[Federal Register: July 23, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 140)][Notices] [Page 40170-40172]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23jy07-74]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2007-0050]
Welding, Cutting and Brazing Standard; 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 comment.
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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB
approval of the Information Collection requirement contained in the
Welding, Cutting and Brazing Standard (29 CFR 1910.255(e)). The
information collected is used by employers and employees whenever
welding, cutting and brazing are performed. The purpose of the
information is to ensure that employers evaluate hazards associated
with welding and ensure that adequate measures are taken to make the
process safe.
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
September 21, 2007.
ADDRESSES:
Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal
eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting
comments.
Facsimile: If your comments, including attachments, are not longer
than 10 pages, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
1648.
Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger, or courier service:
When using this method, you must submit three copies of your comments
and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2007-0050,
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier
service) are accepted during the Department of Labor's and Docket
Office's normal business hours, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., e.t.
Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and OSHA
docket number for the ICR (OSHA-2007-0050). All comments, including any
personal information you provide, are placed in the public docket
without change, and may be made available online at http://www.regulations.gov.
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 http://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at
the address above. All documents in the docket (including this Federal
Register notice) are listed in the http://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 and
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Theda Kenney at
the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney or Todd Owen, Directorate
of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3609,
200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202)
693-2222.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Department of Labor, as part of its 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 (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 (the OSH Act) (29 U.S.C. 651
et seq.) 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). 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 efforts in obtaining
information (29 U.S.C. 657).
Section 1910.255(e) requires that a periodic inspection of
resistance welding equipment be made by qualified maintenance
personnel, and that a certification record be generated and maintained.
The certification shall include the date of the inspection, the
signature of the person who performed the inspection and the serial
number, or other identifier, for the equipment inspected. The record
shall be made available to an OSHA inspector upon request. The
maintenance inspection ensures that welding equipment is in safe
operating condition while the maintenance record provides evidence to
employees and Agency compliance officers that employers performed the
required inspections.\1\
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\1\ The ICR does not account for the paperwork burden associated
with several provisions of the standard either because manufacturers
typically provide the required information (i.e., Sec. Sec.
1910.252(b)(2)(ii)(G), (c)(1)(i)(A), (c)(1)(i)(B), (c)(1)(i)(C),
1910.253(b)(1)(ii), (d)(4)(ii), (d)(4)(iii), (e)(6)(iii), (f)(1)(i),
(g)(1)(ii), and 1910.254(b)(4)(iv)); the Agency believes that the
paperwork requirement was a usual and customary business practice
among the industry prior to publication of the standard (i.e.,
Sec. Sec. 1910.252(a)(2)(xiii)(D), (a)(2)(xiv)(D),
1910.253(b)(5)(iii)(G), (c)(3)(v), and (f)(7)(i)(A)); or the Agency
believes that the implied training provisions are performance-
oriented and, therefore, not subject to PRA-95 (i.e., Sec. Sec.
1910.252(a)(2)(xiii)(C) and 1910.253(a)(4)).
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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,
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 its approval of the information
collection requirements contained in the Standard on Welding, Cutting
and Brazing (29 CFR part 1910, subpart Q). The Agency is requesting to
reduce its current burden hour estimate associated with this Standard
from 6,588 to 5,994 hours for a total reduction of 594 hours. The
Agency will summarize the comments submitted in response to this notice
and will include this summary in the request to OMB.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Title: Welding, Cutting and Brazing (29 CFR part 1910, subpart Q).
OMB Number: 1218-0207.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
Number of Respondents: 21,373.
Frequency: On occasion.
Average Time Per Response: Varies from 1 minute (.02 hour) to
maintain the inspection certification record to 7 minutes (.12 hour) to
perform the inspection and to generate and maintain the inspection
certification record.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 5,994.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $0.
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 http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal
eRulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (FAX); or (3) by hard copy. All
comments, attachments, and other material must identify the Agency name
and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2007-0050). You
may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files
electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference
to an electronic or 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 the Agency can attach them
to your comments.
Because of security procedures, the use of regular mail may cause a
significant delay in the receipt of comments. For information about
security procedures concerning the delivery of materials by hand,
express delivery, messenger, or courier service, please contact the
OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY (877) 889-5627).
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
date 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 through 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 Web site to submit comments and access
the docket is available at the Web site's ``User Tips'' link. Contact
the OSHA Docket Office for information about materials not available
through the Web site, and for assistance in using the Internet to
locate docket submissions.
V. Authority and Signature
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., 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 et seq.) and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 5-2002 (67 FR
65008).
Signed at Washington, DC, on July 16, 2007.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. E7-14109 Filed 7-20-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P
