[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 41 (Thursday, March 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13151-13153]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04319]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2012-0034]


Hexavalent Chromium Standards for General Industry, Shipyard 
Employment, and Construction; 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 Hexavalent 
Chromium Standards.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
May 1, 2023.

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.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and OSHA 
docket number (OSHA-2012-0034) for the Information Collection Request 
(ICR). OSHA will place all comments, including personal information you 
provide, in the public docket without change, which may be made 
available online at https://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA 
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.
    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 
docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov. All documents in the docket 
(including this Federal Register notice) 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

[[Page 13152]]

assistance in locating docket submissions.

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, 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 Hexavalent Chromium Standards for General Industry (29 CFR 
1910.1026), Shipyard Employment (29 CFR 1915.1026), and Construction 
(29 CFR 1926.1126) (the standards) protect workers from the adverse 
health effects that may result from occupational exposure to hexavalent 
chromium. The major information collection requirements in the 
standards include conducting worker exposure monitoring, notifying 
workers of their chromium exposures, implementing medical surveillance 
of workers, providing examining physicians with specific information, 
implementing a respiratory protection program, notifying laundry 
personnel of chromium hazards, and maintaining workers' exposure 
monitoring and medical surveillance records for specific periods.

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 that OMB extend the approval of the information 
collection requirements contained in the Hexavalent Chromium Standards 
for General Industry (29 CFR 1910.1026), Shipyard Employment (29 CFR 
1915.1026), and Construction (29 CFR 1926.1126). The agency is 
requesting a 5,715-hour decrease (from 429,318 hours to 423,603 hours) 
in the number of burden hours approved in the previous package. This 
reduction is based on the agency's updated rounding methods. The agency 
is requesting to maintain the previously approved estimate for capital 
costs, at $43,439,901.
    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: Hexavalent Chromium Standards for General Industry (29 CFR 
1910.1026), Shipyard Employment (29 CFR 1915.1026), and Construction 
(29 CFR 1926.1126).
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0252.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
    Number of Respondents: 78,321.
    Number of Responses: 923,898.
    Frequency of Responses: On occasion; Quarterly; Semi-annually; 
Annually.
    Average Time per Response: Varies.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 423,603.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $43,439,901.

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); if your comments, including 
attachments, are not longer than 10 pages you may fax them to the OSHA 
Docket Office at 202-693-1648; 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-2012-0034). 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 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 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 from 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 
from the website, and for assistance in using the internet to locate 
docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    James S. Frederick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Occupational Safety and Health, directed the

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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. 8-2020 (85 FR 58393).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on February 24, 2023.
James S. Frederick,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2023-04319 Filed 3-1-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P


