[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10085-10086]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3997]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-2004-0310, FRL-7879-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB; 
Comment Request; EPA ICR No. 1759.04/OMB Control No. 2070-0148; Worker 
Protection Standard Training and Notification

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that the following 
Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Worker 
Protection Standard Training and Notification, EPA ICR No. 1759.04; OMB 
Control No. 2070-0148. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes 
the nature of the information collection activity and its expected 
burden and costs.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before April 1, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OPP-2004-
0310 to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail 
to [email protected], or by mail to: Public Information and Records 
Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), 
Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 7502C, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB at: Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 
Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cameo Smoot, Field and External 
Affairs Division (7506C), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (703) 305-5454; fax number: (703) 305-5884; e-mail 
address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB 
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 
1320.12. The Federal Register document, required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
September 30, 2004 (58431). EPA received no comments on this ICR during 
the 60-day comment period.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. OPP-2004-0310 which is available for public viewing at the Public 
Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 
2, 1801 Bell St., Arlington, VA. This docket facility is open 
from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The docket telephone number is (703) 305-5805. An electronic 
version of the public docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) 
at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to submit or view public 
comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public 
docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are 
available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,'' then 
key in the docket ID number identified above.
    Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB 
within 30 days of this notice.Please note, EPA's policy is that public 
comments, whether submitted electronically or on paper, will be made 
available for public viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and 
without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, 
or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. 
When EPA identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will 
provide a reference to that material in the version of the comment that 
is placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the 
copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although 
identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as 
CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not 
included in the official public docket, and will not be available for 
public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic 
docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic 
docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket.

ICR Title: Worker Protection Standard Training and Notification

    ICR Status: This is a request for extension of an existing approved 
collection that is currently scheduled to expire on February 28, 2005. 
EPA is asking OMB to approve this ICR for three years. Under 5 CFR 
1320.12(b)(2), the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the 
collection of information while the submission is pending at OMB.
    Abstract: EPA is responsible for the regulation of pesticides under 
the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The 
Worker Protection Standard (WPS), codified at 40 CFR part 170, 
established requirements to protect agricultural workers and pesticide 
handlers from hazards of pesticides used on farms, on forests, in 
nurseries, and in greenhouses. EPA regulations in 40 CFR part 170 
contain the standard and workplace practices, which are designed to 
reduce or eliminate exposure to pesticides and establish procedures for 
responding to exposure-related emergencies. The practices include 
prohibitions against applying pesticides in a way that would cause 
exposure to workers and others; a waiting period before workers can 
return to areas treated with pesticides (restricted entry interval); 
basic safety training (and voluntary training verification) and posting 
of information about pesticide hazards, as well as pesticide 
application information; arrangements for the supply of soap, water, 
and towels in case of pesticide exposure; and provisions for emergency 
assistance. The training verification program facilitates compliance 
with the training requirements by providing a voluntary method for 
employers to verify that the required safety information has been 
provided to workers and handlers. Responses to all other aspects of 
this information collection activity are mandatory. This renewal ICR 
estimates the third party response burden from complying with the WPS 
requirements. Information is exchanged between agricultural employers 
and employees at farm, forest, nursery and greenhouse establishments to 
ensure worker safety. No information is collected by the Agency under 
this ICR.
    Burden Statement: The annual ``respondent'' burden for this ICR is 
estimated to be 2,293,364 hours. According to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act, ``burden'' means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or 
provide information to or for a Federal agency. This total estimate 
includes the third party WPS training and notification requirements 
such as the provisions requiring employers to provide employees with 
pesticide-specific treatment (application) information in the form of 
oral or written notification, provisions requiring that employers 
assure that employees receive basic pesticide safety information or 
training, a voluntary program to verify training and relief duplication 
of training, provisions requiring handler notification to employers 
regarding pesticide treatments (applications) and provision for 
emergency information on pesticide

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treatments, and provisions requiring employers to notify employees when 
an exception/exemption to the WPS is being implemented. The agency may 
not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number. The OMB control number for this information collection 
appear at the beginning and the end of this document. In addition OMB 
control numbers for EPA's regulations, after initial display in the 
final rule, are listed in 40 CFR part 9.
    The following is a summary of the burden estimates taken from the 
ICR:
    Respondents/affected entities: Agricultural workers, pesticide 
handlers, employers in farms, nurseries, forestry, and greenhouse 
establishments.
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 3,245,393.
    Frequency of response: As needed.
    Estimated total/average number of responses for each respondent: 3.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 2,293,364.
    Estimated total annual labor costs: $109,436,947.
    Changes in the ICR since the last approval: The total annual burden 
associated with this ICR has decreased by 1,261 hours, from 2,294,625 
hours in the previous ICR to 2,293,364 hours for this ICR. This change 
reflects a slight program adjustment and is described in the ICR.

    Dated: February 20, 2005.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 05-3997 Filed 3-1-05; 8:45 am]
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