[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37122-37123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12769]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0061(2005)]


Cotton Dust 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 public comment.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comment concerning its request for an 
extension of the information collection requirements contained in the 
Cotton Dust Standard (29 CFR 1910.1043).

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by August 29, 2005.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by August 29, 2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0061 (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., e.t.
    Facsimile: If your comments are 10 pages or fewer in length, 
including

[[Page 37123]]

attachments, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
1648.
    Electronic: You may submit comments through the Internet at http://ecomments.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. In 
addition, the ICR, comments and submissions 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, 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 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).
    On January 5, 2005, OSHA published the Standards Improvement 
Project--Phase II, Final rule (70 FR 1112). The final rule removed and 
revised provisions of standards that were outdated, duplicative, 
unnecessary, or inconsistent and clarified or simplified regulatory 
language. The final rule contained a revision to allow employers the 
option to either post employee exposure-monitoring results or notify 
individually, instead of allowing only individual notification. The 
changes reduced paperwork burden hours while maintaining worker 
protection and improving consistency among standards. The burden hour 
reduction was taken in the previous ICR.
    The information collection requirements specified in the Cotton 
Dust Standard (29 CFR 1910.1043) protect employees from the adverse 
health effects that may result from their exposure to Cotton Dust. The 
major information collection requirements of the Cotton Dust Standard 
include: Performing exposure monitoring, including initial, periodic, 
and additional monitoring; notifying each employee of their exposure 
monitoring results either individually in writing or by posting; 
implementing a written compliance program; and establishing a 
respiratory protection program in accordance with OSHA's Respiratory 
Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134).

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, 
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 proposes to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) 
approval of these collection of information (paperwork) requirements 
necessitated by the Cotton Dust Standard (29 CFR 1910.1043). The Agency 
will include this summary in its request to OMB to extend the approval 
of these collection of information requirements.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Title: Cotton Dust Standard.
    OMB Number: 1218-0061.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; Federal Government; 
State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Average Time Per Response: Varies from 5 minutes (.08 hour) to 
maintain a required record to two hours to conduct exposure monitoring.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 70,340.
    Estimated cost (Operation and Maintenance): 6,526,315.

IV. 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 Webpage. 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 submissions by express delivery, hand 
delivery and courier 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 Webpage are 
available at http://www.OSHA.gov. Contact the OSHA docket Office for 
information about materials not available through the OSHA Webpage and 
for assistance using the Webpage to locate docket submissions.
    Electronic copies of this Federal Register notice as well as other 
relevant documents are available on OSHA's Webpage. Since all 
submissions become public, private information such as social security 
numbers should not be submitted.

V. Authority and Signature

    Jonathan L. Snare, Acting 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. 3406 et seq.), and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 5-
2002 (67 FR 65008).

    Dated: Signed at Washington, DC, on June 22, 2005.
Jonathan L. Snare,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 05-12769 Filed 6-27-05; 8:45 am]
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