[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11087-11088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-4867]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0061 (2000)]


1, 2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP); Extension of the Office of 
Management of 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 extension of the 
information-collection requirements contained in the Cotton Dust 
Standard (29 CFR 1910.1043).

Request for Comment

    The Agency has a particular interest 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 or other technological information-
collection and -transmission techniques.

DATES: Submit written comments on or before May 1, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to the Docket Office, Docket No. 
ICR-1218-0061 (2000), 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 of 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-3641, 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 Cotton Dust Standard is available for 
inspection and copying in the Docket Office, or you may request a 
mailed copy by telephoning Todd R. Owen at (202) 693-2444. For 
electronic copies of the ICR on the Cotton Dust Standard, contact OSHA 
on the Internet at http://www.osha.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 clearly understood, and OSHA's 
estimate of the information burden is correct. The Occupational Safety 
and Health Act of the 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).
    The information-collection requirements specified in the Cotton 
Dust Standard provide protection for employees from the adverse health 
effects associated with exposure to cotton dust. In this regard, the 
Cotton Dust Standard requires employers to monitor employee's exposure 
to cotton dust, monitor employee health, and provide employees with 
information about their exposures and the health effects of exposure to 
cotton dust.

 II. Proposed Actions

    OSHA proposes to reduce the existing burden hour estimate, and to 
extend the

[[Page 11088]]

OMB approval of, the collection-of- information (paperwork) 
requirements contained in the Cotton Dust Standard (29 CFR 1910.1043). 
The Agency is reducing its previous burden hour estimate of 138,184 
hours by 57,974 mainly due to a reduction of its earlier estimate of 
the number of employees potentially exposed to cotton dust. 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 Cotton Dust 
Standard (29 CFR 1910.1043).
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information-
collection requirements.
    Title: Cotton Dust Standard.
    OMB Number: 1218-0101.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Federal government; 
state, local or tribal government
    Number of Respondents: 547.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Total Responses: 280,655.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes to provide 
information to the examining physician to 2 hours to conduct exposure 
monitoring.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 80,210.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $5,777,108.

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) and Secretary of Labor's Order No 6-96 (62 FR 111).

    Signed at Washington, D.C., on February 24, 2000.
Charles N. Jeffress,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 00-4867 Filed 2-29-00; 8:45 am]
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