Benzene Paperwork Gets Extended—Thrill of the Form
Published Date: 3/28/2025
Notice
Summary
OSHA is asking for public feedback to keep the paperwork rules for the Benzene Standard going strong. This affects employers who handle benzene, making sure they keep tracking and reporting safety info. Comments are due by May 27, 2025, and there’s no new cost or rule change—just a paperwork approval extension.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Employers must keep benzene paperwork
If your business handles benzene, you must continue the Benzene Standard information collections: worker exposure monitoring, worker notification of benzene exposure, a written compliance program, medical surveillance of workers, providing examining physicians with specific information, giving workers copies of their medical surveillance records, and providing access to those records to OSHA, NIOSH, the worker, the worker’s representative, and other designated parties. OSHA estimates 12,270 respondents, 241,005 total responses, 114,146 total burden hours, and $12,067,635 in operation and maintenance costs for these collections.
Workers keep access to benzene medical records
Workers potentially exposed to benzene will continue to receive notifications of exposure and copies of their medical surveillance records, and will retain access to those records by OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the worker, the worker’s representative, and other designated parties, as required by the Benzene Standard.
Aggregate paperwork burden slightly decreased
OSHA proposes an adjustment that decreases total burden hours from 114,598 to 114,146 (a drop of 452 hours) and total responses from 241,371 to 241,005 (a drop of 366) because the estimated number of workers exposed above the action level declined from 69,742 to 65,499. At the same time, estimated capital costs for maintenance and operation increased from $10,958,889 to $12,067,635 (an increase of $1,108,746).
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