[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 146 (Wednesday, July 30, 2014)][Notices][Pages 44199-44201]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-17958]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2011-0057]
Excavations (Design of Cave-In Protection Systems); Extension of
the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of 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 OMB approval of the information collection requirements
contained in the Standard on Excavations (Design of Cave-in Protection
Systems) (29 CFR part 1926, subpart P).
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
September 29, 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, OSHA Docket No. OSHA-2011-0057,
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 (OSHA-2011-0057) 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 from the Web site. All submissions,
including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Michael Buchet
at the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Buchet, Directorate of
Construction, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3468, 200
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-
2020.
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 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).
Paragraphs (b) and (c) of Sec. 1926.652 ("Requirements for
Protective Systems"; the "Standard") contain paperwork requirements
that impose burden hours or costs on employers. These paragraphs
require employers to use protective systems to prevent cave-ins during
excavation work; these systems include sloping the side of the trench,
benching the soil away from the excavation, or using a support system
or shield (such as a trench box). The Standard specifies allowable
configurations and slopes for excavations, and provides appendices to
assist employers in designing protective systems. However, paragraphs
(b)(3) and (b)(4) of the Standard permit employers to design sloping or
benching systems based on tabulated data (Option 3), or to use a design
approved by a registered professional engineer (Option 4).
Under Option 3, employers must provide the tabulated data in a
written form that also identifies the registered professional engineer
who approved the data and the parameters used to select the sloping or
benching system drawn from the data, as well as the limitations of the
data (including the magnitude and configuration of slopes determined to
be safe). The document must also provide any explanatory information
necessary to select the correct benching system based on the data.
Option 2 requires employers to develop a written design approved by a
registered professional engineer. The design information must include
the magnitude and configuration of the slopes determined to be safe,
and the identity of the registered professional engineer who approved
the design.
Paragraph (c)(2)(iii) allows employers to use manufacturer's
tabulated data or to deviate from the data provided. The manufacturer's
specification, recommendations and limitations as well as the
manufacturer's approval to deviate from these items shall be in
writing. Paragraphs (c)(3) and (c)(4) allow employers to design support
systems, shield systems, and other protective systems based on
tabulated data provided by a system manufacturer (Option 3) or obtained
from other sources including a registered professional engineer and
approved by a registered professional engineer (Option 4).
Each of these provisions requires employers to maintain a copy of
the documents described in these options at the jobsite during
construction. After construction is completed, employers may store the
documents off-site provided they make them available to an OSHA
compliance officer on request. These documents provide both the
employer and the compliance officer with information needed to
determine if the selection and design of a protective system are
appropriate to the excavation work, thereby assuring workers of maximum
protection against cave-ins.
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
The Agency is requesting that OMB extend its approval of the
information collection requirements contained in the Standard on
Excavations (Design of Cave-in Protection Systems). An increase in the
number of construction starts from 706,000 starts to 761,873 contracted
for projects/sites has resulted in an adjustment increase in burden
hours from 11,813 to 14,266, a total increase of 2,453 burden hours.
OSHA reduced the number of apartment and non-residential
construction sites that would use outside contractor engineering
services for the required protective system design approval from 5,900
to 2,038. While there was an increase in the hourly wage for a civil
engineer from $49.04 to $53.17, there is an overall adjustment decrease
of -$359,687 from $578,672 to $218,985.
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 the Standard.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Title: Excavations (Design of Cave-in Protection Systems) (29 CFR
part 1926, subpart P).
OMB Control Number: 1218-0137.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
Number of Respondents: 8,152.
Number of Responses: 24,453.
Frequency of Responses: On occasion.
Average Time per Response: Two hours to obtain information on the
design of cave-in protection systems.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 14,266 hours.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $218,895.
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 (Docket No. OSHA-2011-0057) 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. 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 publicly available to read or download from 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 from 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 July 25, 2014.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2014-17958 Filed 7-29-14; 8:45 am]
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