[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 239 (Friday, December 12, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69425-69426]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-30789]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0145 (2004)]


Formaldehyde Standard (29 CFR 1910.1048); 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 solicits comments concerning its proposal to decrease the 
existing burden hour estimates, and to extend OMB approval of the 
information collection requirements of the Formaldehyde Standard (29 
CFR 1910.1048). The standard protects employees from adverse health 
effects from occupational exposure to Formaldehyde.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by February 10, 2004.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be sent 
by February 10, 2004.

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-1218-0145 (2004), 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 4:15 p.m., e.s.t.
    Facsimile: If your comments, including any attachments, are 10 
pages or fewer, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 
693-1648. You must include the docket number, ICR-1218-0145 (2004), in 
your comments.
    Electronic: You may submit comments, but not attachments, through 
the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov. (Please see the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below for additional information on 
submitting comments.)
    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 note 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 Supporting Statement for the Information 
Collection Request

    The Supporting Statement for the Information Collection Request 
(ICR) is available for downloading from OSHA's Web site at http://www.osha.gov. The complete ICR, containing the OMB-83-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 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 specified in the 
Formaldehyde Standard protect employees from the adverse health effects 
that may result from their exposure to Formaldehyde. The major 
information collection requirements of the Formaldehyde Standard 
require employers to perform exposure monitoring to determine employees 
exposure to Formaldehyde, notifying employees of their Formaldehyde 
exposures, providing examining physicians with specific information, 
ensuring that employees receive a copy of their medical examination 
results, training, 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 of 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.

III. Proposed Actions

    OSHA proposes to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) 
approval of the collection of information requirements specified by the 
Standard on Formaldehyde (29 CFR 1910.1048). OSHA is lowering its 
burden hour estimate by 100.597 hours mainly as a result of lowering 
the estimated number of 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 requirements.
    Title: Formaldehyde Standard (29 CFR 1910.1048).
    OMB Number: 1218-0145.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; 
Federal government; State, local, or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 133,196.

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    Frequency: On occasion.
    Total Responses: 1,794,628.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes for employers to 
maintain exposure monitoring and medical records for each employee to 1 
hour for employees to receive a medical examination.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 490,482 hours.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $52,058,424.

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 December 4, 2003.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 03-30789 Filed 12-11-03; 8:45 am]
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