[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24746-24747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-10428]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2010-0017]
Occupational Exposure to Noise 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 comment.
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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to
extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements
specified in the Occupational Exposure to Noise Standard. The
information collection requirements specified in the Noise Standard
protect workers from suffering material hearing impairment.
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
July 6, 2010.
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 three copies of your comments
and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2010-0017,
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier
service) are accepted during the Department of Labor's and Docket
Office's normal business hours, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., e.t.
Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and OSHA
docket number for the Information Collection Request (ICR) (OSHA-2010-
0017). 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 Web site. All submissions,
including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Todd Owen or
Jamaa Hill at the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Owen or Jamaa Hill, Directorate
of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3609,
200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; 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 specified in the Noise
Standard protect workers from suffering material hearing impairment.
The information collection requirements of the Noise Standard include
conducting noise monitoring; notifying workers when they are exposed at
or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels; providing
workers with initial and annual audiograms; notifying workers of a loss
in hearing based on comparing audiograms; training workers on the
effects of noise, hearing protectors, and audiometric examinations;
maintaining records of workplace noise exposure and workers'
audiograms; and allowing workers, OSHA, and NIOSH access to materials
and records required by the Standard.
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 a decrease in the burden hours from
2,853,730 to 2,604,597, a total decrease of 249,133 hours. The
reduction is a result of an 8.3% reduction in the number of workers and
manufacturing establishments. Also, the Agency now assumes that 50% of
small establishment workers will receive audiometric exams via mobile
testing vans. The previous ICR assumed that all small establishment
workers would go off-site to receive their audiometric examination.
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
[[Page 24747]]
of the information collection requirements contained in the
Occupational Exposure to Noise Standard (29 CFR 1910.95).
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Title: Occupational Exposure to Noise Standard (29 CFR 1910.95).
OMB Number: 1218-0048.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
Number of Respondents: 254,475.
Total Responses: 16,458,932.
Frequency: On occasion.
Estimated Time per Response: Varies from 1 minute (.02 hour) for a
manager to provide a copy to an affected worker's record to 1 hour for
a secretary to prepare and transfer records.
Total Burden Hours: 2,604,597.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $82,190,075.
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
e-Rulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (fax); or (3) by hard copy. All
comments, attachments, and other materials must identify the Agency
name and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2010-
0017). 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 identify your electronic
comments by your name, date, and the 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
date of birth. Although all submissions are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g., copyrighted
material) is not publically available to read or download through this
Web site. 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 through the Web site's
``User Tips'' link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information
about materials not available through the Web site, and for assistance
in using the Internet to locate docket submissions.
V. Authority and Signature
David Michaels, PhD, MPH, 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. 5-2007
(72 FR 31160).
Signed at Washington, DC, on April 29, 2010.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2010-10428 Filed 5-4-10; 8:45 am]
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