[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 102 (Wednesday, May 28, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28859-28861]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-13927]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5831-7]


OMB Review of Pesticide Information Collection Activities

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection 
Requests (ICR) abstracted below have been forwarded to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describe 
the nature of the information collection and expected cost and burden; 
where appropriate, they include the actual data collection instrument.


[[Page 28860]]


DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 27, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A COPY CALL: Sandy Farmer at EPA, (202) 260-
2740, and refer to EPA ICR No. 0155.06 or EPA ICR No. 1759.02.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    1. Review Requested: This is a request to extend the OMB approvals 
for the following two approved information collection activities 
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12.
    Title: Certification of Pesticide Applicators.
    ICR No.: OMB Control No. 2070-0029; EPA ICR No. 0155.06.
    Expiration Date: June 30, 1997.
    Abstract: The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act 
(FIFRA) allows a pesticide to be classified as ``restricted use'' if 
the pesticide meets certain toxicity or criteria. Restricted use 
pesticides, because of their potential to harm people or the 
environment, may be applied only by a certified applicator or someone 
under the direct supervision of a certified applicator. In order to 
become a certified applicator, a person must meet certain standards of 
competency. The primary mechanism for certifying pesticide applicators 
is State certification plans approved by EPA. 40 CFR part 171 
establishes the criteria for State and EPA administered certification 
plans. In addition, these regulations establish criteria for 
certification plans from Federal agencies or Indian tribes who wish to 
develop their own program in lieu of using State certification 
programs.
    The recordkeeping and reporting requirements in these regulations 
allow the Agency to ensure that restricted use pesticides are used only 
by or under the direct supervision of properly trained and certified 
applicators, and to monitor the application of restricted use 
pesticides.
    Burden Statement: The annual respondent burden for the 
Certification of Pesticide Applicators program is estimated to average 
3 hours per certified applicator, 78.4 hours per State reporting, 0.17 
hours per Colorado Federal Program, and 5 hours per Pesticide Dealer. 
These estimates include the time needed for: planning activities, 
creating information, gathering information, processing, compiling, and 
reviewing information for acuracy, recording, disclosing or displaying 
the information, and storing, filing, and maintaining the data. Third 
party notification is included in this ICR as the applicators are 
reporting to state lead agencies. No person is required to respond to a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's regulations are 
displayed in 40 CFR part 9.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Certified pesticide applicators who 
require certification to apply restricted use pesticides, and States, 
Indian tribes, and Federal Agencies with EPA-approved certification 
plans.
    Estimated No. of Respondents: 330,644.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 997,222 hours.
    Frequency of Collection: On occassion.
    2. Title: Pesticides Worker Protection Standard Training and 
Notification.
    ICR No.: OMB Control No. 2070-0148; EPA ICR No. 1759.02.
    Expiration Date: May 31, 1997.
    Abstract: The Worker Protection Standard (WPS) for agricultural 
pesticides, 40 CFR part 170 and 40 CFR part 156 subpart K, includes 
requirements for protection of agricultural workers and pesticide 
handlers from hazards of pesticides used on farms, on forests, in 
nurseries, and in greenhouses. 40 CFR part 170 contains the standard 
and workplace practices and 40 CFR part 156 prescribes the statements 
that must be placed on the pesticide label and in pesticide labeling. 
The WPS workplace practices are designed to reduce or eliminate 
exposure to pesticides and establish procedures for responding to 
exposure-related emergencies. The practices include prohibitions 
against applying pesticides in a way that would cause exposure to 
workers and others; a waiting period before workers can return to areas 
treated with pesticides (restricted entry period); basic safety 
training and distribution and posting of information about pesticide 
hazards, as well as pesticide application information; arrangements for 
the supply of soap, water, and towels in case of pesticide exposure; 
and provisions for emergency assistance.
    Prior to September 1995, the WPS information collection activities 
were covered under OMB ICR No. 2070-0060. In September 1995, however, 
OMB approved an ICR that consolidated all the WPS information 
collection activities under a new ICR (EPA No. 1759; OMB No. 2070-
0148). The information collection activity associated with the 
pesticides WPS includes a voluntary program to verify that training has 
been provided; the WPS provisions for display of basic pesticide safety 
information and pesticide-specific treatment (application) information 
at a central location on the agricultural establishment; the provisions 
requiring that employers provide employees with pesticide-specific 
treatment (application) information in the form of oral or written 
(posted) notification; the provisions that require the actual training 
for which the verification program was established or that basic 
pesticide safety information be provided to employees who have not 
completed the full WPS pesticide safety training and before they enter 
a treated area; the provisions requiring that pesticide handler 
employers provide pesticide-specific information to agricultural 
employers prior to treatment, that pesticide handler employers provide 
notification to handler employees regarding the safe operation and 
repair of equipment to be used in handling activities, and that 
pesticide handler employers provide emergency information on pesticide 
treatments to employees believed to be poisoned or those treating them; 
and the provisions requiring that employers provide employees with 
notification when exceptions/exemptions to the early entry restrictions 
are being implemented. (The major WPS labeling program was a one-time 
collection and is completed. Registrants of EPA-registered products may 
request that the Agency amend their previously approved label. Future 
requests from registrants for label amendments are covered as part of 
routine label amendments under a separate ICR approved by OMB under 
2070-0060 (EPA ICR No. 277)).
    The WPS requires that agricultural employers assure that 
agricultural workers and pesticide handlers are trained in basic 
pesticide safety practices to reduce the risk of pesticide poisoning 
and other injuries. The EPA Training Verification Program is intended 
to achieve this by requiring the issuance of safety information to 
workers and handlers. Upon the completion of the training, the WPS 
provides for the issuance of ``EPA-Approved Worker Protection Standard 
Training Certificates'' to workers and handlers to allow employers to 
verify that workers and handlers have received WPS safety training. The 
initial burden for this collection activity (24,990 burden hours) is 
predicted to taper off to a much lower annual burden.
    Burden Statement: The annual respondent burden for the Pesticides 
Worker Protection Standard Training and Notification program is 
estimated to average 0.23 hours per event. This estimate includes the 
time needed for: planning activities, creating information, gathering 
information, processing, compiling, and reviewing information for 
acuracy, recording,

[[Page 28861]]

disclosing or displaying the information, and storing, filing, and 
maintaining the data. Third party notification is included in this ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Parties affected by this information 
collection activity agricultural employers, including employers in 
farms, as well as nursery, forestry, and greenhouse establishments.
    Estimated No. of Respondents: 1,800,130.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2,238,304 hours.
    Frequency of Collection: On occassion.
    Send comments regarding the burden estimate, or any other aspect of 
the information collection, including suggestions for reducing the 
burden, to the following addresses. Please refer to EPA No. 0155.06 and 
OMB Control No. 2070-0029 or ICR No. 1759.02 and OMB No. 2070-0148, as 
appropriate, in any correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Regulatory 
Information Division (2137), 401 M Street, SW., Washington, D.C. 20460

    and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., 
Washington, D.C. 20503

    Dated: May 21, 1997.
Joseph Retzer,
Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 97-13927 Filed 5-27-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P