[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 10, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74167-74168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29444]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2010-0039]
Portable Fire Extinguishers (Annual Maintenance Certification
Record); 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.
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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 Portable Fire
Extinguishers Standard (Annual Maintenance Certification Record) (29
CFR 1910.157(e)(3)).
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent or received) by
February 10, 2014.
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-2010-0039, 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-
2010-0039). 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 materials in the
docket, go to http://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
publically available to read or download from the Web site. All
submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for
inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may 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-3909,
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).
Paragraph (e)(3) of the Standard specifies that employers must
subject each portable fire extinguisher to an annual maintenance
inspection and
[[Page 74168]]
record the date of the inspection. In addition, this provision requires
employers to retain the inspection record for one year after the last
entry or for the life of the shell, whichever is less, and to make the
record available to OSHA on request. This recordkeeping requirement
assures employees and Agency compliance officers that portable fire
extinguishers located in the workplace will operate normally in case of
fire; in addition, this requirement provides evidence to OSHA
compliance officers during an inspection that the employer performed
the required maintenance checks on the portable fire extinguishers.
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 Portable Fire Extinguishers
Standard (Annual Maintenance Certification Record) (29 CFR
1910.157(e)(3)). OSHA is proposing to increase the burden hours in the
currently approved information collection request from 67,995 to 69,038
(a total increase of 1,043 hours). This increase is due to updated data
showing an increase in the number of fire extinguishers 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: Portable Fire Extinguishers (Annual Maintenance
Certification Record (29 CFR 1910.157(e)(3)).
OMB Control Number: 1218-0238.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
Number of Responses: 1,380,750
Frequency of Responses: On occasion
Average Time per Response: Approximately 30 minutes (.50 hour) to
perform and record the required maintenance inspection.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 69,038
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $20,193,469
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://regulations.gov, which is the Federal
eRulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (fax); or (3) by hard copy. All
comments, attachments, and other materials must identify the Agency
name and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2010-
0039). 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 comments 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, Ph.D., 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 December 5, 2013.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2013-29444 Filed 12-9-13; 8:45 am]
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