[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 72 (Friday, April 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25876-25877]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07805]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-24-23HD]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted the information 
collection request titled ``Exposures, Health Effects, and Controls of 
Chemicals from Thermal Spray Coating'' to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval. CDC previously published a 
``Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations'' notice on August 7, 2023 to obtain comments from the 
public and affected agencies. CDC did not receive comments related to 
the previous notice. This notice serves to allow an additional 30 days 
for public and affected agency comments.
    CDC will accept all comments for this proposed information 
collection project. The Office of Management and Budget is particularly 
interested in comments that:
    (a) 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;
    (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected;
    (d) 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; and
    (e) Assess information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570. Comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Direct 
written comments and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in 
this notice to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management 
and Budget, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 
395-5806. Provide written comments within 30 days of notice 
publication.

Proposed Project

    Exposures, health effects, and controls of chemicals from thermal 
spray coating--New--National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Thermal spray coating (TSC) is a surface treatment process that 
enables different types of feedstock material to be deposited on to 
various substrates--metals, metal alloys, ceramics, and plastics. The 
process involves spraying a liquid or molten metal coating product 
under pressure onto a surface where it solidifies and forms a solid 
coating. The coating material can be pure metals, metal alloys, 
carbides, oxides, ceramics, and ceramic metals in wire or powder form 
that will not decompose when melted. Although TSC technology has been 
around for decades, recently it has been refined and optimized to 
impart new properties and functionalities to the coatings, applied 
through numerous processes such as flame-, cold-, plasma-, and electric 
arc-spraying, arising from the different combinations of sources of 
thermal and kinetic energy, form and composition of the feedstock 
material and other system configurations. TSC processes are relatively 
simple to use, economical, and have been applied to almost all 
industrial sectors such as automotive, aerospace, machine shops, 
electronics, medical, shipyards, and printing. Important uses include 
coatings for wear prevention, repair, restoration, thermal insulation/
conduction, corrosion/oxidation resistance, seals, and decoration.
    TSC is a fast-growing and emerging industry and generates exposures 
that are known to be hazardous in other settings. However, effects of 
TSC processes, quantitative exposures, and subsequent health effects 
remain mostly unknown because of paucity of epidemiologic and exposure 
studies. Limited data on exposures of workers engaged in TSC and 
associated operations and personal communications with industrial 
hygienists in this industry suggests exposures can greatly exceed the 
current occupational exposure limits, but the prevalence of respiratory 
abnormalities including occupational asthma and chronic obstructive 
pulmonary disease in this population remains unknown. In addition, many 
workplaces conduct TSC work manually or semi-automatically, and some 
TSC tasks may not be easily amenable to installation of ventilation 
controls (e.g., during spray-coating of parts with wide surface area).
    The purpose of the proposed data collection is to conduct a survey 
of thermal spray coating facilities to: (1) better understand work 
practices and controls related to metals, particles, and gases 
generated during thermal spray coating; (2) identify areas for 
potential intervention; and (3) identify thermal spray coating 
facilities willing to participate in future NIOSH exposure and health 
research. The burden hours are estimated based on limited pilot testing 
conducted internally using the

[[Page 25877]]

survey instrument and previous pilot testing done using a similar 
survey instrument. In these pilot tests, the amount of time for 
instruction review, collection of mock information, and the survey 
completion was between 10-30 minutes. The median time of 20 minutes was 
used to estimate annual burden hours. Currently, the total number of 
thermal spray coating businesses in the United States is unknown. In 
2004, the Air Resources Board (ARB) in California Environmental 
Protection Agency conducted the Thermal Spraying Facility Survey of 
facilities performing thermal spray coating throughout California, and 
reported 97 companies that potentially used TSC. Based on the 
California ARB report, we estimated approximately 5,000 thermal spray 
coating businesses. CDC requests OMB approval for an estimated 1,667 
annual burden hours. There are no costs to respondents other than their 
time to participate.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                     Number of    Average burden
          Type of respondents                   Form name            Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)
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Thermal spray coating facility          Survey..................            5000               1           20/60
 managers/owners.
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Public Health 
Ethics and Regulations, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2024-07805 Filed 4-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P