DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-99-4]

Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals; 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: Notice of an opportunity for public comment.

SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning the proposed reduction, and extension of the information collection requirements contained in the standard on Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29 CFR 1910.119).

The Agency is particularly interested in comments on the following:

• 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 to be collected; and

• Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply, for example, by using automated, electronic, mechanical, and other technological information and transmission collection techniques.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before August 23, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments are to be submitted to the Docket Office, Docket No. ICR-99-4, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2350. Written comments 10 pages or less in length may also be transmitted by facsimile to (202) 693-1648.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney, Directorate of Safety Standards Programs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3605, 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 in the Process Safety Management (PSM) standard is available for inspection and copying in the Docket Office, or will be mailed on request by telephoning Theda Kenney at (202) 693-2222 or Barbara Bielaski at (202) 693-2444. For electronic copies of the ICR on PSM, contact OSHA on the Internet at http://www.osha.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 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 impact of information collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.

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.) In this regard, the information collection requirements in the Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals Standard (29 CFR 1910.119) prevent or minimize the consequences of accidents involving highly hazardous chemicals.

II. Proposed Actions

OSHA proposes to reduce its earlier estimates of the burden hours for the Process Safety Management Standard from 93,407,489 to 73,111,180 hours. The burden reduction resulted when the Agency reestimated the number of plants and processes that were in compliance with the standard before it was promulgated. Under ORA-95, the burden for activities that are a normal and customary business practice are not counted when calculating the burden associated with information collection requirements. OSHA will summarize the comments submitted in response to this notice, and will include this summary in the request to OMB to extend the approval of the information collection requirements contained in the PSM standard.

Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information collection requirements.

Agency: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Title: Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29 CFR 1910.119).

OMB Number: 1218-0200.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Federal government; state, local or tribal government.

Number of Respondents: 192,865.

Frequency: Varies (on occasion, annually).

Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes (.08 hr.) to 146.5 hours.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 73,711,180.

III. Authority and Signature

Charles N. Jeffress, 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), Secretary of Labor's Order No. 6-96 (62 FR 111), and 29 CFR part 1911.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 24th day of May 1999.

Charles N. Jeffress,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.

[FR Doc. 99-15957 Filed 6-22-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-23-M