[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 65 (Thursday, April 5, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16830-16832]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-6367]


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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.

[[Page 16831]]


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:
    <bullet> 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;
    <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.

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

[[Page 16832]]

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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