[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 120 (Wednesday, June 23, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 33527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15957]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. ICR-99-4]
Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals;
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: Notice of an opportunity for public comment.
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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning the proposed reduction, and
extension of the information collection requirements contained in the
standard on Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29
CFR 1910.119).
The Agency is particularly interested in comments on the following:
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 to be
collected; and
Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply,
for example, by using automated, electronic, mechanical, and other
technological information and transmission collection techniques.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before August 23, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Comments are to be submitted to the Docket Office, Docket
No. ICR-99-4, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S.
Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2350. Written comments 10
pages or less in length may also be transmitted by facsimile to (202)
693-1648.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney, Directorate of Safety
Standards Programs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S.
Department of Labor, Room N-3605, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2222. A copy of the Agency's
Information Collection Request (ICR) supporting the need for the
information collection requirements in the Process Safety Management
(PSM) standard is available for inspection and copying in the Docket
Office, or will be mailed on request by telephoning Theda Kenney at
(202) 693-2222 or Barbara Bielaski at (202) 693-2444. For electronic
copies of the ICR on PSM, contact OSHA on the Internet at http://
www.osha-slc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: .
1. 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 are clearly understood, and impact
of information collection requirements on respondents can be properly
assessed.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 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.) In this regard, the information collection
requirements in the Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous
Chemicals Standard (29 CFR 1910.119) prevent or minimize the
consequences of accidents involving highly hazardous chemicals.
II. Proposed Actions
OSHA proposes to reduce its earlier estimates of the burden hours
for the Process Safety Management Standard from 93,407,489 to
73,111,180 hours. The burden reduction resulted when the Agency
reestimated the number of plants and processes that were in compliance
with the standard before it was promulgated. Under ORA-95, the burden
for activities that are a normal and customary business practice are
not counted when calculating the burden associated with information
collection requirements. 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 PSM standard.
Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information
collection requirements.
Agency: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Title: Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (29
CFR 1910.119).
OMB Number: 1218-0200.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Federal government;
state, local or tribal government.
Number of Respondents: 192,865.
Frequency: Varies (on occasion, annually).
Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes (.08 hr.) to 146.5
hours.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 73,711,180.
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), Secretary of Labor's Order No. 6-96 (62 FR 111), and 29
CFR part 11.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 24th day of May 1999.
Charles N. Jeffress,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 99-15957 Filed 6-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-23-M
