Ss_1218-0143(05-30-07)

March 8, 2007

NOTE TO REVIEWER:
1218-0143 -- Presence Sensing Device Initiation (PSDI) (29 CFR 1910.217(h))

The Agency finalized and published a Lookback Review on PSDI pursuant to Section 610 of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act and section 5 of Executive Order 12866 on Regulatory Planning and
Review (67 FR 55181, Docket No. S225A) on June 8, 2004. OSHA determined that it would
update all of 29 CFR 1910.217 and not just 29 CFR 1910.217(h) to be consistent with ANSI
B11.1-2001 or something similar.
The Agency is currently working on an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for
Mechanical Power Presses (29 CFR 1910.217), which includes PSDI, and hopes to publish it in
the Federal Register this year. As part of the ANPR, OSHA is seeking public comment
concerning information on ways to implement PSDI that will make it easier to do so, (i.e., less
burdensome on employers while still being effective in protecting workers from crush injuries,
amputations, and death). OSHA is also seeking ways to minimize the paperwork burdens
imposed throughout 29 CFR 1910.217 without adversely affecting employee safety.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR
THE INFORMATION COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS OF
THE STANDARD ON PRESENCE SENSING DEVICE INITIATION (PSDI)
(29 CFR 1910.217(h)) 1
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET (OMB)
CONTROL NO. 1218-0143 (May 2007)

JUSTIFICATION
1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or
administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each
statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.

The main purpose of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSH Act”) is to “assure so far as
possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and
to preserve our human resources” (29 U.S.C. 651). To achieve this objective, the OSH Act
specifically authorizes “the development and promulgation of occupational safety and health
standards” (29 U.S.C. 651). Section 6(b)(7) of the OSH Act states that “[a]ny standard
promulgated under this subsection shall prescribe the use of labels or other appropriate forms of
warning as are necessary to insure that employees are apprised of all hazards to which they are
exposed, relevant symptoms and appropriate emergency treatment, and proper conditions and
precautions of safe use or exposure” (29 U.S.C. 655). The OSH Act also specifies that “[e]ach
employer shall make, keep and preserve, and make available to the Secretary . . . such records . .
. as the Secretary . . . may prescribe by regulation as necessary or appropriate for the
enforcement of the Act . . .” (29 U.S.C. 657).
Under the authority granted by the OSH Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(“OSHA” or “the Agency”) added paragraph (h) (“Presence sensing device initiation (PSDI)”) to
its Standard for Mechanical Power Presses (29 CFR 1910.217). Paragraph (h) (the “Standard”)
regulates the use of presence sensing devices (“PSDs”) used to initiate the operation of
mechanical power presses; a PSD (e.g., a photoelectric field or curtain) automatically stops the
stroke of a mechanical power press when the device detects an operator entering a danger zone
near the press. A mechanical power press using PSDI automatically starts (initiates) the stroke
when the device detects no operator within the danger zone near the press. The
certification/validation of safety systems for PSDI shall consider the press, controls, safeguards,
operator, and environment as an integrated system which shall comply with 29 CFR 1910.217(a)
through (h). Accordingly, the Standard protects employees from serious crush injuries,
amputations, and death. Items 2 and 12 below describe in detail the specific information
collection requirements of the Standard.

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The purpose of this Supporting Statement is to analyze and describe the burden hours and costs associated
with provisions of this Standard that contain paperwork requirements; this Supporting Statement does not provide
information or guidance on how to comply with, or how to enforce, the Standard.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection,
indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.

Description of the requirements. A number of paragraphs in the Standard contain paperwork
requirements. These requirements include: Certifying brake-monitor adjustments, alternatives
to photo-electric presence sensing devices (PSDs), safety-system design and installation, and
employee training; annual recertification of safety systems; establishing and maintaining the
original certification and validation records, as well as the most recent recertification and
revalidation records; affixing labels to test rods and to certified and recertified presses; and
notifying an OSHA-recognized third-party validation organization when a safety system
component fails, the employer modifies the safety system, or a point-of-operation injury occurs.
The table below identifies these paragraphs and cites the regulatory text containing the
paperwork requirement.
Paragraph
(h)(5)(ii)

(h)(9)(ii)(B)

(h)(10)(i)

(h)(11)(i)(A)

(h)(11)(i)(B)

Regulatory Text
Once the PSDI safety system has been certified/validated, adjustment of the brake monitor shall
not be done without prior approval of the validation organization for both the brake monitor
adjustment and the corresponding adjustment of the safety distance. The validation organization
shall in its installation validation, state that in what circumstances, if any, the employer has
advance approval for adjustment, when prior oral approval is appropriate and when prior
approval must be in writing. The adjustment shall be done under the supervision of an authorized
person whose qualifications include knowledge of safety distance requirements and experience
with the brake system and its adjustment. When brake wear or other factors extend press
stopping time beyond the limit permitted by the brake monitor, adjustment, repair, or
maintenance shall be performed on the brake or other press system element that extends the
stopping time.
Alternatives to photo-electric light curtains may be used for PSDI when the employer can
demonstrate, through tests and analysis by the employer or the manufacturer, that the alternative
is as safe as the photo-electric light curtain, that the alternative meets the conditions of this
section, has the same long term reliability as light curtains and can be integrated into the entire
safety system as provided for in this section. Prior to use, both the employer and manufacturer
must certify that these requirements and all the other applicable requirements of this section are
met and these certifications must be validated by an OSHA-recognized third-party validation
organization to meet these additional requirements and all the other applicable requirements of
paragraphs (a) through (h) and Appendix A of this section. Three months prior to the operation
of any alternative system, the employer must notify the OSHA Directorate of Safety Standards
Programs of the name of the system to be installed, the manufacturer and the OSHA-recognized
third-party validation organization immediately. Upon request, the employer must make
available to that office all tests and analyses for OSHA review.
Any press equipped with presence sensing devices for use in PSDI, or for supplemental
safeguarding on presses used in the PSDI mode, shall be equipped with a test rod of diameter
specified by the presence sensing device manufacturer to represent the minimum object
sensitivity of the sensing field. Instructions for use of the test rod shall be noted on a label
affixed to the presence sensing device.
The design of the safety system required for the use of a press in the PSDI mode shall be certified
and validated prior to installation. The manufacturer's certification shall be validated by an
OSHA-recognized third-party validation organization to meet all applicable requirements of
paragraphs (a) through (h) and Appendix A of this section.
After a press has been equipped with a safety system whose design has been certified and
validated in accordance with paragraph (h)(11)(i) of this section, the safety system installation
shall be certified by the employer, and then shall be validated by an OSHA-recognized third-party
validation organization to meet all applicable requirements of paragraphs (a) through (h) and
Appendix A of this section.

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Paragraph
(h)(11)(ii)

(h)(11)(iii)

(h)(11)(iv)

(h)(11)(v)

(h)(11)(vi)

(h)(13)(i)

(h)(13)(ii)

Regulatory Text
At least annually thereafter, the safety system on a mechanical power press used in the PSDI
mode shall be recertified by the employer and revalidated by an OSHA-recognized third-party
validation organization to meet all applicable requirements of paragraphs (a) through (h) and
Appendix A of this section. Any press whose safety system has not been recertified and
revalidated within the preceding 12 months shall be removed from service in the PSDI mode until
the safety system is recertified and revalidated.
A label shall be affixed to the press as part of each installation certification/validation and the
most recent recertification/revalidation. The label shall indicate the press serial number, the
minimum safety distance (Ds) required by paragraph (h)(9)(v) of this section, the fulfillment of
design certification/validation, the employer's signed certification, the identification of the
OSHA-recognized third-party validation organization, its signed validation, and the date the
certification/validation and recertification/revalidation are issued.
Records of the installation certification and validation and the most recent recertification and
revalidation shall be maintained for each safety system equipped press by the employer as long as
the press is in use. The records shall include the manufacture and model number of each
component and subsystem, the calculations of the safety distance as required by paragraph
(h)(9)(v) of this section, and the stopping time measurements required by paragraph (h)(2)(ii) of
this section. The most recent records shall be made available to OSHA upon request.
The employer shall notify the OSHA-recognized third-party validation organization within five
days whenever a component or a subsystem of the safety system fails or modifications are made
which may affect the safety of the system. The failure of a critical component shall necessitate
the removal of the safety system from service until it is recertified and revalidated, except
recertification by the employer without revalidation is permitted when a non-critical component
or subsystem is replaced by one of the same manufacture and design as the original, or
determined by the third-party validation organization to be equivalent by similarity analysis, as
set forth in Appendix A.
The employer shall notify the OSHA-recognized third-party validation organization within five
days of the occurrence of any point of operation injury while a press is used in the PSDI mode.
This is in addition to the report of injury required by paragraph (g) of this section; however, a
copy of that report may be used for this purpose.
The operator training required by paragraph (f)(2) of this section shall be provided to the
employee before the employee initially operates the press and as needed to maintain competence,
but not less than annually thereafter. It shall include instruction relative to the following items for
presses used in the PSDI mode: The manufacturer's recommended test procedures for checking
operation of the presence sensing device [including ] the use of the test rod required by paragraph
(h)(10)(i) of this section; the safety distance required; the operation, function and performance of
the PSDI mode; the requirements for hand tools that may be used in the PSDI mode; and the
severe consequences that can result if he or she attempts to circumvent or by-pass any of the safeguard or operating functions of the PSDI system.
The employer shall certify that employees have been trained by preparing a certification record
which includes the identity of the person trained, the signature of the employer or the person who
conducted the training, and the date the training was completed. The certification record shall be
prepared at the completion of training and shall be maintained on file for the duration of the
employee's employment. The certification record shall be made available upon request to the
Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health.

In addition, Appendix A of § 1910.217 provides detailed information and procedures
required to meet the certification/validation provisions, as well as the design requirements,
contained in the PSDI Standard. Accordingly, Appendix A supplements and explains the
certification/validation provisions of the PSDI Standard, and does not specify new or additional
paperwork requirements for employers. Appendix C of § 1910.217 describes the requirements
and procedures for obtaining OSHA recognition as a third-party validation organization;
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therefore, the paperwork requirements specified by this appendix do not impose burden hours or
cost directly on employers who use PSDs.
Use and purpose of the requirements. Requiring employers to certify brake-monitor adjustments,
alternatives to photo-electric PSDs, and safety-system design and installation, and to recertify
safety systems annually, provides the employer, systems engineers, maintenance personnel, and
other employees with reliable information regarding the status and operating characteristics of
the presses, which they can use to determine that the systems are operating according to the
requirements of the Standard. The training-certification requirement assures employers that
employees receive the training specified by the Standard at the required frequencies and,
therefore, can safely operate a PSDI-equipped mechanical power press. Specifying that
employers establish and maintain for each press the original certification and validation records,
as well as the most recent recertification and revalidation records, allows employers, engineers,
maintenance personnel, and other employees to determine if the presses are operating within
required specifications, thereby ensuring that the presses remain in safe operating condition.
Having employers affix labels to test rods provides information to employees about the
minimum object sensitivity of the sensing field, thereby allowing them to use the test rods in
determining that a field is operating correctly. The provision specifying that employers affix
labels to certified and recertified presses gives assurance to employers and employees that the
presses meet the requirements of the Standard and, therefore, that employees can operate them
safely.
Requiring employers to notify an OSHA-recognized third-party validation organization when a
safety system component fails, or a point-of-operation injury occurs, permits these organizations
to identify and correct design problems in the safety systems. Having employers inform these
organizations of modifications made to safety systems allows the organizations to review the
modifications and determine if the presses will continue to operate safely.
By complying with these paperwork requirements, employers ensure that PSDI-equipped
mechanical power presses are in safe working order, thereby preventing severe injury and death
to press operators and other employees who work near this equipment. In addition, these records
provide the most efficient means for an OSHA compliance officer to determine that an employer
performed the requirements and that the equipment is safe.
3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology,
e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of
collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.

Employers may use automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques, or other forms of information technology (e.g., electronic submission of responses),
when establishing and maintaining the required records. The Agency wrote the paperwork
requirements of the Standard in performance-oriented language, i.e., in terms of what data to
collect, not how to record the data.

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4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available
cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.

The requirements to collect and maintain information are specific to each employer and
employee involved, and no other source or agency duplicates these requirements or can make the
required information available to OSHA (i.e., the required information is available only from
employers).
5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities (Item 5 of OMB Form
83-I), describe any methods used to minimize burden.

The information collection requirements of the Standard do not have a significant impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is
conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

The Agency believes that the information collection frequencies required by the Standard are the
minimum frequencies necessary to ensure the safety of employees who operate mechanical
presses that use PSDs, and thereby fulfill its mandate “to assure so far as possible every working
man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human
resources” as specified by the OSH Act at 29 U.S.C. 651. Accordingly, if employers do not
perform the required information collections, or delay in providing this information, mechanical
press operators and other employees near this equipment will have an increased probability of
exposure to the point-of-operation, resulting in serious crush injuries, amputations, and/or death.
7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a
manner:
·

Requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;

·

Requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30
days after receipt of it;

·

Requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;

·

Requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-inaid, or tax records for more than three years;

·

In connection with a statistical survey that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that
can be generalized to the universe of study;

·

Requiring the use of statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;

·

That includes a pledge of confidentially that is not supported by authority established in statute or
regulation that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the
pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible
confidential use; or

·

Requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless
the agency can prove that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentially to
the extent permitted by law.

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No special circumstances exist that require employers to collect information in the manner or
using the procedures specified by this item. The information collection requirements are
consistent with the guidelines provided in 5 CFR 1320.5.
8. If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register
of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior
to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions
taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and
hour burden.
Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data,
frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any),
and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.
Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must
compile records should occur at least once every 3 years, even if the collection-of-information activity is the
same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation.
These circumstances should be explained.

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), OSHA
published a notice in the Federal Register on March 29, 2007 (72 FR 14832, Docket No. OSHA2007-0027) requesting public comment on its proposal to extend the Office of Management and
Budget’s approval of the information collection requirements found in the Standard on Presence
Sensing Device Initiation (PSDI) (29 CFR 1910.217). This notice was part of a preclearance
consultation program that provided the general public and government agencies with an
opportunity to comment. The Agency received no comments in response to its notice.
9. Explain any decision to provide any payments or gift to respondents, other than reenumeration of
contractors or grantees.

The Agency will not provide payments or gifts to the respondents.
10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in
statute, regulation, or agency policy.

No elements of confidentiality are involved.
11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and
attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should
include the reasons why the Agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the
information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to
be taken to obtain their consent.

None of the provisions of the Standard require sensitive information.
12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should:
• Show the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of
how the burden was estimated. Unless directed to do so, agencies should not conduct special surveys to
obtain information on which to base hour burden estimates. Consultation with a sample (fewer than 10) of
potential respondents is desirable. If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary widely because of

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differences in activity, size, or complexity, show the range of estimated hour burdens, and explain the reasons
for the variance. General estimates should not include burden hours for customary and usual business
practices.
• If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burdens estimates for
each form and aggregate the hour burden in Item 13 of OMB Form 83-1.
• Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of
information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories. The cost of contracting out or paying
outside parties for information collection activities should not be included here. Instead, this cost should be
included in Item 13.

Burden-Hour and Cost Determinations
To date no third-party organization is available to validate employer and manufacturer
certifications that their PSDI equipment and practices meet the requirements of the Standard.
Therefore, the Agency cannot attribute burden hours and cost to the paperwork requirements of
the Standard.
OSHA is proposing that OMB approve the information collection requirements specified by the
Standard so that it can enforce these requirements if employers obtain third-party
certification/validation. The table under Item 2 above provides the paragraph designations and
regulatory text of these requirements.
13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the
collection of information. (Do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in Items 12 and 14.)
•

The cost estimate should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost
component annualized over its expected useful life) and (b) a total operation and maintenance and
purchase of service component. The estimates should take into account costs associated with
generating, maintaining, and disclosing or providing the information. Include descriptions of
methods used to estimate major cost factors including system and technology acquisition, expected
useful life of capital equipment, the discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be
incurred. Capital and start-up costs include, among other items, preparations for collecting
information such as purchasing computers and software; monitoring, sampling, drilling and
testing equipment; and record storage facilities.

•

If cost estimates are expected to vary widely, agencies should present ranges of cost burdens and
explain the reasons for the variance. The cost of purchasing or contracting out information
collections services should be a part of this cost burden estimate. In developing cost burden
estimates, agencies may consult with a sample of respondents (fewer than 10), utilize the 60-day
pre-OMB submission public comment process and use existing economic or regulatory impact
analysis associated with the rulemaking containing the information collection, as appropriate.

•

Generally, estimates should not include purchases of equipment or services, or portions thereof,
made: (1) prior to October 1, 1995, (2) to achieve regulatory compliance with requirements not
associated with the information collection, (3) for reasons other than to provide information or
keep records for the government, or (4) as part of customary and usual business or private
practices.

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The Standard does not currently affect any known employer; therefore, the Agency can attribute
no capital cost to respondents or recordkeepers (see explanation under Item 12 above).
14. Provide estimates of the annualized cost to the Federal Government. Also, provide a description of the
method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as
equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), any other expense that would not have been incurred
without this collection of information. Agencies also may aggregate cost estimates from Items 12, 13, and 14
into a single table.

OSHA does not currently enforce the information collection requirements of the Standard (see
explanation under Item 12 above). Therefore, the Agency has no annualized cost associated with
enforcing the Standard.
15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-1.

The Agency reports no program changes or adjustments in Items 13 or 14 of OMB Form 83-I.
16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulations, and
publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the
entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report,
publication dates, and other actions.

No information is available for publishing (see explanation under Item 12 above).
17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection,
explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

No forms are available for the Agency to display the expiration date.
18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19 per "Certification for
Paperwork Reduction Act Submission," of OMB Form 83-I.

OSHA is not requesting an exception to the certification statement in Item 19.

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