60 Day FRN

Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices
or combustible liquids or gases
(§ 1915.13(b)(10));
• Ensure that confined and enclosed
spaces and other dangerous
atmospheres, and boundaries of spaces
or pipelines are tested before workers
perform hot work in these work areas
(§ 1915.14(a)(1));
• Post warnings of testing conducted
by competent persons and certificates of
testing conducted by a Marine Chemist
or Coast Guard authorized person in the
immediate vicinity of the hot-work
operation while the operation is in
progress (§§ 1915.14(a) and (b)); and
• Retain certificates of testing on file
for at least three months after
completing the operation
(§ 1915.14(a)(2)).

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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
the approval of the collection of
information (paperwork) requirements
mandated by Subpart A (‘‘General
Provisions’’) and Subpart B (‘‘Confined
and Enclosed Spaces and Other
Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard
Employment’’) of 29 CFR part 1915. The
agency is requesting an adjustment
decrease of 19,246 burden hours (from
586,064 to 566,818 hours). The
adjustment decrease is due to a decrease
in the number of establishments affected
by these standards.
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: Subpart A (‘‘General
Provisions’’) and Subpart B (‘‘Confined
and Enclosed Spaces and Other
Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard
Employment’’) (29 CFR part 1915).
OMB Control Number: 1218–0011.
Affected Public: Business or other forprofits; Not-for-profit organizations;

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Federal Government; State, Local or
Tribal Government.
Number of Respondents: 4,716.
Frequency of Responses: On occasion.
Total Responses: 3,555,305.
Average Time per Response: Various.
Estimated Total Burden Hours:
566,818.
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.
Please note: While OSHA’s Docket
Office is continuing to accept and
process submissions by regular mail,
due to the COVID–19 pandemic, the
Docket Office is closed to the public and
not able to receive submissions to the
docket by hand, express mail,
messenger, and courier service. All
comments, attachments, and other
material must identify the agency name
and the OSHA docket number (Docket
No. OSHA–2011–0034) for the ICR. 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.
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 from 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 website to submit
comments and access the docket is
available at the website’s ‘‘User Tips’’
link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at
(202) 693–2350, (TTY (877) 889–5627)
for information about materials not

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available from the website, and for
assistance in using the internet to locate
docket submissions.
V. Authority and Signature
Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy
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 December
18, 2020.
Loren Sweatt,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor
for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2020–28371 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–26–P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration
[Docket No. OSHA–2011–0056]

Voluntary Protection Programs
Information; Extension of the Office of
Management and Budget’s (OMB)
Approval of Information Collection
(Paperwork) Requirements
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA), Labor.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
AGENCY:

SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public
comments concerning the proposal to
extend the Office of Management and
Budget’s (OMB) approval of the
information collection requirements
contained in Voluntary Protection
Programs Information.
DATES: Comments must be submitted
(postmarked, sent, or received) by
February 22, 2021.
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, OSHA
Docket No. OSHA–2011–0056,
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, U.S. Department of

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84008

Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices

Labor, Room N–3653, 200 Constitution
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210.
Please note: While OSHA’s Docket
Office is continuing to accept and
process submissions by regular mail,
due to the COVID–19 pandemic, the
Docket Office is closed to the public and
not able to received submissions to the
docket by hand, express mail,
messenger, and courier service.
Instructions: All submissions must
include the agency name and the OSHA
docket number (OSHA–2011–0056) for
the Information Collection Request
(ICR). All comments, including any
personal information you provide, such
as social security numbers and date of
birth, 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 above
address. 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 from 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 below phone number to obtain a
copy of the ICR.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Seleda Perryman or Theda Kenney,
Directorate of Standards and Guidance,
OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor;
telephone (202) 693–2222.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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I. Background
The Department of Labor, as part of
the 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 (PRA)
[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 information
collection burden is accurate. The
Occupational Safety and Health Act of

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1970 (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 Voluntary Protection Programs
(VPP) [47 FR 29025], adopted by OSHA,
established the efficacy of cooperative
action among government, industry, and
labor to address employee safety and
health issues and to expand employee
protection. To qualify, employers must
meet OSHA’s safety and health
management criteria which focus on
comprehensive management programs
and active employee involvement to
prevent or control worksite safety and
health hazards. Employers who qualify
generally view OSHA standards as a
minimum level of safety and health
performance, and set their own more
stringent standards, wherever necessary,
to improve employee protection.
Prospective VPP worksites must submit
an application that includes:
• General applicant information (e.g.,
site, corporate, and collective bargaining
contact information).
• Injury and illness rate performance
information (i.e., number of employees
and/or applicable contractors on-site,
type of work performed and products
produced, North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS), and
Recordable Injury and Illness Case
Incidence Rate information.
• Safety and health management
program information (i.e., description of
the applicant’s safety and health
management programs) including how
the programs successfully addresses
management leadership and employee
involvement, worksite analysis, hazard
prevention and control, and safety and
health training OSHA uses this
information to determine whether an
applicant is ready for a VPP on-site
evaluation and as a verification tool
during VPP on-site evaluations. Without
this information, OSHA would be
unable to determine which sites are
ready for VPP status.
Each current VPP applicant is also
required to submit an annual evaluation
which addresses how that applicant is
continuing the adherence to
programmatic requirements. In 2008,
OSHA modified procedures for VPP
applicants, OSHA on-site evaluation,
and annual participant self-evaluation
for applicants/participants subject to
OSHA’s Process Safety Management
(PSM) Standard. Applicants that
perform works that use or produce
highly hazardous chemical exceeding
specified limits covered under the PSM

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standard must submit responses to the
PSM application supplement along with
their VPP application.
Once in the VPP, the participant is
required to submit an annual evaluation
detailing the continued adherence to
programmatic requirements. Applicants
covered under the PSM standard are
required to submit a PSM questionnaire
a supplemental document as part of
their annual submission. OSHA needs
this information to ensure that the
participant remains qualified to
participate in the VPP between the onsite evaluations. Without this
information, OSHA would be unable to
determine whether applicants are
maintaining excellent safety and health
management programs during this
interim period.
In 2009, with the publication of the
Federal Register Notice (FRN), VPP
revised the traditional focus on
individual fixed worksites (site-based)
by adding two new ways to participate:
mobile workforce and corporate. A
significant reorganization of the
program helps clarify the multiple
participation options now available.
Employees of VPP participants may
apply to participate in the Special
Government Employee (SGE) Program.
The SGE Program offers private and
public sector safety and health
professionals and other qualified
participants the opportunity to
exchange ideas, gain new perspectives,
and grow professionally while serving
as full-fledged team members on
OSHA’s VPP on-site evaluations. In that
capacity, SGEs may review company
documents, assist with worksite
walkthroughs, interview employees, and
assist in preparing VPP on-site
evaluation reports. Potential SGEs must
submit an application that includes:
• SGE Eligibility Information Sheet
(i.e., applicant’s name, professional
credentials, site/corporate contact
information, etc.);
• Current Resume;
• Optional Application for Federal
Employment OF–612; and
• Confidential Financial Disclosure
Report (OGE Form 450).
OSHA uses the SGE Eligibility
Information Sheet to ensure that the
potential SGE works at a VPP site and
meets the minimum eligibility
qualifications. The resume is required to
provide a detailed description of their
current duties and responsibilities as
they relate to safety and health and the
implementation of an effective safety
and health management program. The
OGE Form 450 is used to ensure that
SGEs do not participate on on-site
evaluations at VPP sites where they
have a financial interest.

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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices
OSHA Challenge is designed to reach
and guide employers and companies in
all major industry groups who are
strongly committed to improving their
safety and health management programs
and possibly pursuing recognition in the
VPP. The Challenge Administrators
application is used to: (1) Conduct a
preliminary analysis of the applicant’s
knowledge of safety and health
management programs; and (2) make a
determination regarding the applicant’s
qualifications to become a Challenge
Administrator. Once a Challenge
Administrator is approved, the
Administrator will review each
challenge candidate’s application/
annual submissions to ensure that all
necessary information is provided, prior
to forwarding to OSHA’s National Office
for acceptance and analysis.
II. Special Issues for Comment
OSHA has a particular interest in
comments on the following issues:
• Whether the information collection
requirements are necessary for the
proper performance of the agency’s
functions, including whether the
information is useful;
• The accuracy of the agency’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.

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III. Proposed Actions
OSHA is requesting an adjustment
decrease of 363 burden hours from
90,863 to 90,500 hours. The decrease is
primarily due to the lack of Challenge
participation, and lack of training of
new SGE applicants and re-approval
training of existing SGEs due to the
negative impact of the COVID–19
imposed on all OSHA Cooperative
Programs.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Title: Voluntary Protection Programs
Information.
OMB Control Number: 1218–0239.
Affected Public: Business or other forprofits.
Number of Respondents: 4,052.
Total Respondents: 3,601.
Frequency: Various.
Estimated Total Total Burden Hours:
90,500.
Estimated Cost (Operation and
Maintenance): $0.

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Jkt 253001

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.
Please note: While OSHA’s Docket
Office is continuing to accept and
process submissions by regular mail,
due to the COVID–19 pandemic, the
Docket Office is closed to the public and
not able to receive submissions to the
docket by hand, express mail,
messenger, and courier service. All
comments, attachments, and other
material must identify the agency name
and the OSHA docket number for the
ICR (Docket No. OSHA–2011–0056).
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.
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 website to
submit comments and access the docket
is available at the website’s ‘‘User Tips’’
link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at
(202) 693–2350, (TTY (877) 889–5627)
for information about materials not
available through the website, and for
assistance in using the internet to locate
docket submissions. Contact the OSHA
Docket Office for information about
materials not available through the
website, and for assistance in using the
internet to locate docket submissions.

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84009

V. Authority and Signature
Loren Sweatt, Principal Deputy
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) and Secretary of Labor’s
Order No. 1–2012 (77 FR 3912).
Signed at Washington, DC, on December
17, 2020.
Loren Sweatt,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor
for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2020–28330 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510–26–P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of Workers’ Compensation
Programs
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Comment Request;
Proposed Extension of Existing
Collection; Agreement and
Undertaking (OWCP–1)
ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor
(DOL) is soliciting comments
concerning a proposed extension for the
authority to conduct the information
collection request (ICR) titled,
‘‘Agreement and Undertaking.’’ This
comment request is part of continuing
Departmental efforts to reduce
paperwork and respondent burden in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).
DATES: Consideration will be given to all
written comments received by February
22, 2021.
ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR with
applicable supporting documentation,
including a description of the likely
respondents, proposed frequency of
responses, and estimated total burden,
may be obtained for free by contacting
Anjanette Suggs by telephone at 202–
354–9660 or by email at
[email protected].
Submit written comments about, or
requests for a copy of, this ICR by mail
or courier to the U.S. Department of
Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation
Program, Division of Coal Mine
Workers’ Compensation, Room S3323,
200 Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20210; by email:
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Contact Anjanette Suggs by telephone at
202–354–9660 or by email at
[email protected].

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