[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 52 (Monday, March 18, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12050-12051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-6449]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0072(2002)]


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: Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning its proposal to decrease the 
total burden hour estimates for, and to extend OMB approval of, the 
collection-of-information requirements specified by the Hazard 
Communication Standard (HCS) (29 CFR 1910.1200; 1915.1200; 1917.28; 
1918.90; 1926.59; 1928.21).\1\ The HCS requires employers to establish 
written hazard communication programs to transmit information on the 
hazards of chemicals to their employees by means of labels on 
containers, material safety data sheets, and training programs.
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    \1\ Based on its assessment of the paperwork requirements 
contained in this standard, the Agency estimates that the total 
burden hours decreased compared to its previous burden-hour 
estimate. Under this notice, OSHA is not proposing to revise these 
paperwork requirements in any manner, only to decrease the burden-
hour estimate imposed by the existing paperwork requirements.

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DATES: Submit written comments on or before May 17, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to the Docket Office, Docket No. 
ICR-1218-0072(2002), 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 Hazard Communication 
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 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.)
    The information-collection requirements in the Hazard

[[Page 12051]]

Communication Standard ensures 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 
established hazard communication programs, 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 illnesses and injuries.

II. Special Issues for Comment

    OSHA has particularly 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 OSHA'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.

III. Proposed Actions

    OSHA is requesting to decrease the existing burden-hour estimate 
for, and to extend OMB approval of, the collection-of-information 
requirements specified by the Standard. In this regard, the Agency is 
requesting to decrease the current burden hour estimate from 7,560,232 
hours to 7,498,766 hours, a total decrease of 61,466 hours. Based on 
more recent data, the Agency reduced the number of establishments, 
shipped containers, and in-plant containers used to calculate the 
burden hour and cost estimates. OSHA will summarize the comments 
submitted in response to this notice, and will include this summary in 
its request to OMB to extend its approval of these information-
collection requirements.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information-
collection requirements.
    Title: Hazard Communication Standard.
    OMB Number: 1218-0072.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; Federal government; State, local or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 6,035,925.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Average Time per response: Varies 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: 7,498,766 hours.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $247,187.

IV. Authority and Signature

    John L. Henshaw, 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. 3-2000 (65 FR 50017).

    Signed at Washington, DC on March 8, 2002.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 02-6449 Filed 3-15-02; 8:45 am]
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