[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 2, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22016-22017]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-11024]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0099 (2001)]


Respiratory Protection Standard; Extension of the Office of 
Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of the 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 its proposal to decrease the 
existing burden-hour estimates, and to extend OMB approval of the 
collection-of-information requirements, of the Respiratory Protection 
Standard (29 CFR 1910.134).

DATES: Submit written comments on or before July 2, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to the Docket Office, Docket No. 
ICR-1218-0099 (2001), OSHA, 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 by 
facsimile to (202) 693-1648.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Owen, Directorate of Policy, 
OSHA, 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 collections specified in the Respiratory Protection 
Standard is available for inspection and copying in the Docket Office, 
or by requesting a copy from Todd Owen at (202) 693-2444. For 
electronic copies of the ICR contact OSHA on the Internet at http://www.osha.gov/comp-links. html, and select ``Information Collection 
Requests.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce 
paperwork and respondent (i.e., employer) burden, conducts a 
preclearance consultation program to provide the public 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 cost) 
is minimal, collection instruments are understandable, and OSHA's 
estimate of the information-collection burden is correct.
    The Respiratory Protection Standard's (Sec. 1910.134; hereafter, 
``Standard'') information-collection requirements require employers to: 
Develop a written respirator program; conduct employee medical 
evaluations and provide follow-up medical evaluations to determine the 
employee's ability to use a respirator; provide the physician or other 
licensed health care professional with information about the employee's 
respirator and the conditions under which the employee will use the 
respirator; and administer fit-tests for employees who will use 
negative or positive-pressure, tight-fitting facepieces. In addition, 
employers must ensure that employees store emergency-use respirators in 
compartments clearly marked as containing emergency-use respirators. 
For respirators maintained for emergency use, employers must label or 
tag the respirator with a certificate stating the date of inspection, 
the name of the individual who made the inspection, the findings of the 
inspection, required remedial action, and the identity of the 
respirator.
    The Standard also requires employers to ensure that cylinders used 
to supply breathing air to respirators have a certificate of analysis 
from the supplier stating that the breathing air meets the requirements 
for Type 1--Grade D breathing air; such certification assures employers 
that the purchased breathing air is safe. Compressors used to supply 
breathing air to respirators must have a tag containing the most recent 
change date and the signature of the individual authorized by the 
employer to perform the change. Employers must maintain this tag at the 
compressor. These tags provide assurance that the compressors are 
functioning properly.

II. Special Issues for Comment

    OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:
     Whether the proposed information-collection requirements 
are necessary for the proper performance of the Agency's functions, 
including whether the information is useful;

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     The accuracy of OSHA's estimate of the burden (time and 
cost) 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.

III. Proposed Actions

    OSHA is requesting to decrease the existing burden-hour estimate, 
and to extend OMB approval, of the collection-of-information 
requirements in the Standard. In this regard, the Agency is requesting 
to decrease the current burden-hour estimate from 8,926,558 hours to 
6,502,811 hours, a total reduction of 2,423,747 hours. The Agency will 
summarize the comments submitted in response to this notice, and will 
include this summary in its request to OMB to extend the approval of 
this information-collection requirements.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information-
collection requirements.
    Title: Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 1910.134).
    OMB Number: 1218-0099.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; Federal government; State, local or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 1,300,000.
    Frequency of Response: Annually; monthly; occasionally.
    Average Time per Response: Time per response varied from 8 hours 
for large facilities to develop a written respiratory program to 5 
minutes for employers to maintain employee medical-evaluation records.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 6,502,811 hours.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $72,900,680.

IV. Authority and Signature

    R. Davis Layne, Acting 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. 3-2000 (65 FR 
50017).

    Signed at Washington, DC on April 27th, 2001.
R. Davis Layne,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 01-11024 Filed 5-1-01; 8:45 am]
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