83 FR 54145 - The Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 208 (October 26, 2018)

OSHA solicits public comments concerning the proposal to extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements contained in the Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 208 (Friday, October 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54145-54147]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23419]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2011-0059]


The Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories 
Standard; 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.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning the proposal to

[[Page 54146]]

extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements 
contained in the Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in 
Laboratories.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
December 26, 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. The OSHA Docket Office is located in N-3508.
    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-2011-0059, 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Labor, 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-2011-0059) 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 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 through the website. All submissions, 
including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and 
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Theda Kenney at 
(202) 693-2222 to obtain a copy of the ICR.

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 its continuing effort to reduce 
paperwork and respondent (i.e., employer) burden, conducts a 
preclearance process 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 95) (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 (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 (see 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 effort in obtaining said 
information (see 29 U.S.C. 657).
    The Standard entitled ``Occupational Exposure to Hazardous 
Chemicals in Laboratories'' (29 CFR 1910.1450; the ``Standard'') 
applies to laboratories that use hazardous chemicals in accordance 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. This 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, 
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.
    OSHA is requesting an adjustment increase in the existing burden 
hour estimate for the collection of information requirements in the 
Standard. In this regard, the agency is requesting to increase the 
current burden hour estimate from 332,350 to 695,105 hours, a total 
adjustment of 362,755 hours. The increase is due to an increase in the 
worker and establishment estimates and underestimation of data during 
the prior ICR.
    OSHA will summarize the comments submitted in response to this 
notice, and will include this summary in its request to OMB to extend 
the approval of the information collection requirements contained in 
the Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories 
Standard.

III. Proposed Actions

    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

[[Page 54147]]

    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: 140,956.
    Frequency: Annually; monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, on 
occasion.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 3 minutes to replace the 
safe practice manual to 1 hour to develop a new manual.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 1,782,322.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 695,105.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $79,770,481.

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-2011-0059) 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 that 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 October 19, 2018.
Loren Sweatt,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2018-23419 Filed 10-25-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-26-P