[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 97 (Monday, May 19, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28818-28819]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-11154]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-0299; FRL-8567-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Worker Protection Standard 
Training and Notification; EPA ICR No. 1759.05, OMB Control No. 2070-
0148

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 an Information Collection 
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing 
approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the 
nature of the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before June 18, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OPP-
2007-0299, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by e-mail to [email protected], or by mail to: OPP 
Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB by mail to: 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: Joseph Hogue, Field and External 
Affairs Division, Office of Pesticide

[[Page 28819]]

Programs, (7506P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 703-308-9072; 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. On November 16, 2007 (72 FR 64611), EPA sought comments on 
this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any 
additional comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB 
within 30 days of this notice.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-0299, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the OPP Regulatory 
Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Building), 2777 S. 
Crystal Drive, 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.
    Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those 
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the 
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number 
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public 
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made 
available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA 
receives them and without change, unless the comment contains 
copyrighted material, Confidential Business Information (CBI), or other 
information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For 
further information about the electronic docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov.
    Title: Worker Protection Standard Training and Notification.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 1759.05, OMB Control No. 2070-0148.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on May 31, 2008. Under 
OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor the 
collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. An 
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 numbers for EPA's regulations 
in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when 
approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed either by 
publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such 
as on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable. The 
display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA regulations is 
consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
    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 Code of Federal 
Regulations (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. 40 CFR part 
170 contains 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.
    This renewal ICR estimates the third party response burden from 
complying with the Worker Protection Standard 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. Responses to 
this ICR are mandatory. The authority for this information collection 
is provided under section 25 of FIFRA and 40 CFR part 170.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.15 
hours (about 9 minutes) per response, ranging from two minutes to 45 
minutes for the various types of responses. 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 includes the time needed to review instructions; 
develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the 
purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, 
processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing 
information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously 
applicable instructions and requirements which have subsequently 
changed; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of 
information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of 
information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Agricultural employers, including 
employers in farms as well as nursery, forestry, and greenhouse 
establishments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,245,393.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,776,131
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $76,574,607, includes $0 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: The total estimated annual respondent 
burden for this ICR renewal is 1,776,131 hours, a reduction of 517,233 
from the 2,293,364 total estimated burden hours in the currently-
approved ICR. This change is an adjustment and is the result of a 
correction to the estimated annual number of treatment-specific worker 
and handler notification events, both oral and posted. Although EPA had 
correctly explained the method of calculating the number of 
notifications in previous versions of this ICR, the figures presented 
in the supporting statement's corresponding tables that were used to 
tally the overall burden were inconsistent with EPA's explanation. EPA 
has clarified its explanation in the supporting statement.

    Dated: May 9, 2008.
Sara Hisel-McCoy,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. E8-11154 Filed 5-16-08; 8:45 am]
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