


Asbestos in Construction 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 comments concerning its request for an extension
of the information collection requirements contained in the Asbestos in
Construction Standard (29 CFR 1926.1101). The standard protects
employees from adverse health effects from occupational exposure to
Asbestos, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis (an
emphysema-like condition) and gastrointestinal cancer.

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-
1218-0134(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 also may 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, U.S. Department of Labor, 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 cost)
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 final rule for the Standards
Improvement Project--Phase II (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 two revisions to collections of
information contained in the Asbestos in Construction Standard. The
revisions included modifying the time the employer has to provide their
employees with exposure-monitoring results in 1926.1101(f)(5)(ii) from
``as soon as possible following receipt of the results'' to ``as soon
as possible but no later than 5 working days after the receipt of the
results,'' and removing the requirement to send the certification and
evaluation documentation required under Sec.  1926.1101(g)(6)(iii) to
OSHA's Directorate of Technical Support. The reduction in burden hours
was taken in the prior ICR.
    The information collection requirements specified in the Asbestos
in Construction Standard protect employees from the adverse health
effects that may result from asbestos exposure. The major information
collection requirements of the Asbestos in Construction Standard
include: Implementing an exposure-monitoring program that informs
employees of their exposure-monitoring results; and at multi-employer
worksites, notification of other onsite employers by employers
establishing regulated areas for the type of work performed with
asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) and/or presumed asbestos-
containing materials (PACMs); the requirements that pertain to
regulated areas; and the measures they can use to protect their
employees from asbestos overexposure. Other provisions associated with
paperwork requirements include: evaluating and certifying alternative
control methods for Class I and Class II asbestos work and informing
laundry personnel of the requirement to prevent release of airborne
asbestos above the time-weighted average and excursion limit;
notification by employers and building/facility owners of designated
personnel and employees regarding the presence, location, and quantity
of ACMs and/or PACMs; using information, data, and analyses to
demonstrate that PACM does not contain asbestos; posting signs in
mechanical rooms/areas that employees may enter and that contain ACMs
and PACMs, informing them of the identity and location of these
materials and work practices that prevent disturbing the materials;
posting warning signs demarcating regulated areas; and affixing warning
labels to asbestos-containing products and to containers holding such
products. Additional provisions of the Standard that contain paperwork
requirements include: Developing specific information and training
programs for employees; providing medical surveillance for employees
potentially exposed to ACMs and/or PACMs, including administering an
employee medical questionnaire, providing information to the examining
physician, and providing the physician's written opinion to the
employee; maintaining records of objective data used for exposure
determinations, employee exposure-monitoring and medical surveillance
records, training records, the record (i.e., information, data, and
analyses) used to demonstrate that PACM does not contain asbestos, and
notifications made and received by building/facility owners regarding the 
content to ACMs and PACMs; making specified records (e.g., exposure-monitoring
and medical surveillance records) available to designated parties; and transferring
exposure-monitoring and medical surveillance records to the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on cessation of business.
    These paperwork requirements permit employers, employees and their
designated representatives, OSHA, and other specified parties to
determine the effectiveness of an employer's asbestos-control program.
It provides notification to building owners, subsequent building
owners, contractors and employees of the presence of asbestos so that
precautions can be taken to protect workers. It provides for monitoring
and medical surveillance to assure that exposures are kept low and
early symptoms are detected. Accordingly, the requirements ensure that
employees exposed to asbestos receive 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 information collection requirements are necessary for the
proper performance of the Agency's functions, including whether the
information is useful;
--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 is requesting that OMB extend approval of the collection of
information requirements necessitated by the Asbestos in Construction
Standard (29 CFR 1926.1101). 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: Asbestos in Construction Standard (29 CFR 1926.1101).
    OMB Number: 1218-0134.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations;
Federal government; State, local or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 286,821.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Total Responses: 53,719,202.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes ot maintain
records to 17.3 hours to train a competent person.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 5,569,658.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $30,730,200.

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 paged 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 information such as social security
numbers should not be submitted.

V. Authority and Signature

    Jonathan L. Snare, Acting 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. 5-
2002 (67 FR 65008).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on October 21, 2005.
Jonathan L. Snare,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 05-21479 Filed 10-26-05; 8:45 am]

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