[Federal Register: February 15, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 31)][Notices] [Page 7464-7465]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15fe07-97]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2007-0008]
Standard on Formaldehyde; 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
contained in its Formaldehyde Standard (29 CFR 1910.1048). The Standard
protects employees from the adverse health effects that may result from
occupational exposure to Formaldehyde, including an itchy, runny, and
stuffy nose; a dry or sore throat; eye irritation; headache; and cancer
of the lung, buccal cavity, and pharynx.
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
April 16, 2007.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
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-
0008, 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.-4:45 p.m., e.t.
Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and OSHA
docket number for this ICR (OSHA Docket No. OSHA-2007-0008). 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 Todd Owen at
the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jamaa 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 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 principal paperwork provisions of the Formaldehyde Standard
require employers to perform exposure monitoring to determine
employees' exposure to Formaldehyde, notify employees of their
Formaldehyde exposures, provide medical surveillance to employees,
provide examining physicians with specific information, ensure that
employees receive a copy of their medical examination results, maintain
employees' exposure monitoring and medical records for specific periods,
and provide 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 on the following issues:
Whether the proposed 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 is requesting OMB to extend its approval of the information
collection requirements contained in the Formaldehyde Standard,
including an increase of 28,664 burden hours. The Agency 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 currently approved information
collection requirement.
Title: Formaldehyde Standard (29 CFR 1910.1048).
OMB Number: 1218-0145.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
Number of Respondents: 112,638.
Frequency: On occasion, semi-annually, annually.
Total Responses: 1,903,049.
Average Time per Response: Time per response ranges 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: 519,076 hours.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $55,325,688.
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-
0008). You may supplement electronic submissions 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 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 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 through the Web site, and
for assistance in using the internet to locate docket submissions.
Electronic copies of this Federal Register document are available
at http://www.regulations.gov. This document, as well as news releases and
other relevant information, also are available at OSHA's Web page at
http://www.osha.gov.
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 February 12, 2007.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. E7-2665 Filed 2-14-07; 8:45 am]
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