[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 21 (Friday, January 31, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5722-5723]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01790]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Benzene Standard

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored information 
collection request (ICR) titled, ``Benzene Standard'' to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, 
without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

DATES: The OMB will consider all written comments that agency receives 
on or before March 2, 2020.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR with applicable supporting documentation; 
including a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency 
of response, and estimated total burden may be obtained free of charge 
from the RegInfo.gov website at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201912-1218-009 (this link will only become active 
on the day following publication of this notice) or by contacting 
Frederick Licari by telephone at 202-693-8073, TTY 202-693-8064, (these 
are not toll-free numbers) or by email at [email protected].
    Submit comments about this request by mail to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for DOL-
OSHA, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW, 
Washington, DC 20503; by Fax: 202-395-5806 (this is not a toll-free 
number); or by email: [email protected]. Commenters are 
encouraged, but not required, to send a courtesy copy of any comments 
by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor-OASAM, Office of the 
Chief Information Officer, Attn: Departmental Information Compliance 
Management Program, Room N1301, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, 
DC 20210; or by email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frederick Licari by telephone at 202-
693-8073, TTY 202-693-8064, (these are not toll-free numbers) or by 
email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This ICR seeks to extend PRA authority for 
the Benzene Standard information collection. 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 effort in 
obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657). The information collection 
requirements specified in the Benzene Standard (29 CFR 1910.1028) 
protects workers from the adverse health effects that may result from 
occupational exposure to benzene. The major information collection 
requirements in the Standard include conducting worker exposure 
monitoring, notifying workers of the benzene exposure, implementing a 
written compliance program, implementing medical surveillance for 
workers, providing examining physicians with specific information, 
ensuring that workers receive a copy of their medical surveillance 
records, and providing access to these records by OSHA, the National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the worker who is the 
subject of the records, the worker's representative, and other 
designated parties.
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless the OMB under the PRA approves it and displays a 
currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any 
other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that 
does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
1320.6. The DOL obtains OMB approval for this information collection 
under Control Number 1218-0129.
    OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than three (3) 
years without renewal, and the current approval for this collection is 
scheduled to expire on January 31, 2020. The DOL seeks to extend PRA 
authorization for this information collection for three (3) more years, 
without any change to existing requirements. The DOL notes that 
existing information collection requirements submitted to the OMB 
receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo review. For 
additional substantive information about this ICR, see the related 
notice published in the Federal Register on November 29, 2019 (84 FR 
65848).
    Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the OMB, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the address shown in 
the ADDRESSES section within thirty-(30) days of publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register. In order to help ensure appropriate 
consideration, comments should mention OMB Control Number

[[Page 5723]]

1218-0129. The OMB is particularly interested in comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility:
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.
    Agency: DOL-OSHA.
    Title of Collection: Benzene Standard (29 CFR 1910.1028).
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0129.
    Affected Public: Private Sector: Businesses or other for-profits.
    Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 12,148.
    Total Estimated Number of Responses: 227,684.
    Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 158,770 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $11,940,431.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D).

    Dated: January 22, 2020.
Frederick Licari,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-01790 Filed 1-30-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-26-P