[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 154 (Wednesday, August 11, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43737-43738]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20669]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. ICR-99-12]


Hazard Communication 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning the extension of the 
information collection requirements contained in the standard on Hazard 
Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200; 1915; 1917; 1918; 1926; 1928).

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 October 12, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to the Docket Office, Docket No. 
ICR-99-12, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 
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: Todd R. Owen, Directorate of Policy, 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Labor, Room N-3627, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 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 Hazard Communication 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 Hazard Communication, 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 Hazard Communication Standard ensures that 
employers and employees know about work hazards and how to protect 
themselves; this should help to reduce the incidence of chemical source 
illness and injury.

II. Proposed Actions

    OSHA proposes to extend the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
approval for the collections of information, paperwork, contained in 
the Hazard Communication Standard 29 CFR 1910.1200; 1915; 1917; 1918; 
1926; 1928.
    The Hazard Communication Standard's collection of information 
requirements are designed to ensure that the hazards of all chemicals 
produced or imported are evaluated and that information concerning 
their hazards is transmitted to employees and downstream employers. The 
standard requires chemical manufacturers and importers to evaluate 
chemicals they produce or import to determine if they are hazardous; 
for those chemicals determined to be hazardous, material safety data 
sheets and warning labels must be developed. Employers are required to 
establish a hazard communication program, to transmit information on 
the hazards of chemicals to their employees by means of labels on 
containers, material safety data sheets and training programs. 
Implementation of these collection of information requirements will 
ensure all employees have the ``right-to-know'' the hazards and 
identities of the chemicals they work with and will reduce the 
incidence of chemically-related occupational illness and injuries.
    OSHA will summarize the comments submitted in response to this 
notice and will include this summary in the request of OMB to extend 
the approval of the information collection requirements contained in 
the Hazard Communication Standard.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Agency: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
    Title: Hazard Communication Standard.
    OMB Number: 1218-0072.

[[Page 43738]]

    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Federal government; 
state, local or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 5,041,918.
    Frequency: On Occasion.
    Average Time per response: Time for response ranges from 
approximately 10 minutes for establishments to obtain and maintain 
material safety data sheets to 8 hours for manufacturers or importers 
to conduct a hazard determination.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 7,301,762.

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 4th day of August 1999.
Charles N. Jeffress,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 99-20669 Filed 8-10-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-M