[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 247 (Monday, December 27, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77272-77273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-28188]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Docket No. ICR 1218-0131 (2005)


Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories 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 comment.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB 
approval of the information collection requirements contained in the 
Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450).

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by February 25, 2005.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by February 25, 2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0131 (2005), by any of the following methods:
    Regular mail, express delivery, hand delivery, and messenger 
service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket 
Office, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-2350 (OSHA's TTY number 
is (877) 889-5627). OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor hours 
are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., ET.
    Facsimile: If your comments are 10 pages or fewer in length, 
including attachments, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at 
(202) 693-1648.
    Electronic: You may submit comments through the Internet at http://dockets.osha.gov/. Follow instructions on the OSHA Web Page for 
submitting comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read or download comments or 
background materials, such as the complete Information Collection 
Request (ICR) (containing the Supporting Statement, OMB-83-I Form, and 
attachments), go to OSHA's Web Page at http://www.OSHA.gov. Comments, 
submissions, and the ICR are available for inspection and copying at 
the OSHA Docket Office at the address above. You may also contact Todd 
Owen at the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.
    (For additional information on submitting comments, please see the 
``Public Participation'' heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this document.)

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation--Submission of Comments on This Notice and 
Internet Access to Comments and Submissions

    You may submit comments and supporting materials in response to 
this notice by (1) hard copy, (2) fax transmission (facsimile), or (3) 
electronically through the OSHA Web page. 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 (TTY (877) 889-5627) for information about security procedures 
concerning the delivery of materials by express delivery, hand delivery 
and messenger service.
    All comments, submissions and background documents are available 
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the above 
address. Comments and submissions posted on OSHA's Web page are 
available at http://www.OSHA.gov. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for 
information about materials not available through the OSHA Web page and 
for assistance using the Web page to locate docket submissions.
    Electronic copies of this Federal Register notice as well as other 
relevant documents are available on OSHA's Web page.

II. 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 accurate. The Occupational Safety and Health Act 
of 1970 (the Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) 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 standard entitled ``Occupational Exposure to Hazardous 
Chemicals in Laboratories'' (29 CFR 1910.1450; the ``Standard'') 
applies to laboratories that use hazardous chemicals in accordance with 
the Standard's definitions for ``laboratory use of hazardous 
chemicals'' and ``laboratory scale.'' The Standard requires these 
laboratories to maintain employee exposures at or below the permissible 
exposure limits specified for the hazardous chemicals in 29 CFR Part 
1910, subpart Z. They do so by developing a written Chemical Hygiene 
Plan (CHP) that describes: Standard operating procedures for using 
hazardous chemicals; hazard-control techniques; equipment-reliability 
measures; measures; employee information-and-training programs; 
conditions under which the employer must approve operations, 
procedures, and activities before implementation; and medical 
consultations and examinations. The CHP also designates personnel 
responsible for implementing the CHP, and specifies the procedures used 
to provide additional protection to employees exposed to particularly 
hazardous chemicals.
    Other information-collection requirements of the Standard include: 
Documenting exposure-monitoring results; notifying employees in writing 
of these results; presenting specified information and training to 
employees; establishing a medical surveillance program for overexposed 
employees;

[[Page 77273]]

providing required information to the physician; obtaining the 
physician's written opinion using proper respiratory equipment and 
establishing, maintaining, transferring, and disclosing exposure-
monitoring and medical records. These collection-of-information 
requirements, including the CHP, control employee overexposure to 
hazardous laboratory chemicals, thereby preventing serious illnesses 
and death among employees exposed to such chemicals.

III. 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;
    --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.

IV. Proposed Actions

    OSHA is proposing to extend the information collection requirements 
in the Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories standard (29 CFR part 
1910.1450). 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 
contained in the Standard.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Title: Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories (29 CFR 1910.1450).
    OMB Number: 1218-0131.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; Federal government; State, local, or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 43,300.
    Frequency of Response: Annually; monthly; occasionally.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from five minutes (.08 hour) for 
a variety of requirements (e.g., for an office clerk to develop and 
post exposure-monitoring results) to eight (8) hours for an employer to 
develop a Chemical Hygiene Plan.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 270,636.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $32,615,952.

V. 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 et seq.), and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 5-2002 (67 FR 
65008).

    Dated: Signed at Washington, DC, on December 17, 2004.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor
[FR Doc. 04-28188 Filed 12-23-04; 8:45 am]
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