[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 199 (Monday, October 16, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60769-60770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-8692]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-1008(2006)]


Standard on Ethylene Oxide (EtO); 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 Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Standard (29 CFR 1910.1047). The 
Standard protects employees from the adverse health effects that may 
result from occupational exposure to EtO, including carcinogenic, 
mutagenic, genotoxic, reproductive, neurologic, and sensitization 
hazards to employees.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by December 15, 2006.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by December 15, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0108(2006), by any of the following methods:
    Regular mail, express delivery, hand-delivery, and messenger 
service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket 
Office, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-2350 (OSHA's TTY number 
is (877) 899-5627). OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor hours 
are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., e.t.
    Facsimile: If your comments are 10 pages or fewer in length, 
including attachments, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at 
(202) 693-1648.
    Electronic: You may submit comments through the Internet at  http://ecomments.osha.gov/. Follow instructions on the OSHA Web page for 
submitting comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read or download comments or 
background materials, such as the complete Information Collection 
Request (ICR) (containing the Supporting Statement, OMB--83-I Form, and 
attachments), go to OSHA's Web page at http://www.OSHA.gov. In 
addition, the ICR, comments and submissions are available for 
inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the address above. 
You also may contact Jamaa Hill at the address below to obtain a copy 
of the ICR. For additional information on submitting comments, please 
see the ``Public Participation'' heading in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

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 burden is accurate. The Occupational Safety 
and Health Act of the 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 EtO Standard require 
employers to notify employees of their EtO exposures, implement a 
written compliance program, administer medical examinations, 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:
    <bullet> Whether the proposed information collection requirements 
are necessary for the proper performance of the Agency's functions, 
including whether the information is useful;
    <bullet> 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;
    <bullet> The quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
collected; and
    <bullet> Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply; 
for example, by using automated or other technological information 
collection and transmission techniques.
    OSHA is proposing to decrease the existing burden hour estimate and 
to extend OMB's approval of the collection of information requirements 
contained in the EtO Standard. The Agency is requesting a decrease in 
burden hours for the collection of information contained in the EtO 
Standard from 43,972 hours to 42,732 hours. This 1,240-hour decrease 
mainly results from decrease in the number of hospitals (which are 
major EtO consumers). The agency will summarize the comments submitted 
in response to this notice, and will include this summary in its 
request to OMB to extend the approval of these information collection 
requirements.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection requirement.
    Title: Ethylene Oxide Standard (29 CFR 1910.1047).
    OMB Number: 1218-0108.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
    Number of Respondents: 5,474.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Total Responses: 209,256.
    Average Time per Response: Time per response ranges from 5 minutes 
(.08 hour) to provide information to the examining physician to 2 hours 
for employees to receive medical examinations.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 42,732.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $6,595,597.

III. Public Participation--Submission of Comments on this Notice and 
Internet Access to Comments and Submissions

    You may submit comments and supporting materials in response to 
this notice by (1) hard copy, (2) FAX

[[Page 60770]]

transmission (facsimile), (3) electronically through the OSHA Web page 
(see the section titled ADDRESSES above). Because of security-related 
problems, there may be a significant delay in the receipt of comments 
by regular mail. Please contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
2350 (TTY (877) 889-5627) for information about security procedures 
concerning the delivery of submissions by express delivery, hand 
delivery, and courier service.
    All comments, submissions, and background documents are available 
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the above 
address. Comments and submissions posted on OSHA's Web page are 
available at http://www.OSHA.gov. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for 
information about materials not available through the OSHA Web page and 
for assistance using the Web page to locate docket submissions. 
Electronics copies of this Federal Register notice, as well as other 
relevant documents, are available on OSHA's Web page. Since all 
submissions become public, private information such as social security 
numbers should not be submitted.

IV. 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 October 10, 2006.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 06-8692 Filed 10-13-06; 8:45 am]
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