[Federal Register: April 27, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 81)][Notices]               
[Page 21054-21055]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27ap07-85]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2007-0022]

 
Standard on Occupational Exposure to Noise (Noise); 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 OBM approval of the information collection requirements 
contained in its Noise Standard (29 CFR 1910.95). The information 
collection requirements specified in the Noise Standard protect 
employees from suffering material hearing impairment.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
June 26, 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 loner 
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-2007-0022, 
U.S. Department of Labor, 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-2007-0022). 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 (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 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 
extent feasible unnecessary duplication of efforts in obtaining 
information (29 U.S.C. 657).
    The information collection requirements specified in the Noise 
Standard protect employees from suffering material hearing impairment. 
The information collection requirements of the Noise Standard include 
conducting noise monitoring; notifying employees when they are exposed 
at or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels; providing 
employees with initial and annual audiograms; notifying employees of a 
loss in hearing based on comparing audiograms; training employees on 
the effects of noise, hearing protectors, and audiometric examinations; 
maintaining records of workplace noise exposure and employee 
audiograms; and allowing employees, OSHA, and NIOSH access to materials 
and records required by the Standard.

II. Special Issues for Comments

    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

    The Agency is requesting a reduction in burden hours from 5.18 
million to an estimated 2.85 million. The reduction is a result of 
reducing the number of participating employers and employees in 
manufacturing industries by 25%. OSHA 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: Noise Standard (29 CFR 1910.95).
    OMB Number: 1218-0048.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 379,512.
    Frequency: On occasion; annually.
    Total Responses: 16,610,221.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 2 minutes to notify 
employees when noise exposure exceeds the 8-hour time-weighted average 
of 85 decibels to 1 hour for employees in small establishments to take 
audiometric examinations.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 2,853,730 hours.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $40,993,579.

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 the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2007-0022). You 
may supplement electronic materials by uploading document files 
electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference 
to an electronic or a 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 Web site. All submissions, 
including coyrighted 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 
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. Goulke, 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 23, 2007.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 07-2081 Filed 4-26-07; 8:45 am]

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