[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29986-29987]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4823]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0129(2006)]


Standard on Benzene; 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 comments concerning its proposal to 
extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements 
contained in its Benzene Standard (29 CFR 1910.1028). The Standard 
protects employees from adverse health effects from occupational 
exposure to benzene.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by July 24, 2006.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by July 24, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0129(2006), 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 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.
    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 Jamaa Hill 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: Jamaa Hill, 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 accurate. 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). In this regard, the Benzene standard 
requires

[[Page 29987]]

employers to conduct employee exposure monitoring; notify the employees 
of their benzene exposures; implement a written compliance program; 
implement medical-surveillance of employees; and provide protection for 
employees from the adverse health effects associated with exposure to 
benzene.

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) for 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 proposing to extend the information collection requirements 
in the Benzene Standard. The information collection requirements 
specified in the Benzene Standard protect employees from the adverse 
health effects that may result from occupational exposure to benzene. 
The major information collection requirements in the standard include 
conducting employee exposure monitoring, notifying employees of their 
benzene exposures, implementing a written compliance program, 
implementing medical surveillance of employees, providing examining 
physicians with specific information, ensuring that employees receive a 
copy of their medical-surveillance results, 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 employee who is the subject of the 
records, the employee's representative, and other designated parties.
    OSHA will summarize the comments submitted in response to this 
notice, and will include this summary in the request to OMB to extend 
the approval of the information collection requirements contained in 
the Benzene Standard (29 CFR 1910.1028).
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently-approved information 
collection requirement.
    Title: Benzene Standard (29 CFR 1910.1028).
    OMB Number: 1218-0129.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits, Federal Government, 
State, local or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 13,498.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Total Responses: 265,429.
    Average Time per Response: Time per response ranges from 5 minutes 
to maintain records to 4 hours to complete a referral medical 
examination.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 125,209.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $8,133,499.

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, 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 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

    Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., 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).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on May 18, 2006.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 06-4823 Filed 5-23-06; 8:45 am]
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