[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 59 (Monday, March 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17337-17339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06410]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2011-0059]
Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories;
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Occupational
Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories.
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
May 27, 2022.
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.
Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Documents in the docket are
listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index; however, some
information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to
read or download through the website. All submissions, including
copyrighted material, are available for inspection through the OSHA
Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY
(877) 889-5627) for assistance in locating docket submissions.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and OSHA
docket number (OSHA-2011-0059) for the Information Collection Request
(ICR). OSHA will place all comments, including any personal
information, in the public docket, which may be made available online.
Therefore, OSHA
[[Page 17338]]
cautions interested parties about submitting personal information such
as social security numbers and birthdates. For further information on
submitting comments, see the ``Public Participation'' heading in the
section of this notice titled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Seleda Perryman or Theda Kenney,
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, 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 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 following sections describe who uses the information collected
under each requirement, as well as how they use it. The purpose of
these requirements is to reduce employees' risk of death or serious
injury by ensuring that employment has been tested and is in safe
operating condition.
The Standard entitled ``Occupational Exposure to Hazardous
Chemicals in Laboratories'' (29 CFR 1910.1450; the ``Standard'')
applies to laboratories that use hazardous chemicals in accord with the
Standard's definitions for ``laboratory use of hazardous chemicals''
and ``laboratory scale.'' The Standard requires these laboratories to
maintain worker exposures at or below the permissible exposure limits
specified for the hazardous chemicals in 29 CFR part 1910, subpart Z.
The laboratories do so by developing a written Chemical Hygiene Plan
(CHP) that describes the following: 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 to be
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 requesting an adjustment increase in the existing burden
hour estimate for the collection of information requirements in the
Standard. The agency is requesting to increase the current burden hour
estimate from 695,105 to 832,036 hours for a total increase of 136,931
hours. The increase is due to an increase in the worker and
establishment estimates for this ICR. Additionally, the capital cost
estimate increased from $79,770,481 to $94,198,596 for a total increase
of $14,428,115. This increase is a result of an increase in the number
of workers requiring medical consultations and medical examinations.
OSHA will summarize the comments submitted in response to this
notice and will include this summary in the request to OMB to extend
the approval of the information collection requirements.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Title: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories
(29 CFR 1910.1450).
OMB Control Number: 1218-0131.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
Number of Respondents: 169,188.
Number of Responses: 2,026,410.
Frequency of Responses: On occasion.
Average Time per Response: Varies from 3 minutes to 1 hour.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 832,036.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $94,198,596.
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. Please
note: While OSHA's Docket Office is continuing to accept and process
submissions by regular mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Docket
Office is closed to the public and not able to receive submissions to
the docket by hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service. All
comments, attachments, and other material must identify the agency name
and the OSHA docket number for the 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 the docket number so that the
[[Page 17339]]
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.
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 at (202) 693-2350, (TTY (877) 889-5627)
for information about materials not available from the website, and for
assistance in using the internet to locate docket submissions.
V. Authority and Signature
James S. Frederick, Deputy Assistant Secretary 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 March 21, 2022.
James S. Frederick,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2022-06410 Filed 3-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P