[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 140 (Tuesday, July 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44108-44110]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15703]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2009-0014]


The Hazard Communication Standard; Extension of the Office of 
Management and Budget's Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) 
Requirements

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Request for public comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning the proposal to 
extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the 
information collection requirements specified in the Hazard 
Communication Standard.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
September 21, 2020.

ADDRESSES: 

[[Page 44109]]

    Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments 
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal e-
Rulemaking 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 a copy of your comments and 
attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2009-0014, 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Room N-3653, 200 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express 
mail, messenger, and courier service) are accepted during the OSHA 
Docket Office's normal business hours, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., ET.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and the 
OSHA docket number (OSHA-2009-0014) for the Information Collection 
Request (ICR). All comments, including any personal information you 
provide, such as social security numbers and dates of birth, 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 above address. 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 website. All submissions, 
including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and 
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Theda Kenney or 
Seleda Perryman at (202) 693-2222 to obtain a copy of the ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney or Seleda Perryman, 
Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, 
telephone: (202) 693-2222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Department of Labor, as part of the 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) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program ensures that 
information is in the desired format, the reporting burden (time and 
costs) is minimal, the collection instruments are clearly understood, 
and OSHA's estimate of the information collection burden is accurate. 
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH 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 OSH Act also requires 
OSHA to obtain such information with a minimum burden upon employers, 
especially those operating small businesses, and to reduce to the 
maximum extent feasible unnecessary duplication of efforts in obtaining 
said information (29 U.S.C. 657).
    The information collection requirements specified in the Hazard 
Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200, 1915.1200, 1917.28, 1918.90, 
1926.59, and 1928.21) protect workers from the adverse health effects 
that may result from occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals. The 
major information collection requirements in the standard include: 
Chemical manufacturers and importers must evaluate chemicals produced 
in their workplaces or imported by them to classify the chemicals in 
accordance with this section. For each chemical, the chemical 
manufacturer or importer must determine the hazard classes, and, where 
appropriate, the category of each class that apply to the chemical 
being classified; chemical manufacturers, importers or employers 
classifying chemicals shall identify and consider the full range of 
available scientific literature and other evidence concerning the 
potential hazards; all employers who have workers exposed to hazardous 
chemicals must develop, implement and maintain a written hazard 
communication program; the chemical manufacturer, importer, or 
distributor must ensure that each container of hazardous chemicals 
leaving the workplace is labeled, tagged, or marked; chemical 
manufacturers and importers must obtain or develop a safety data sheet 
for each hazardous chemical they produce or import; employers must have 
a safety data sheet in the workplace for each hazardous chemical which 
they use; the chemical manufacturer, importer or employer preparing the 
safety data sheet must ensure that the information provided accurately 
reflects the scientific evidence used in making the hazard 
classification; and chemical manufacturers, importers, or employers who 
withhold the specific chemical identity or the exact concentration, 
must immediately disclose the chemical identity or exact concentration 
where a treating physician or nurse determines that a medical emergency 
exists and that information is necessary for emergency or first-aid 
treatment.

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 proposing a decrease in the information collection 
requirements contained in the Hazard Communication Standard. The 
adjustment is primarily the result of the decrease in the number of 
establishments and a decrease in the number of employees. The agency is 
requesting a decrease of 751,292 hours in the current burden hour total 
(from 7,309,058 hours to 6,557,766 hours). The agency will summarize 
the comments submitted in response to this notice and will include this 
summary in the request to OMB.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Title: Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200, 1915.1200, 
1917.28, 1918.90, 1926.59, and 1928.21).
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0072.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; Federal Government; 
State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Total Responses: 72,518,339.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Average Time per Response: Varies.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 6,557,766.

[[Page 44110]]

    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $25,070,956.

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 (Docket No. OSHA-2009-0014) for the ICR. You 
may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files 
electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference 
to an electronic or 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 electronic comments by 
your name, date, and the docket number so the agency can attach them to 
your comments.
    Due to 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 from this 
website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available 
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office.
    Information on using the http://www.regulations.gov website to 
submit comments and access the docket is available at the website's 
``User Tips'' link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information 
about materials not available through the website, and for assistance 
in using the internet to locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy 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. 1-2012 
(77 FR 3912).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on July 6, 2020.
Loren Sweatt,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety 
and Health.
[FR Doc. 2020-15703 Filed 7-20-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P