[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]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-M