38674 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 137 / Friday, July 17, 1998 / Notices

approximately 200 DEA registered bulk

and dosage from manufacturers of

Schedules I and II controlled

substances. The quotas are necessary to

provide for the estimated medical,

scientific, research and industrial needs

of the United States, for export

requirements and the establishment and

maintenance of reserve stocks. While

aggregate production quotas are of

primary importance to large

manufacturers, their impact upon small

entities is neither negative nor

beneficial. Accordingly, the Acting

Deputy Administrator has determined

that this action does not require a

regulatory flexibility analysis.

Donnie R. Marshall,

Acting Deputy Administrator.

[FR Doc. 98–19084 Filed 7–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4410–09–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Solicitor

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request; Equal Access to

Justice Act

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as

part of its continuing effort to reduce

paperwork and respondent burden,

conducts a preclearance consultation

program to provide the general public

and Federal agencies with an

opportunity to comment on proposed

and/or continuing collections of

information in accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3505(c)(2)(A)]. The

program helps to ensure that requested

data can be provided in the desired

format, reporting burden (time and

financial resources) is minimized,

collection instruments are clearly

understood, and the impact of the

collection requirements on respondents

can be properly assessed. Currently the

Office of the Solicitor is soliciting

comment concerning the proposed

extension of the information collection

request (ICR) for applications to obtain

awards in administrative proceedings

subject to the Equal Access to Justice

Act.

The Department of Labor is

particularly interested in comments

which:

• Evaluate whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility;

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used;

• Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

• Minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, including through the

use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology,

e.g., permitting electronic submission of

responses.

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted by September 15, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments are to be

submitted to Department of Labor/The

Office of Solicitor Attn: Peter Galvin,

200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. (Room

N–2428) Washington D.C. 20210).

Written comments limited to 10 pages

or fewer may be transmitted by

facsimile to (202) 219–6896.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact Peter Galvin, The Office of

Solicitor, telephone (202) 219–8065 or

Todd Owen at (202) 219–5096 (ext 143).

Copies of the referenced information

collection request are available in room

N–1301, U.S. Department of Labor, 200

Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington,

D.C. 20210. A copy of the ICR, with

applicable supporting documentation,

may be obtained by calling the

Department of Labor, Departmental

Clearance Officer, Todd R. Owen ({202}

219–5096 Ext. 143) or by E-Mail to

Owen-Todd@dol. gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Equal Access to Justice Act

provides for the award of fees and

expenses to certain parties involved in

administrative proceedings with the

United States. The statute requires, at 5

U.S.C. sec. 504(a)(2), that a party

seeking an award of fees and other

expenses in a covered administrative

proceeding must submit to the agency

‘‘an application which shows that the

party is prevailing party and is eligible

to receive an award’’ under the Act. The

Department of Labor’s regulations

implementing the Equal Access to

Justice Act contain a subpart which

specifies the contents of applications for

an award, 29 CFR Part 16, Subpart B.

II. Current Actions

This notice requests an extension of

the current Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) approval of the

paperwork requirements for the

contents of applications for an award

under the Equal Access to Justice Act.

Type of Review: Extension.

Agency: Office of the Solicitor.

Title: Equal Access to Justice Act.

OMB Number: 1225–0013.

Affected Public: Individuals or

household; Business or other for-profit;

Not-for-profit institutions; Federal

Government; State, Local or Tribal

Government.

Total Respondents: 10.

Frequency: On occasion.

Total Responses: 10.

Average Time per Response: 5 hours.

Estimated Total Burden Hours. 1

hour.

Total Annualized capital/startup

costs: 0.

Total initial costs: 0.

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and may

be included in the request for OMB

approval of the final information

collection request. The comments will

become a matter of public record.

Dated: July 13, 1998.

Robert A. Shapiro,

Associate Solicitor for Legislation and Legal

Counsel.

[FR Doc. 98–19111 Filed 7–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–23–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment Standards

Administration, Wage and Hour

Division

Minimum Wages for Federal and

Federally Assisted Construction;

General Wage Determination Decisions

General wage determination decisions

of the Secretary of Labor are issued in

accordance with applicable law and are

based on the information obtained by

the Department of Labor from its study

of local wage conditions and data made

available from other sources. They

specify the basic hourly wage rates and

fringe benefits which are determined to

be prevailing for the described classes of

laborers and mechanics employed on

construction projects of a similar

character and in the localities specified

therein.

The determinations in these decisions

of prevailing rates and fringe benefits

have been made in accordance with 29

CFR Part 1, by authority of the Secretary

of Labor pursuant to the provisions of

the Davis-Bacon Act of March 3, 1931,

as amended (46 Stat. 1494, as amended,

40 U.S.C. 276a) and of other Federal

statutes referred to in 29 CFR Part 1,

Appendix, as well as such additional

statutes as may from time to time be
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 137 / Friday, July 17, 1998 / Notices 38675

enacted containing provisions for the

payment of wages determined to be

prevailing by the Secretary of Labor in

accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act.

The prevailing rates and fringe benefits

determined in these decisions shall, in

accordance with the provisions of the

foregoing statutes, constitute the

minimum wages payable on Federal and

federally assisted construction projects

to laborers and mechanics of the

specified classes engaged on contract

work of the character and in the

localities described therein.

Good cause is hereby found for not

utilizing notice and public comment

procedure thereon prior to the issuance

of these determinations as prescribed in

5 U.S.C. 553 and nor providing for delay

in the effective date as prescribed in that

section, because the necessity to issue

current construction industry wage

determinations frequently and in large

volume causes procedures to be

impractical and contrary to the public

interest.

General wage determination

decisions, and modifications and

supersedes decisions thereto, contain no

expiration dates and are effective from

their date of notice in the Federal

Register, or on the date written notice

is received by the agency, whichever is

earlier. These decisions are to be used

in accordance with the provisions of 29

CFR Parts 1 and 5. Accordingly, the

applicable decision, together with any

modifications issued, must be made a

part of every contract for performance of

the described work within the

geographic area indicated as required by

an applicable Federal prevailing wage

law and 29 CFR Part 5. The wage rates

and fringe benefits, notice of which is

published herein, and which are

contained in the Government Printing

Office (GPO) document entitled

‘‘General Wage Determinations Issued

Under The Davis-Bacon And Related

Acts,’’ shall be the minimum paid by

contractors and subcontractors to

laborers and mechanics.

Any person, organization, or

governmental agency having an interest

in the rates determined as prevailing is

encouraged to submit wage rate and

fringe benefit information for

consideration by the Department.

Further information and selfexplanatory forms for the purpose of

submitting this data may be obtained by

writing to the U.S. Department of Labor,

Employment Standards Administration,

Wage and Hour Division, Division of

Wage Determinations, 200 Constitution

Avenue, N.W., Room S–3014,

Washington, D.C. 20210.

Modifications to General Wage

Determination Decisions

The number of decisions listed in the

Government Printing Office document

entitled ‘‘General Wage Determinations

Issued Under the Davis—Bacon and

Related Acts’’ being modified are listed

by Volume and State. Dates of

publication in the Federal Register are

in parentheses following the decisions

being modified.

Volume I

Massachusetts

MA980001 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980002 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980003 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980005 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980007 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980010 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980012 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980012 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980015 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980017 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980018 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980019 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980020 (Feb. 13, 1998)

MA980021 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Rhode Island

RI980001 (Feb. 13, 1998)

RI980002 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Vermont

VT980025 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Volume II

Delaware

DE980001 (Feb. 13, 1998)

DE980002 (Feb. 13, 1998)

DE980004 (Feb. 13, 1998)

DE980005 (Feb. 13, 1998)

DE980009 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Volume III

Georgia

GA980003 (Feb. 13, 1998)

GA980004 (Feb. 13, 1998)

GA980032 (Feb. 13, 1998)

GA980033 (Feb. 13, 1998)

GA980050 (Feb. 13, 1998)

GA980065 (Feb. 13, 1998)

GA980073 (Feb. 13, 1998)

GA980085 (Feb. 13, 1998)

GA980086 (Feb. 13, 1998)

GA980087 (Feb. 13, 1998)

GA980088 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Volume IV

Illinois

IL980016 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Wisconsin

WI980020 (Feb. 13, 1998)

WI980021 (Feb. 13, 1998)

WI980030 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Volume V

Iowa

IA980004 (Feb. 13, 1998)

IA980005 (Feb. 13, 1998)

IA980017 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Nebraska

NE980007 (Feb. 13, 1998)

NE980009 (Feb. 13, 1998)

NE980010 (Feb. 13, 1998)

NE980011 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Volume VI

Colorado

CO98001 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980002 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980003 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980005 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980006 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980007 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980008 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980009 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980010 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980011 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980012 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980016 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980018 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980021 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980022 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980023 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO980024 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CO9800025 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Idaho

ID980001 (Feb. 13, 1998)

ID980003 (Feb. 13, 1998)

ID980013 (Feb. 13, 1998)

ID980014 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Oregon

OR980001 (Feb. 13, 1998)

OR980004 (Feb. 13, 1998)

OR980017 (Feb. 13, 1998)

Volume VII

Arizona

AZ980002 (Feb. 13, 1998)

AZ980004 (Feb. 13, 1998)

AZ980016 (Feb. 13, 1998)

AZ980017 (Feb. 13, 1998)

CA980029 (Feb. 13, 1998)

General Wage Determination

Publication

General wage determinations issued

under the Davis-Bacon and related Acts,

including those noted above, may be

found in the Government Printing Office

(GPO) document entitled ‘‘General Wage

Determinations Issued Under The DavisBacon and Related Acts.’’ This

publication is available at each of the 50

Regional Government Depository

Libraries and many of the 1,400

Government Depository Libraries across

the country.

The general wage determinations

issued under the Davis-Bacon and

related Acts are available electronically

by subscription to the FedWorld

Bulletin Board System of the National

Technical Information Service (NTIS) of

the U.S. Department of Commerce at

(703) 487–4630.

Hard-copy subscriptions may be

purchased from: Superintendent of

Documents, U.S. Government Printing

Office, Washington, DC 20402, (202)

512–1800.

When ordering hard-copy

subscription(s), be sure to specify the

State(s) of interest, since subscriptions

may be ordered for any or all of the

seven separate volumes, arranged by

State. Subscriptions include an annual

edition (issued in January or February)
38676 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 137 / Friday, July 17, 1998 / Notices

which includes all current general wage

determinations for the States covered by

each volume. Throughout the remainder

of the year, regular weekly updates are

distributed to subscribers.

Signed at Washington, D.C. This 9th Day

of July, 1998.

Carl J. Poleskey,

Chief, Branch of Construction Wage

Determinations.

[FR Doc. 98–18828 Filed 7–16–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–27–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Proposed Information Collection

Request Submitted for Public

Comment and Recommendations;

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

AGENCY: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as

part of its continuing effort to reduce

paperwork and respondent burden,

conducts a preclearance consultation

program to provide the general public

and Federal agencies with an

opportunity to comment on proposed

and/or continuing collections of

information in accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This

program helps to ensure that requested

data can be provided in the desired

format, reporting burden is minimized,

reporting forms are clearly understood,

and the impact of collection

requirements on respondents can be

properly assessed. Currently, the Bureau

of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting

comments concerning the proposed

revision of the ‘‘Census of Fatal

Occupational Injuries.’’ A copy of the

proposed information collection request

(ICR) can be obtained by contacting the

individual listed below in the addresses

section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted to the office listed in the

addresses section below on or before

September 15, 1998.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is

particularly interested in comments

which:

• Evaluate whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility;

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used;

• Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

• Minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, including through the

use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology,

e.g., permitting electronic submissions

of responses.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Karin G.

Kurz, BLS Clearance Officer, Division of

Management Systems, Bureau of Labor

Statistics, Room 3255, 2 Massachusetts

Avenue NE., Washington, D.C. 20212.

For further information contact Ms.

Kurz on 202–605–7628 (this is not a toll

free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

was delegated responsibility by the

Secretary of Labor for implementing

Section 24(a) of the Occupational Safety

and Health Act of 1970. This section

states the ‘‘the Secretary shall compile

accurate statistics on work injuries and

illnesses which shall include all

disabling, serious, or significant injuries

and illnesses * * *’’

Prior to the implementation of the

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

(CFOI), BLS generated estimates of

occupational fatalities for private sector

employers from a sample survey of

about 280,000 establishments. Studies

showed that occupational fatalities were

underreported in those estimates as well

as those compiled by regulatory, vital

statistics, and workers’ compensation

systems. Estimates varied widely

between 3,000 and 10,00 annually. In

addition, information needed to develop

prevention strategies was often missing

form these earlier programs.

In the late 1980s, the National

Academy of Sciences study, Counting

Injuries and Illnesses in the Workplace,

and the report, Keystone National Policy

Dialogue on Work-Related Illness and

Injury Recordkeeping, emphasized the

need for BLS to compile a complete

roster of work-related fatalities because

of concern over the accuracy of using a

sample survey to estimate the incidence

of occupational fatalities. These studies

also recommended the use of all

available data sources to compile

detailed information for fatality

prevention efforts.

BLS tested the feasibility of collecting

fatality data in this manner in 1989 and

1990. The resulting CFOI was

implemented in 32 States in 1991.

National data covering all 50 States and

the District of Columbia was compiled

and published for 1992–1996,

approximately eight months after each

calendar year.

The CFOI compiles comprehensive,

accurate, and timely information on

work-injury fatalities needed to develop

effective prevention strategies. The

system collects information concerning

the incident, demographic information

on the deceased, and characteristics of

the employer.

Data are used to:

—develop employee safety training

programs;

—develop and assess the effectiveness

of safety standards;

—conduct research for developing

prevention strategies; and

—compare fatalities between States.

In addition, States use the data to

publish State reports, to identify Statespecific hazards, to allocate resources

for promoting safety in the workplace,

and to evaluate the quality of work life

in the State.

II. Current Actions

In 1996, 6,112 workers lost their lives

as a result of injuries received on the

job. This official systematic, verifiable

count mutes controversy over the

various counts from different sources.

The CFOI count has been adopted by

the National Safety Council and other

organizations as the sole source of a

comprehensive count of fatal work

injuries for the U.S. If this information

were not collected, the confusion over

the number and patterns in fatal

occupational injuries would continue,

thus hampering prevention efforts. By

providing timely occupational fatality

data, the CFOI program provides safety

and health managers the information

necessary to respond to emerging

workplace hazards.

In 1997, BLS Washington staff

responded to over 3,000 requests for

CFOI data from various organizations.

(This figure excludes requests received

by the States for State-specific data.) In

addition, BLS Washington staff

responded to numerous requests from

safety organizations for staff members to

participate in safety conferences and

seminars. The CFOI research file, made

available to safety and health groups, is

being used by 50 organizations to

conduct studies on specific topics, such

as protective equipment use, forklift

injuries, tractor-trailer tipovers,

powerline electrocutions, homicides,

construction industry falls, highway

construction, and logging and forestry

fatalities. (A current list of research

articles and reports that include CFOI

data can be found in BLS Report 922,