[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 169 (Thursday, September 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52134-52135]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17439]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0072(2005)]


Hazard Communication 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 comment.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB 
approval of the information collection requirements contained in the 
Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200; 1915.1200; 1917.28; 
1918.90; 1926.59; and 1928.21).

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by October 31, 2005.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by October 31, 2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0072(2005), 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) 889-5627). 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 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 above address. 
You also may contact Todd Owen at the address below to obtain a copy of 
the ICR.
    (For additional information on submitting comments, please see the 
``Public Participation'' heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this document.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Owen, Directorate of Standards 
and Guidance, OSHA, Room N-3609, U.S. Department of Labor, 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) (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 information collection requirements in the Hazard Communication 
Standard (``the Standard'') ensure that the hazards of chemicals 
produced or imported are evaluated, and that information concerning 
these hazards is transmitted to downstream employers and their 
employees. The Standard requires chemical manufacturers and importers 
to evaluate chemicals they produce or import to determine if they are 
hazardous; for those chemicals determined to be hazardous, they must 
develop material safety data sheets and warning labels. Employers are 
required to establish hazard communication programs to transmit 
information on the hazards of chemicals to their employees by means of 
labels on containers, material safety data sheets, and training 
programs.
    Implementation of these collection of information requirements will 
ensure that employees understand the hazards and identities of the 
chemicals to which they are exposed, thereby reducing the incidence of 
chemically-related occupational illnesses and injuries.

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.

III. Proposed Actions

    OSHA proposes to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) 
approval of the collection of information (paperwork) requirements 
necessitated by the Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200; 
1915.1200; 1917.28; 1918.90; 1926.59; and 1928.21). The Agency is 
requesting a 3 million hour increase adjustment, mainly as a result of 
increasing the estimated number of affected nonmanufacturing 
establishments.
    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 the collection of information requirements 
contained in the Standard.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Title: Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200; 1915.1200; 
1917.28; 1918.90; 1926.59; and 1928.21).
    OMB Number: 1218-0072.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; not-for-profit 
institutions; Federal government; State, local, or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 3,238,532.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Total Responses: 475,375,321.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 12 seconds for 
establishments to

[[Page 52135]]

label an in-plant container to 8 hours for manufacturers or importers 
to conduct a hazard determination.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 11,000,793.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $1,047,822.

IV. 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 transmission (facsimile), or (3) 
electronically through the OSHA Web page. Because of security-related 
problems, significant delays may occur 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 site 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.
    Electronic 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.

V. Authority and Signature

    Jonathan L. Snare, Deputy 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 August 29, 2005.
Jonathan L. Snare,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 05-17439 Filed 8-31-05; 8:45 am]
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