Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements, 17337-17339 [2022-06410]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 59 (Monday, March 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17337-17339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06410]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2011-0059]


Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories; 
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 
extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the 
information collection requirements specified in the Occupational 
Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
May 27, 2022.

ADDRESSES:
    Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments 
electronically at https://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting 
comments.
    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 
docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov. Documents in the docket are 
listed in the https://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 through the OSHA 
Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY 
(877) 889-5627) for assistance in locating docket submissions.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and OSHA 
docket number (OSHA-2011-0059) for the Information Collection Request 
(ICR). OSHA will place all comments, including any personal 
information, in the public docket, which may be made available online. 
Therefore, OSHA

[[Page 17338]]

cautions interested parties about submitting personal information such 
as social security numbers and birthdates. For further information on 
submitting comments, see the ``Public Participation'' heading in the 
section of this notice titled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

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 the 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 (PRA) (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, 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 (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 effort in 
obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657).
    The following sections describe who uses the information collected 
under each requirement, as well as how they use it. The purpose of 
these requirements is to reduce employees' risk of death or serious 
injury by ensuring that employment has been tested and is in safe 
operating condition.
    The Standard entitled ``Occupational Exposure to Hazardous 
Chemicals in Laboratories'' (29 CFR 1910.1450; the ``Standard'') 
applies to laboratories that use hazardous chemicals in accord 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. These 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 to 
protect workers, 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

    OSHA is requesting an adjustment increase in the existing burden 
hour estimate for the collection of information requirements in the 
Standard. The agency is requesting to increase the current burden hour 
estimate from 695,105 to 832,036 hours for a total increase of 136,931 
hours. The increase is due to an increase in the worker and 
establishment estimates for this ICR. Additionally, the capital cost 
estimate increased from $79,770,481 to $94,198,596 for a total increase 
of $14,428,115. This increase is a result of an increase in the number 
of workers requiring medical consultations and medical examinations.
    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.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    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: 169,188.
    Number of Responses: 2,026,410.
    Frequency of Responses: On occasion.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 3 minutes to 1 hour.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 832,036.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $94,198,596.

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 https://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (fax); or (3) by hard copy. Please 
note: While OSHA's Docket Office is continuing to accept and process 
submissions by regular mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Docket 
Office is closed to the public and not able to receive submissions to 
the docket by hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service. All 
comments, attachments, and other material must identify the agency name 
and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2011-0059). You 
may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files 
electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference 
to an electronic or a 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 the docket number so that the

[[Page 17339]]

agency can attach them to your comments.
    Due to security procedures, the use of regular mail may cause a 
significant delay in the receipt of comments.
    Comments and submissions are posted without change at https://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 https://www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g., copyrighted 
material) is not publicly available to read or download from this 
website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available 
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on 
using the https://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 at (202) 693-2350, (TTY (877) 889-5627) 
for information about materials not available from the website, and for 
assistance in using the internet to locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    James S. Frederick, Deputy Assistant Secretary 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 March 21, 2022.
James S. Frederick,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2022-06410 Filed 3-25-22; 8:45 am]
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