[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 181 (Tuesday, September 17, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48983-48985]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-23783]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Proposed Information Collection Request
ACTION: Notice.
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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
[[Page 48984]]
and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). This
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 collection requirements on respondents can be properly
assessed. Currently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
is soliciting comments concerning the proposed new collection of
information to develop the economic analysis for a hexavalent chromium
rulemaking that the Agency us undertaking.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addressee section below on or before November 18, 1996. 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 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: Comments are to be submitted to the Docket Office, Docket
No. ICR-96-14, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution
Ave, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20010, telephone (202) 219-7894 (not a
toll-free number). Written comments of 10 pages or less may also be
transmitted by facsimile to (202) 219-5046.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is
currently developing a proposal for a revised standard for exposure to
hexavalent chromium in response to a petition by the Oil, Chemical, and
Atomic Workers Union (OCAW) and Public Citizen to issue an Emergency
Temporary Standard under Section 6(c) of the OSH Act. The petition
asked OSHA to reduce the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for
hexavalent chromium to 0.5 g/m\3\ and to follow the Emergency
Temporary Standard with a Section 6(b)(5) rulemaking. [The current OSHA
PEL for chromium (VI) (Measured as CrO3) is 100 g/m\3\ as
a ceiling limit (29 CFR 1910.1000 Table Z-2).]
OSHA has initiated a Section 6(b)(5) rulemaking in response to the
OCAW petition. The scope of the rulemaking will cover the General
Industry, Agriculture, Construction, and Maritime sectors. To meet the
requirements of OSHA case law, Executive Order 12866 and the Regulatory
Flexibility Act, OSHA must develop an economic analysis (EA) for the
standard. Under the OSH Act, the Agency must also demonstrate the
economic and technological feasibility of the proposed standard.
To support its technological feasibility conclusions, OSHA must
gather information on technological solutions for controlling
hexavalent chromium exposure, including information on engineering
controls, chemical substitution, process modifications, work practice
controls, and personal protection equipment. OSHA particularly needs
information linking data on the exposure control measures in use at the
time of sampling and the levels of worker exposure to hexavalent
chromium achieved with these controls in a wise variety of industries
and job categories within these industries. Information of this type is
essential in order to determine the technological feasibility of
alternative PELs and to estimate the associated costs of compliance.
The Agency proposes to conduct as many as 50 site visits to affected
employers and to contact and interview by phone as many as 150 firms,
trade associations, labor organizations, or experts.
II. Current Actions
The proposed collection of information consists of site visits to
as many as 50 establishments within industries affected by the proposed
standard and phone interviews with as many as 150 employers, trade
associations, labor organizations, or experts in the field. Information
to be sought by these site visits will consist of identification of
processes that have exposures to hexavalent chromium; a description of
the production technology, controls and occupations of each process;
occupational exposure levels of employees at those processes; potential
new technologies or controls that may reduce exposures; estimates of
costs of current technology as wall as technology that could reduce
exposure levels; and other means used to control or reduce exposure
levels, such as administrative controls or work practices.
Type of Review: New.
Agency: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Title: Hexavalent Chromium Site Visits.
OMB Number: None.
Agency Number: ICR-96-14.
Frequency: Once.
Affected Public: Private businesses, federal government.
Number of Respondents: 150.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 30 hours, on average, for site
visits; \1/2\ hour on average for phone interviews.
Total Estimated Cost: $341,250.
For Further Information Contact: Anne C. Cyr, Acting Director,
Office of Information and Consumer Affairs, Occupational Safety and
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3647, 200
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20210. Telephone (202) 219-8148.
Copies of the information collection request are available for
inspection and copying in the Docket Office and will be immediately
mailed to persons who request copies by telephoning Vivian Allen at
(202) 219-8076. For electronic copies, contact OSHA's Web Page on
Internet at http://www.osha.gov/.
Dated: September 11, 1996.
Marthe Kent,
Director, Office of Regulatory Analysis, Directorate of Policy,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor.
Collection of information sought by OSHA for industries potentially
affected by the proposed hexavalent chromium rulemaking:
1. Identification of processes or operations that may result in
exposures to employees.
2. A description of the production process, its technology, and
control technology.
3. A description of activities by occupation that result in worker
exposures. How are employees exposed? During what work activities? What
is the length and frequency of exposure?
4. How many employees work in each process with exposures to the
substance in question? How many people are in each occupation at that
process?
5. What data is available of exposure levels of each occupation of
the process? Is historical data available?
6. What technology or controls are capable of reducing exposures?
What exposure levels could be achieved with other control technologies?
Are there
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substitutes for hexavalent chromium? Are there other technologies
employed by the industry?
7. Are the changes in administrative controls or work practices
that could affect employee exposures?
8. Estimates of the cost of the various means of reducing
occupational exposure levels. Estimates of the cost current controls.
9. General information from the establishment on number of
employees, number of production employees, products and production
levels.
10. Information about the technology, controls, and exposures for
the rest of the industry.
11What are the economic benefits of installing production
technology that reduces exposures?
[FR Doc. 96-23783 Filed 9-16-96; 8:45 am]
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