[Federal Register: April 5, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 65)][Notices]
[Page 16830-16832]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05ap07-132]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2007-0026]
Asbestos in General Industry; 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 public comments concerning its proposal to
extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements
specified in its Asbestos in General Industry Standard (29 CFR
1910.1001). The Standard protects employees from the adverse health
effects that may result from occupational exposure to Asbestos in
General Industry, including asbestosis, an emphysema-like condition;
lung cancer; mesothelioma; and gastrointestinal cancer.
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
June 4, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal
eRulemaking 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, OSHA Docket No. OSHA-2007-
0026, 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 ICR (OSHA-2007-0026). 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 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 also may contact Jamaa N. Hill
at the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jamaa N. Hill or 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 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 basic purpose of the information collection requirements in the
Standard is to document that employers in general industry are
providing their employees with protection from hazardous asbestos
exposure. Asbestos exposure results in asbestosis, an emphysema-like
condition; lung cancer; mesothelioma; and gastrointestinal cancer.
Several provisions of the Standard specify paperwork requirements,
including: Implementing an exposure monitoring program that notifies
employees of their exposure monitoring results; establishing a written
compliance program; and informing laundry personnel of the requirement
to prevent release of airborne asbestos above the time-weighted average
and excursion limit. Other provisions associated with paperwork
requirements include: Maintaining records of information obtained
concerning the presence, location, and quantity of asbestos-containing
materials (ACMs) and/or presumed asbestos-containing materials (PACMs)
in a building/facility; notifying housekeeping employees of the
presence and location of ACMs and PACMs in areas they may contact
during their work; posting warning signs demarcating regulated areas;
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; and affixing warning labels to asbestos-containing
products and to containers holding such products. Additional provisions
that contain paperwork requirements include: Developing specific
information and training programs for employees; using information,
data, and analyses to demonstrate that PACM does not contain asbestos;
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
exposure monitoring records, objective data used for exposure
determinations, and medical surveillance; 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 (NIOSH) on cessation of business, if so requested by NIOSH.
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.
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 proposed information collection requirements
are necessary for the proper performance of the Agency's functions to
protect employees, 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 requesting OMB to extend its approval of the information
collection requirements specified by the Standard on Asbestos in
General Industry. The Agency will summarize the comments submitted
in response to this notice, and will include this summary in its request
to OMB.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Title: Asbestos in General Industry (29 CFR 1910.1001).
OMB Number: 1218-0133.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
Number of Respondents: 243.
Frequency: Annually; semi-annually.
Total Responses: 65,048.
Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes to maintain
records to 1.5 hours for employees to receive training or medical
evaluations.
Estimated Total
Burden Hours: 23,849.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $1,625,143.
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; or (3) by hard copy. All
comments, attachments, and other material must identify the Agency name
and the OSHA docket number for this ICR (OSHA Docket No. OSHA-2007-
0026). 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 full name, date, and 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
website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on
using the http://www.regulations.gov Web site to submit comments and
access the docket is available at the website's "User Tips" link.
Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information about materials not
available through the website, 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. 5-2002 (67 FR
65008).
Signed at Washington, DC on April 2, 2007.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. E7-6367 Filed 4-4-07; 8:45 am]
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