[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 146 (Wednesday, July 30, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44817-44818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19346]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0108 (2003)]


Standard on Ethylene Oxide (EtO) (29 CFR 1910.1047); 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 comment.

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SUMMARY: OSHA requests comment concerning its proposed extension of the 
information-collection requirements contained in the Ethylene Oxide 
Standard (the ``EtO Standard'') (29 CFR 1910.1047).

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by September 29, 2003.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by September 29, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

I. Submission of Comments

    Regular mail, express delivery, hand-delivery, and messenger 
service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket 
Office, Docket No. ICR 1218-0108 (2003), Room N-2625, U.S. Department 
of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. OSHA 
Docket Office and Department of Labor hours of operation are 8:15 a.m. 
to 4:45 p.m., est.

[[Page 44818]]

    Facsimile: If your comments, including any attachments, are 10 
pages or fewer, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 
693-648. You must include the docket number, ICR 1218-0108 (2003), in 
your comments.
    Electronic: You may submit comments, but not attachments, through 
the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov/.
    You may submit comments in response to this document by (1) hard 
copy, (2) FAX transmission (facsimile), or (3) electronically through 
the OSHA web page. Please not you cannot attach materials such as 
studies or journal articles to electronic comments. if you have 
additional materials, you must submit three copies of them to the OSHA 
Docket Office at the address above. The additional materials must 
clearly identify your electronic comments by name, date, subject and 
docket number so we can attach them to your comments. Because of 
security-related problems there may be a significant delay in the 
receipt of comments by regular mail. Please contact the OSHA Docket 
office at (202) 693-2350 for information about security procedures 
concerning the delivery of materials by express delivery, hand delivery 
and messenger service.

II. Obtaining Copies of the Information Collection Request

    The Supporting Statement of the Information Collection Request 
(ICR) is available for downloading form OSHA's web site at 
www.osha.gov. The complete ICR, containing the OMB83-I Form, Supporting 
Statement, and attachments, is available for inspection and copying in 
the OSHA Docket Office, at the address listed above. A printed copy of 
the ICR can be obtained by contacting Todd Owen at (202) 693-2222.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Owen, Directorate of Standards 
and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3609, 200 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-
2222.

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 clearly understood, and OSHA's 
estimate of the information 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 of 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 EtO 
Standard protect employees from the adverse health effects that may 
result from their exposure to EtO. The major information-collection 
requirements of the EtO Standard include notifying employees of their 
EtO exposures, implementing a written compliance program, providing 
examining physicians with specific information, ensuring that employees 
receive a copy of their medical-examination results, maintaining 
employees' exposure-monitoring and medical records for specific 
periods, and providing access to these records by OSHA, the National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the affected employees, 
and their authorized representatives.

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 to 
protect workers, including whether the information is useful;
    [sbull] 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;
    [sbull] The quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
collected; and
    [sbull] 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 proposes to decrease the existing burden-hour estimate, and to 
extend OMB's approval, of the collection-of-information requirements 
contained in the EtO Standard. The Agency is decreasing its previous 
estimate of 49,200 hours to 43,991 hours. This 5,209 hour decrease 
mainly results from the 313 new hospitals identified in the previous 
ICR completing one time activities such as initial exposure-monitoring 
and initial employee medical examinations. 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 these 
information-collection requirements.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information-
collection requirement.
    Title: Ethylene Oxide Standard (29 CFR 1910.1047).
    OMB Number: 1218-0108.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Federal government, 
state, local or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 5,667.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Total Responses: 232,564.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes to provide 
information to the examining physician to 2 hours for employees to 
receive medical examinations.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 43,991.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $6,595,597.

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. 5-2002 (67 FR 65008).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on July 25, 2003.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 03-19346 Filed 7-29-03; 8:45 am]
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