[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 218 (Thursday, November 10, 2011)][Notices][Pages 70166-70168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-29065]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2011-0187]


Electrical Standards for Construction and General Industry; 
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 request for an 
extension of the information collection requirements contained in the 
Electrical Standards for Construction (29 CFR part 1926, Subpart K) and 
for General Industry (29 CFR part 1910, Subpart S). The Standards 
address safety procedures for installation and maintenance of electric 
utilization equipment that prevent death and serious injuries among 
construction and general industry workers in the workplace caused by 
electrical hazards.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
January 9, 2012.

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-2011-0187, 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 OSHA 
docket number (OSHA-2011-0187) for the Information Collection Request 
(ICR). 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: Theda Kenney or Todd Owen, 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 accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (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 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 information collection requirements specified by the Electrical 
Standards for Construction and for General Industry alert workers to 
the presence and types of electrical hazards in the workplace, thereby 
preventing serious injury and death by electrocution. The information 
collection requirements in these Standards involve the following: The 
employer using electrical equipment that is marked with the 
manufacturer's name, trademark, or other descriptive markings that 
identify the producer of the equipment, and marking the equipment with 
the voltage, current, wattage, or other ratings necessary; requiring 
each disconnecting means for motors and appliances to be marked legibly 
to indicate its purpose, unless located and arranged so the purpose is 
evident; requiring the entrances to rooms and other guarded locations 
containing exposed live parts to be marked with conspicuous warning 
signs forbidding unqualified persons from entering; and, for 
construction employers only, establishing and implementing the assured 
equipment grounding conductor program instead of using ground-fault 
circuit interrupters.

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 proposing to increase the existing burden hours estimated 
for the Electrical Standards for Construction and for General Industry. 
This increase in burden hours from 151,172 hours to 170,098 hours, a 
total increase of 18,926 hours, is due to the increase in the time it 
takes to acquire and post signs. The data used is primarily based on 
the final economic analysis (FEA) prepared during the revision of the 
final rule of 29 CFR part 1910, Subpart S. There was an increase in the 
cost of the labels from $2.00 to $3.75 and OSHA has added the cost of 
caution and warning signs. The total cost over a five-year period to 
the employer is $12,034,166 (or $2,406,833 per year). The Agency will 
summarize any comments submitted in response to this notice, and will 
include this summary in the request to OMB to extend the approval of 
the information collection requirements contained in these Standards.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Title: Electrical Standards for Construction (29 CFR part 1926, 
Subpart K) and for General Industry (29 CFR part 1910, Subpart S).
    OMB Number: 1218-0130.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; Not-for-profit 
institutions; Federal Government; State, local, or Tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 500,000.
    Frequency of Response: Occasionally.
    Total Responses: 2,511,139.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from three minutes (.08 hour) to 
post and construct each sign to four hours to document a hazardous 
classified location by a certified electrical engineer.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 170,098.
    Estimated Cost Operation and Maintenance): $2,406,833.

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. All 
comments, attachments, and other material must identify the Agency name 
and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2011-0187). 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 dates 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 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. 5-2010 
(75 FR 55355).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on November 4, 2011.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2011-29065 Filed 11-9-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P