OSHA Seeks Hazardous Waste Operations, Emergency Response Comments

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) seeks public comments concerning the proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's approval of the information collection requirements specified in the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Standard.

Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent or received) by January 7, 2020, according to a filing in the Federal Register.

All submissions must include the agency name and the OSHA docket number (OSHA-2011-0862) for the Information Collection Request. All comments, including any personal information provided such as social security numbers and date of births, are placed in the public docket without change and may be made available at www.regulations.gov.

The HAZWOPER Standard specifies a number of collection of information (paperwork) requirements. Employers can use the information collected under the HAZWOPER rule to develop the various programs the standard requires and to ensure that their workers are trained properly about the safety and health hazards associated with hazardous waste operations and emergency response to hazardous waste releases. OSHA will use the records developed in response to this standard to determine adequate compliance with the standard's safety and health provisions. The employer's failure to collect and distribute the information required in this standard will significantly affect OSHA's effort to control and reduce injuries and fatalities. Such failure would also be contrary to the direction Congress provided in Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act.

OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues: