• Publication Date:
  • Publication Type:
    Notice
  • Fed Register #:
    80:57231-57232
  • Standard Number:
  • Title:
    The Lead in Construction Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 183 (Tuesday, September 22, 2015)][Notices][Pages 57231-57232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24100]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2012-0014]


The Lead in Construction Standard; 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 comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to
extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the
information collection requirements contained in the Lead in
Construction Standard (29 CFR 1926.62).

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
November 23, 2015.

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 your comments and attachments
to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2012-0014, Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, 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 the
OSHA docket number (OSHA-2012-0014) for the Information Collection
Request (ICR). 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 from the Web site. All submissions,
including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You also may contact Theda Kenney at
the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney 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 collection of
information requirements in accord 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 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 purpose of the Lead in Construction Standard and its collection
of information (paperwork) requirements is to reduce occupational lead
exposure in the construction industry. Lead exposure can result in both
acute and chronic effects and can be fatal in severe cases of lead
toxicity. Some of the health effects associated with lead exposure
include brain disorders which can lead to seizures, coma, and death;
anemia; neurological problems; high blood pressure; kidney problems;
reproductive problems; and decreased red blood cell production. The
major collection of information requirements of the Standard are:
conducting worker exposure assessments; notifying workers of their lead
exposures; establishing, implementing and reviewing a written
compliance program annually; labeling containers of contaminated
protective clothing and equipment; providing medical surveillance to
workers; providing examining physicians with specific information;
ensuring that workers receive a copy of their medical surveillance
results; posting warning signs; establishing and maintaining exposure
monitoring, medical surveillance, medical removal and objective data
records; and providing workers with access to these records. The
records are used by employees, physicians, employers and OSHA to
determine the effectiveness of the employer's compliance efforts.

II. Special Issues for Comment

    OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:
     Whether the proposed collection of information
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 collection of information 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 an adjustment decrease of 216,744 burden
hours (from 1,460,430 to 1,243,686 burden hours). The decrease in
burden hours is due to an estimated overall decrease in the number of
covered establishments, based on updated data and estimates. There is
also an estimated increase in operation and maintenance costs of
$6,849,923, from $60,093,015 to $66,942,938. The increase in operation
and maintenance costs is mainly due to the increased cost of lab
analysis of samples and the increase in cost of the monitoring
equipment.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Title: Lead in Construction Standard (29 CFR 1926.62).
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0189.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits.
    Number of Respondents: 119,853.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion; Quarterly; Bi-monthly; Semi-
annually; Annually.
    Total Responses: 8,284,730.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 1 minute (.02 hour) for a
clerical employee to notify employees of their right to seek a second
medical opinion to 8 hours to develop a compliance plan.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,243,686.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $66,942,938.

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 (Docket No. OSHA-2012-0014).
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 their social security number 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 from this Web site. 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 Web
site's "User Tips" link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information
about materials not available from the Web site, and for assistance in
using the Internet to locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, 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. 1-2012
(77 FR 3912).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on September 16, 2015.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2015-24100 Filed 9-21-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P