Justification for Change

OMB #1219-0141 Justification for Change

MSHA requests the approval of a non-mandatory form to be used by the public to assist in collecting required Self-Contained Self-Rescuer (SCSR) information. The form will be available in both hard copy and electronic format for the user’s convenience. The form fields conform to the data requested on the approved ICR and do not add burden hours or costs to the original collection.

The burden statement appears on the single page, hard copy form. For the electronic copy, available at www.MSHA.gov , the instruction page, including the burden information, appears as the first screen and contains a link to the electronic version of the form.

The form is consistent with the approved ICR and the final rule. The following is an overview of the pertinent cites with specific data elements and requirements underlined:

• § 75.1714-3(e).  Final rule § 75.1714-4 requires underground coal operators to provide additional SCSRs, which will add to the information collection burden under § 75.1714-3.  MSHA District Managers use the existing records concerning the storage and maintenance of SCSRs to determine that operators are providing an adequate number of SCSRs for their miners and storing the additional SCSRs in appropriate locations in the mine.  MSHA inspectors use these records to determine compliance with the standards.  Operators use these records to determine that SCSRs have been examined in the required time frame and to document the corrective action that was taken as a result of the exams.

• § 75.1714-8. The final rule includes new requires for compiling, maintaining, and reporting an inventory of al SCSRs at the mine, and for reporting defects, performance problems, or malfunctions with SCSRs. This will assure that MSHA can investigate SCSR problems, if necessary, and make other users aware of these problems before accidents occur.

• Under § 75.1714-8(a), operators must provide MSHA an inventory or all SCSRs at each mine. For each mine, the inventory must include mine name, MSHA mine ID number, and mine location. For each SCSR in each mine, the report must include: manufacturer, model type, date of manufacture, and serial number. The inventory must be sent to MSHA.  

 

• Final rule § 75.1714-8(a)(2) requires changes in the inventory during the reporting year to be reported to MSHA within the quarter that a change occurs.  Annually, MSHA estimates that all mines will revise their SCSR inventory report in 3 of 4 annual quarters.

 

• Final rule § 75.1714-8(b) requires that the operator report to MSHA any defect, performance problem, or malfunction with using an SCSR. MSHA estimates that, for all mine sizes, on average, a mine will make such a report to MSHA once per year.