[Federal Register: November 4, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 214)]
[Notices]
[Page 65683-65685]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04no08-79]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2008-0048]
The Asbestos in Shipyards Standard; Extension of the Office of
Management and Budget's 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 proposal to extend
OMB approval of the information collection requirements specified in
the Asbestos in Shipyards Standard (29 CFR 1915.1001).
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
January 5, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal e-
Rulemaking 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 three copies of your comments
and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2008-0048,
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 for the Information Collection Request (ICR) (OSHA-2008-
0048). 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
[[Page 65684]]
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
through the Web site. All submissions, including copyrighted material,
are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You
may also contact Todd Owen at the address below to obtain a copy of the
ICR.
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 (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 that OSHA 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 Asbestos
in Shipyards Standard protect employees from the adverse health effects
that may result from occupational exposure to asbestos. The major
information collection requirements in the Standard include:
Implementing an exposure monitoring program that informs
employees of their exposure-monitoring results;
At multi-employer worksites, notification of other on-site
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 the employers can use to
protect their employees from asbestos overexposure;
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; and
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 of ACMs and PACMs.
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 proposing to extend the information collection requirements
contained in the Asbestos in Shipyards Standard (29 CFR 1915.1001). The
Agency is requesting an increase in its current burden hour total from
1,426 hours to 1,621 for a total increase of 195 hours. The adjustment
is primarily the result of an increase in the number of shipyards that
may have employees exposed to asbestos. The Agency will summarize the
comments submitted in response to this notice and will include this
summary in the request to OMB.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Title: Asbestos in Shipyards Standard (29 CFR 1915.1001).
OMB Number: 1218-0195.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; Federal Government;
State, Local or Tribal Government.
Frequency: On occasion.
Average Time Per Response: Varies from 5 minutes (.08 hour) to
provide information to the examining physician to 1.83 hours to develop
alternative control methods.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,621.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $37,798.
IV. 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-2008-0048). 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
date 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.
[[Page 65685]]
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.
V. Authority and Signature
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., 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. 5-2007 (72 FR
31159).
Signed at Washington, DC, on October 29, 2008.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. E8-26210 Filed 11-3-08; 8:45 am]
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