DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2010-0025]
Thy Hydrostatic Testing Provision of the Portable Fire Extinguishers Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Approval of the Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements contained in the Hydrostatic Testing provision of the Portable Fire Extinguishers Standard for General Industry (29 CFR 1910.157(f)(16)).
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by [INSERT DATE 60 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].
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 a copy of your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2010-0025, 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 the OSHA docket number for the Information Collection Request (ICR) (OSHA-2010-0025). 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 Web site. 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: Todd Owen or Theda Kenney, 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 accord with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA-95) (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 OSH 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).
The collections of information contained in the Hydrostatic Testing Provision of the Portable Fire Extinguishers Standard are necessary to reduce workers’ risk of death or serious injury by ensuring that portable fire extinguishers are in safe operating condition. The following paragraphs describe who uses the information in the testing certification record, as well as how they use it.
Test Records (§ 1910.157(f)(16))
Paragraph (f)(16) requires employers to develop and maintain a certification record of hydrostatic testing of portable fire extinguishers. The certification record must include the date of inspection, the signature of the person who performed the test, and the serial number (or other identifier) of the fire extinguisher that was tested.
Disclosure of Test Certification Records
The certification record must be available to the Assistant Secretary or his/her representative upon request. The certification record provides assurance to employers, workers, and OSHA compliance officers that the fire extinguishers have been hydrostatically tested in accord with and at the intervals specified in §1910.157(f)(16), thereby ensuring that they will operate properly in the event workers need to use them. Additionally, these records provide the most efficient means for the compliance officers to determine that an employer is complying with the hydrostatic testing provision.
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 cost) 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 Hydrostatic Testing Provision of the Portable Fire Extinguishers Standard for General Industry (29 CFR 1910.157(f)(16)). OSHA is proposing to increase the burden hours in its currently approved information collection request from 124,084 burden hours to 125,986 burden hours (a total increase of 1,902 hours). This increase is due to updated data showing an increase in the number of firms affected by the Standard. 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: The Hydrostatic Testing Provision of the Portable Fire
Extinguishers Standard (29 CFR 1910.157(f)(16)).
OMB Control
Number: 1218-0218.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
Number of
Responses: 9,205,000.
Frequency of
Responses: On occasion.
Average Time
per Response: Ranges from one minute (.02 hour) to maintain the
certification records to 33 minutes (.55 hour) to test an extinguisher, and generate and maintain the certification record.
Estimated Total
Burden Hours: 125,986 hours.
Estimated Cost
(Operation and
Maintenance): $16,952,542.
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.regualtions.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-2010-0025). 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 publically available to read or download through this Web site. 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
David Michaels, PhD, MPH, 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. 1-2012 (77 FR 3912).
Signed at Washington, DC, on November 19, 2013.
________________________________
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | Garner, Christie - OSHA |
| Last Modified By | Garner, Christie - OSHA |
| File Modified | 2014-01-30 |
| File Created | 2014-01-30 |