[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 225 (Tuesday, November 22, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72216-72218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30076]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2011-0059]


Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories 
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 comments.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to 
extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements 
specified in the Standard on Occupational Exposure to Hazardous 
Chemicals in Laboratories (29 CFR 1910.1450).

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DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
January 23, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments 
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting 
comments.
    Facsimile: If your comments, including attachments, are not longer 
than 10 pages, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
1648.
    Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger, or courier service: 
When using this method, you must submit your comments and attachments 
to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2011-0059, U.S. Department 
of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Room N-2625, 
200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, 
express mail, messenger, and courier service) are accepted during the 
Department of Labor's and Docket Office's normal business hours, 8:15 
a.m. to 4:45 p.m., e.t.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and OSHA 
docket number (OSHA-2011-0059) for the Information Collection Request 
(ICR). All comments including any personal information you provide, are 
placed in the public docket without change, and may be made available 
online at http://www.regulations.gov. For further information on 
submitting comments, see the ``Public Participation'' heading in the 
section of this notice titled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at 
the address above. All documents in the docket (including this Federal 
Register notice) are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index; 
however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly 
available to read or download from the Web site. All submissions, 
including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and 
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You also may contact Theda Kenney at 
the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney or Todd Owen, 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 (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 OSH Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 
et seq.) authorizes information collection by employers as necessary or 
appropriate for enforcement of the OSH Act or for developing 
information regarding the causes and prevention of occupational 
injuries, illnesses, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657). The OSH Act also 
requires that OSHA obtain such information with minimum burden upon 
employers, especially those operating small businesses, and to reduce 
to the maximum extent feasible unnecessary duplication of efforts in 
obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657).
    The Standard on Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in 
Laboratories applies to laboratories that use hazardous chemicals in 
accordance with the Standard's definitions for ``laboratory use of 
hazardous chemicals'' and ``laboratory scale.'' The Standard requires 
that these laboratories maintain worker exposures at or below the 
permissible exposure limits specified for the hazardous chemicals in 29 
CFR Part 1910, Subpart Z. They do so by developing a written Chemical 
Hygiene Plan (CHP) that describes standard operating procedures for 
using hazardous chemicals; hazard-control techniques; equipment-
reliability measures; worker information-and-training programs; 
conditions under which the employer must approve operations, 
procedures, and activities before implementation; and medical 
consultations and examinations. The CHP also designates personnel 
responsible for implementing the CHP and specifies the procedures used 
to provide additional protection to workers exposed to particularly 
hazardous chemicals.
    Other information collection requirements of the Standard include 
documenting exposure monitoring results; notifying workers in writing 
of these results; presenting specified information and training to 
workers; establishing a medical surveillance program for overexposed 
workers; providing required information to the physician; obtaining the 
physician's written opinion on using proper respiratory equipment; and 
establishing, maintaining, transferring, and disclosing exposure 
monitoring and medical records. These collection of information 
requirements, including the CHP, control worker overexposure to 
hazardous laboratory chemicals thereby preventing serious illnesses and 
death among workers exposed to such chemicals.

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 to 
protect workers, 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 proposing to extend the information collection requirements 
contained in the Standard on Occupational Exposure to Hazardous 
Chemicals in Laboratories (29 CFR 1910.1450). The Agency is proposing 
to increase its current burden hour estimate from 281,086 hours to 
293,373 hours (an increase of 12,287 burden hours). This increase is 
primarily a result of an increase in the number of facilities being 
monitored.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Title: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories 
(29 CFR 1910.1450)
    OMB Number: 1218-0131.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
    Number of Respondents: 48,461.
    Frequency: Varies from 3 minutes (.05 hour) to replace the safe 
practice manual to 1 hour to develop a new manual.
    Total Responses: 911,113.
    Average Time per Response: Annually; monthly; quarterly; semi-
annually; on occasion.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 293,373.

[[Page 72218]]

    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $41,271,276.

IV. Public Participation--Submission of Comments on This Notice and 
Internet Access to Comments and Submissions

    You may submit comments in response to this document as follows: 
(1) Electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (fax); or (3) by hard copy. All 
comments, attachments, and other material must identify the Agency name 
and the OSHA docket number for this ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2011-0059). 
You may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files 
electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference 
to an electronic or a facsimile submission, you must submit them to the 
OSHA Docket Office (see the section of this notice titled ADDRESSES). 
The additional materials must clearly identify your electronic comments 
by your name, date, and docket number, so the Agency can attach them to 
your comments.
    Because of security procedures, the use of regular mail may cause a 
significant delay in the receipt of comments. For information about 
security procedures concerning the delivery of materials by hand, 
express delivery, messenger or courier service, please contact the OSHA 
Docket Office at (202) 693-2350, (TTY (877) 889-5627).
    Comments and submissions are posted without change at http://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about 
submitting personal information, such as social security numbers and 
dates of birth. Although all submissions are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g., copyrighted 
material) is not publicly available to read or download through this 
Web site. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are 
available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. 
Information on using the http://www.regulations.gov Web site to submit 
comments and access the docket is available at the Web site's ``User 
Tips'' link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information about 
materials not available through the Web site and for assistance in 
using the Internet to locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, 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. 4-2010 
(75 FR 55355).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on November 17, 2011.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2011-30076 Filed 11-21-11; 8:45 am]
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