The 13 Carcinogens Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0085 (2000)]

The 13 Carcinogens 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: Notice of an opportunity for public comment.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning the extension of, and

increase in, the information collection requirements contained in the

13 Carcinogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1003, 29 CFR 1915.1003, and 29 CFR

1926.1103).

Request for Comment

The Agency is particularly interested in comments on the following

issues:

Whether the information collection requirements are

necessary for the proper performance of the Agency's functions,

including whether the information is useful;

The accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden (time

and costs) of the information collection requirements, including the

validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

The quality, utility, and clarity of the information

collected; and

Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply;

for example, by using automated, electronic, mechanical, and other

technological information and transmission collection techniques.

DATES: Submit written comments on or before January 10, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to the Docket Office, Docket No.

ICR-1218-0085 (2000), Occupational Safety and Health Administration,

U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2350. Commenters may

transmit written comments of 10 pages or less in length by facsimile to

(202) 693-1648.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd R. Owen, Directorate of Policy,

[[Page 61370]]

Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of

Labor, Room N-3627, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC

20210; telephone: (202) 693-2444. A copy of the Agency's Information

Collection Request (ICR) supporting the need for the information

collection requirements in the 13 Carcinogens Standard is available for

inspection and copying in the Docket Office, or mailed on request by

telephoning Todd R. Owen or Barbara Bielaski at (202) 693-2444. For

electronic copies of the ICR on the 13 Carcinogens Standard, contact

OSHA on the Internet at http://www.osha-slc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTRY INFORMATION:

I. Background

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 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 correct.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 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.) In this regard, the information collection

requirements in the 13 Carcinogens Standard provides protection for

employees from the adverse health effects associated with occupational

exposure to 13 carcinogenic chemicals. This information collection

request (ICR) covers the following carcinogens: 4-Nitrobiphenyl

(Sec. 1910.1003), alpha-Naphthlamine (Sec. 1910.1004), methyl

chloromethyl ether (Sec. 1910.1006), 3,'-Dichlorobenzidine (and its

salts) (Sec. 1910.1007), bis-Chloromethyl ether (Sec. 1910.1008), beta-

Naphthylamine (Sec. 1910.1009), Benzidine (Sec. 1910.1010), 4-

Aminodiphenyl (Sec. 1910.1011), Ethyleneimine (Sec. 1910.1012), beta-

Propiolactone (Sec. 1910.1013), 2-Acetylaminofluorene (Sec. 1910.1014),

4-Dimethylaminoazo-benzene (Sec. 1910.1015), and N-Nitrosodimethylamine

(Sec. 1910.1016).

II. Proposed Actions

OSHA proposes to extend the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

approval for the collections of information (paperwork) contained in

the 13 Carcinogens Standard at 29 CFR 1910.1003, 1915.1003, 1926.1103.

The 13 Carcinogens Standard requires employers to develop signs and

labels to warn employees about the hazards associated with the 13

carcinogens. Also, employers must notify OSHA Area Directors of new

regulated areas, changes to regulated areas, and incidents that occur

in regulated areas. Employers must establish and implement a medical

surveillance program for employees assigned to enter regulated areas.

This program must inform employees of their medical examination results

and provide them with access to their medical records. In addition,

employers must retain employee medical records for specified time

periods and provide these records to the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health under certain circumstances.

OSHA will summarize the comments submitted in response to this

notice, and will include this summary in the request to OMB to extend

the approval of the information collection requirements contained in

the 13 Carcinogens Standard.

Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information

collection requirements.

Agency: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Title: The 13 Carcinogens Standard.

OMB Number: 1218-0085.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Federal government;

state, local or tribal government.

Number of Respondents: 97.

Frequency: On occasion.

Average Time per Response: Time per response ranges from

approximately 5 minutes (for employers to maintain records) to 5 hours

(for employers to develop emergency/incident reports).

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 2,798.

Estimated Cost: (Operation and Maintenance): $86,226.

III. Authority and Signature

Charles N. Jeffress, 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) and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 6-96 (62 FR 111).

Signed at Washington, DC, this 3 day of November 1999.

Charles N. Jeffress,

Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 99-29413 Filed 11-9-99; 8:45 am]

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