AGENCY:
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.
ACTION:
Request for public comments.
SUMMARY:
OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements specified in the Inorganic Arsenic Standard.
DATES:
Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by July 9, 2018.
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-2011-0186, U.S. Department of Labor, 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 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 OSHA docket number (OSHA-2011-0186) 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 through the website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You also may contact Theda Kenney at the phone number below to obtain a copy of the ICR.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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 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 information collection requirements in the Inorganic Arsenic Standard provide protection for workers from the adverse health effects associated with exposure to inorganic arsenic. The Inorganic Arsenic Standard requires employers to: Monitor workers' exposure to inorganic arsenic, and notify workers of exposure-monitoring results; notify anyone who cleans protective clothing or equipment of inorganic arsenic exposure; develop, update, and maintain a housekeeping and maintenance plan; monitor worker health by providing medical surveillance; post warning signs, and apply labels to shipping and storage containers of inorganic arsenic; develop and maintain worker exposure monitoring and medical records; establish and implement written compliance programs; and provide workers with information about their exposures and the health effects of exposure to inorganic arsenic.
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
The Agency is requesting an adjustment decrease of 1,920 burden hours, from 12,466 to 10,546 hours. This decrease is due to a decrease in the number of workers being exposed above the permissible exposure limit (PEL), and being exposed above the action level (AL), but below the PEL. There is also a decrease in the number of medical examinations administered annually. Therefore, this reduces the total cost burden for exposure monitoring sampling and medical exams from $1,350,395 to $1,121,959, even though the total cost has gone up for medical exams from $221 to $243.33.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Title: Inorganic Arsenic Standard (29 CFR 1910.1018).
OMB Number: 1218-0104.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
Number of Respondents: 889.
Frequency of Response: On occasion; quarterly; semi-annually; annually.
Total Responses: 16,463.
Average Time per response: Various.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 10,546.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $1,121,959.
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; 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-2011-0186). 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 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 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, 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 May 3, 2018.
Loren Sweatt,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2018-09832 Filed 5-8-18; 8:45 am]
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