[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 207 (Thursday, October 27, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61999-62000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21477]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR 1218-0202 (2006)]


Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER); 
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 its 
Standard on Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response 
(HAZWOPER) (29 CFR 1910.120).

DATEs: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard copy. Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by December 27, 2005.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission. Your comments must be 
received by December 27, 2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0202 (2006), by any of the following methods:
    Regular mail, express delivery, hand delivery, and messenger 
service: Submit your comments and attachments in 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://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://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 also may 
contact Theda Kenney 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: Theda Kenney or 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 efforts 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 specifies a number of collection of information 
(paperwork) requirements. Employers can use the information collected 
under the HAZWOPER rule to develop the various programs the standard 
requires and to ensure that their employees are trained properly about 
the safety and health hazards associated with hazardous waste 
operations and emergency response to hazardous waste releases. OSHA 
will use the records developed in response to this standard to find 
adequate compliance with the safety and health provisions. The 
employer's failure to collect and distribute the information required 
in this standard will affect significantly OSHA's effort to control and 
reduce injuries and fatalities. Such failure would also be contrary to 
the direction Congress provided in Superfund Amendments

[[Page 62000]]

and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) (Public Law 99-499).

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 is requesting that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
extend the approval of the collection of information (paperwork) 
requirements contained in the standard on Hazardous Waste Operations 
and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) (29 CFR 1910.120). 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 
the collection of information requirements contained in the standard.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Title: Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response 
(HAZWOPER).
    OMB Number: 1218-0202.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; not-for-profit 
organizations; Federal government; State, local, or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 35,529.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Total Responses: 1,199,402.
    Average Time Per Response: Varies from one minute (.02 hour) to 
maintain a certification record to 24 hours for initial employee 
training.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,245,250.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $3,350,750.

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 Web page. Because of security-related 
problems, a significant delay may occur 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 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. 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 Security 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 October 21, 2005.
Jonathan L. Snare,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 05-21477 Filed 10-26-05; 8:45 am]
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