1, 2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP); Extension of the Office of Management of Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements

AGENCY:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); Labor.

ACTION:

Notice of an opportunity for public comment.

SUMMARY:

OSHA solicits comments concerning the extension of the information-collection requirements contained in the Cotton Dust Standard (29 CFR 1910.1043).

Request for Comment

The Agency has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:

• Whether the information-collection requirements are necessary for the proper performance of the Agency's functions, including whether the information is useful;
• The accuracy of the Agency'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.

DATES:

Submit written comments on or before May 1, 2000.

ADDRESSES:

Submit written comments to the Docket Office, Docket No. ICR-1218-0061 (2000), Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2350. Commenters may transmit written comments of 10 pages or less in length by facsimile to (202) 693-1648.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Todd R. Owen, Directorate of Policy, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3641, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2444. A copy of the Agency's Information-Collection Request (ICR) supporting the need for the information-collection requirements in the Cotton Dust Standard is available for inspection and copying in the Docket Office, or you may request a mailed copy by telephoning Todd R. Owen at (202) 693-2444. For electronic copies of the ICR on the Cotton Dust Standard, contact OSHA on the Internet at http://www.osha.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 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, reporting burden (time and costs) is minimal, collection instruments clearly understood, and OSHA's estimate of the information burden is correct. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of the 1970 (the Act) 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 information-collection requirements specified in the Cotton Dust Standard provide protection for employees from the adverse health effects associated with exposure to cotton dust. In this regard, the Cotton Dust Standard requires employers to monitor employee's exposure to cotton dust, monitor employee health, and provide employees with information about their exposures and the health effects of exposure to cotton dust.

II. Proposed Actions

OSHA proposes to reduce the existing burden hour estimate, and to extend the OMB approval of, the collection-of- information (paperwork) requirements contained in the Cotton Dust Standard (29 CFR 1910.1043). The Agency is reducing its previous burden hour estimate of 138,184 hours by 57,974 mainly due to a reduction of its earlier estimate of the number of employees potentially exposed to cotton dust. 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 contained in the Cotton Dust Standard (29 CFR 1910.1043).

Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information-collection requirements.

Title: Cotton Dust Standard.

OMB Number: 1218-0101.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Federal government; state, local or tribal government

Number of Respondents: 547.

Frequency: On occasion.

Total Responses: 280,655.

Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes to provide information to the examining physician to 2 hours to conduct exposure monitoring.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 80,210.

Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $5,777,108.

III. Authority and Signature

Charles N. Jeffress, 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) and Secretary of Labor's Order No 6-96 (62 FR 111).