[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 126 (Thursday, July 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35699-35700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-16808]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. ICR-99-3]


Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER); 
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 Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response 
(HAZWOPER) (29 CFR 1910.120).

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 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 August 30, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to the Docket Office, Docket No. 
ICR-99-3, 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 10 pages or less in length 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, N.W., 
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 HAZWOPER standard is 
available for inspection and copying in the Docket Office, or 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 
HAZWOPER, contact OSHA on the Internet at http://www.osha-slc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY 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 HAZWOPER Standard (29 CFR 1910.120) prevent or

[[Page 35700]]

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 HAZWOPER Standard from 2,229,062 to 1,592,338 hours. The burden 
reduction resulted when the Agency reestimated the number of clean-up 
sites, as well as the number of storage, treatment, and disposal (STD) 
sites (also referred to as Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 
[RCRA] sites) from 725 to 1,115. OSHA determined that the number of 
emergency response units remained the same as originally estimated. The 
Agency also changed the methodology for the training requirements and 
medical surveillance provisions, using the number of employees rather 
than sites to better estimate the burden hours for these provisions.
    In addition, OSHA identified several activities as usual and 
customary business practices. Under PRA-95, the burden associated with 
usual and customary activities are not calculated as part of the 
paperwork burden.
    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 HAZWOPER standard.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Agency: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
    Title: Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) 
(29 CFR 1910.120).
    OMB Number: 1218-0202.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Federal government; 
state, local or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 38,363.
    Frequency: Varies (On Occasion, Annually).
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes (.08 hr.) to 64 
hours.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,592,338.

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 1911.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 25th day of June 1999.
Charles N. Jeffress,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 99-16808 Filed 6-30-99; 8:45 am]
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