[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 120 (Wednesday, June 23, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 33527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15957]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. ICR-99-4]


Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals; 
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 proposed reduction, and 
extension of the information collection requirements contained in the 
standard on Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29 
CFR 1910.119).
    The Agency is particularly interested in comments on the following:
     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 to be 
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: Written comments must be submitted on or before August 23, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments are to be submitted to the Docket Office, Docket 
No. ICR-99-4, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2350. Written comments 10 
pages or less in length may also be transmitted by facsimile to (202) 
693-1648.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney, Directorate of Safety 
Standards Programs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Room N-3605, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2222. A copy of the Agency's 
Information Collection Request (ICR) supporting the need for the 
information collection requirements in the Process Safety Management 
(PSM) standard is available for inspection and copying in the Docket 
Office, or will be mailed on request by telephoning Theda Kenney at 
(202) 693-2222 or Barbara Bielaski at (202) 693-2444. For electronic 
copies of the ICR on PSM, contact OSHA on the Internet at http://
www.osha-slc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: .

1. 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 impact 
of information collection requirements on respondents can be properly 
assessed.
    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 Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous 
Chemicals Standard (29 CFR 1910.119) prevent or minimize the 
consequences of accidents involving highly hazardous chemicals.

II. Proposed Actions

    OSHA proposes to reduce its earlier estimates of the burden hours 
for the Process Safety Management Standard from 93,407,489 to 
73,111,180 hours. The burden reduction resulted when the Agency 
reestimated the number of plants and processes that were in compliance 
with the standard before it was promulgated. Under ORA-95, the burden 
for activities that are a normal and customary business practice are 
not counted when calculating the burden associated with information 
collection requirements. 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 PSM standard.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Agency: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
    Title: Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29 
CFR 1910.119).
    OMB Number: 1218-0200.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Federal government; 
state, local or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 192,865.
    Frequency: Varies (on occasion, annually).
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes (.08 hr.) to 146.5 
hours.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 73,711,180.

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), Secretary of Labor's Order No. 6-96 (62 FR 111), and 29 
CFR part 11.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 24th day of May 1999.
Charles N. Jeffress,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 99-15957 Filed 6-22-99; 8:45 am]
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