[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16627-16629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-06767]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2017-0005]
Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution
Standards for Construction and General Industry and Electrical
Protective Equipment Standards for Construction and General Industry;
Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of
Collections of Information
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning its request for an
extension of the collections of information specified in its standards
on the Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution for
Construction and General Industry and Electrical Protective Equipment
Standards for Construction and General Industry.
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
June 5, 2017.
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-2017-0005,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor, Room N-3653, 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, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., e.t.
Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and OSHA
docket number (OSHA-2017-0005) 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 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 collections of
information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (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 Electrical Protective Equipment Standard (29 CFR 1926.97 and 29
CFR 1910.137) and the Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and
Distribution Standard (29 CFR 1926 and 29 CFR 1910.269) specify several
collections of information. The following describes the collections of
information contained in the standards and addresses who will use the
information.
Electrical Protective Equipment Standard (Sec. Sec. 1926.97 and
1910.137)
Testing Certification (Sec. Sec. 1926.97(c)(2)(xii) and
1910.137(c)(2)(xii))
Employers must certify that the electrical protective equipment
used by their workers have passed the tests specified in paragraphs
(c)(2)(vii)(D), (c)(2)(viii), (c)(2)(ix), and (c)(2)(xi) of the
standards. The certification must identify the equipment that passed
the tests and the dates of the tests. The two standards require
testing: Periodically (generally, every 6 months for rubber insulating
gloves and every 12 months for most other types of rubber insulating
equipment); after any repairs; and before the equipment is returned to
service after any inspection finds certain defects. In addition, the
employer must test rubber insulating gloves before reuse after
employees use them without protector gloves and must certify that
testing. These performance-based standards ensure that employers
maintain the most recent test records for equipment that passes the
required tests without specifying precisely how the employer must
maintain those records.
Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Standard
(Sec. Sec. 1926.950 and 1910.269)
Host Employer Responsibilities (Sec. Sec. 1926.950(c)(1) and
1910.269(a)(3)(i))
Before work begins, the host employer must inform the contract
employers of: The characteristics of the host employer's installation
listed; conditions listed in paragraphs of this section that are known
to the host employer; information about the design and operation of the
host employer's installation that the contract employer needs to make
the assessments required by this section; and any other information
about the design and operation of the host employer's installation that
is known by the host employer, that the contract employer requests, and
that is related to the protection of the contract employer's employees.
Contract Employer Responsibilities (Sec. Sec. 1926.950(c)(2) and
1910.269(a)(3)(ii))
Contract employers must ensure that each of its employees is
instructed in the hazardous conditions relevant to the employee's work
that the contract employer is aware of as a result of information
communicated to the contract employer by the host employer; before work
begins, the contract employer must advise the host employer of any
unique hazardous conditions presented by the contract employer's work;
and the contract employer must advise the host employer of any
unanticipated hazardous conditions found during the contract employer's
work that the host employer did not mention. The contract employer
shall provide this information to the host employer within two working
days after discovering the hazardous condition.
Job Briefing (Sec. Sec. 1926.952(a)(1) and 1910.269(c)(1)(i))
In assigning an employee or a group of employees to perform a job,
the employer must provide the employee in charge of the job with all
available information that relates to the determination of existing
characteristics and conditions required by (Sec. Sec. 1926.950(d)
and1910.269(a)(4)).
Engineering Analyses To Determine Maximum Anticipated Per-Unit
Transient Overvoltage (Sec. Sec. 1926.960(c)(1)(ii) and
1910.269(l)(3)(ii))
The employer must determine the maximum anticipated per-unit
transient overvoltage, phase-to-ground, through an engineering analysis
or assume a maximum anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage, phase-
to-ground, in accordance with the tables listed. When the employer uses
portable protective gaps to control the maximum transient overvoltage,
the value of the maximum anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage,
phase-to-ground, must provide for five standard deviations between the
statistical sparkover voltage of the gap and the statistical withstand
voltage corresponding to the electrical component of the minimum
approach distance. The employer must make available upon request to
employees and to the Assistant Secretary or designee for examination
and copying; any engineering analysis conducted to determine maximum
anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage.
II. Special Issues for Comment
OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:
Whether the proposed collections of information 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 collections of information, 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 collections
of information contained in the Standards on Electric Power Generation,
Transmission, and Distribution for Construction and General Industry
(29 CFR part 1926, subpart V and 29 CFR 1910.269) and the Electrical
Protective Equipment Standards for Construction and General Industry
(29 CFR 1926.97 and 29 CFR 1910.137). The Agency is proposing to
decrease the burden hours in the currently approved information
collection request from 452,091 hours to 365,094 hours (a total
decrease of 86,997 hours). The decrease is a result of a determination
that the estimated number of establishments affected has declined.
Also, the decrease is due to the removal of burden hours associated
with OSHA requests to access records from employers. Usually, OSHA
requests access to records during an inspection. Information collected
by the Agency during the investigation is not subject to the PRA under
5 CFR 1320.4(a)(2). Therefore, OSHA takes no burden or cost for OSHA
requests to access records in this Supporting Statement. The Agency
will summarize the comments submitted in response to this notice, and
will include this summary in its request to OMB.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved information
collection.
Title: Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution
Standards for Construction and General Industry and Electrical
Protective Equipment for Construction and General.
OMB Control Number: 1218-0253.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
Number of Respondents: 19,746.
Total Responses: 952,348.
Frequency of Responses: On occasion; semi-annually; annually.
Average Time per Response: Various.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 365,094.
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. All
comments, attachments, and other material must identify the Agency name
and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2017-0005). 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 that 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
Dorothy Dougherty, 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 March 28, 2017.
Dorothy Dougherty,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and
Health.
[FR Doc. 2017-06767 Filed 4-4-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P
