[Federal Register: December 12, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 239)]
[Notices]
[Page 69425-69426]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12de03-91]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. ICR-1218-0145 (2004)]
Formaldehyde Standard (29 CFR 1910.1048); 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 decrease the
existing burden hour estimates, and to extend OMB approval of the
information collection requirements of the Formaldehyde Standard (29
CFR 1910.1048). The standard protects employees from adverse health
effects from occupational exposure to Formaldehyde.
DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received)
by February 10, 2004.
Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be sent
by February 10, 2004.
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-1218-0145 (2004), 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 4:15 p.m., e.s.t.
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-1218-0145 (2004), in
your comments.
Electronic: You may submit comments, but not attachments, through
the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov. (Please see the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below for additional information on
submitting comments.)
You may submit comments in response to this document by (1) Hard
copy, (2) FAX transmission (facsimile), or (3) electronically through
the OSHA Web page. Please note you cannot attach materials such as
studies or journal articles to electronic comments. If you have
additional materials, you must submit three copies of them to the OSHA
Docket Office at the address above. The additional materials must
clearly identify your electronic comments by name, date, subject and
docket number so we can attach them to your comments. 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 for information about security procedures
concerning the delivery of materials by express delivery, hand delivery
and messenger service.
II. Obtaining Copies of the Supporting Statement for the Information
Collection Request
The Supporting Statement for the Information Collection Request
(ICR) is available for downloading from OSHA's Web site at http://www.osha.gov.
The complete ICR, containing the OMB-83-I Form,
Supporting Statement, and attachments, is available for inspection and
copying in the OSHA Docket Office, at the address listed above. A
printed copy of the ICR can 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-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 correct. The
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 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
Formaldehyde Standard protect employees from the adverse health effects
that may result from their exposure to Formaldehyde. The major
information collection requirements of the Formaldehyde Standard
require employers to perform exposure monitoring to determine employees
exposure to Formaldehyde, notifying employees of their Formaldehyde
exposures, providing examining physicians with specific information,
ensuring that employees receive a copy of their medical examination
results, training, maintaining employees' exposure monitoring and
medical records for specific periods, and providing access to these
records by OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, the affected employees, and their authorized representatives.
II. Special Issues for Comment
OSHA has a particular interest in comments of 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 proposes to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB)
approval of the collection of information requirements specified by the
Standard on Formaldehyde (29 CFR 1910.1048). OSHA is lowering its
burden hour estimate by 100.597 hours mainly as a result of lowering
the estimated number of employee medical examinations. 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: Formaldehyde Standard (29 CFR 1910.1048).
OMB Number: 1218-0145.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations;
Federal government; State, local, or tribal governments.
Number of Respondents: 133,196.
[[Page 69426]]
Frequency: On occasion.
Total Responses: 1,794,628.
Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes for employers to
maintain exposure monitoring and medical records for each employee to 1
hour for employees to receive a medical examination.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 490,482 hours.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $52,058,424.
IV. 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).
Signed at Washington, DC, on December 4, 2003.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 03-30789 Filed 12-11-03; 8:45 am]
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