03-7682. Standard on Reports of Injuries to Employees Operating Mechanical Power Presses (29 CFR 1910.217(g)); 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 comment.

SUMMARY:

OSHA requests comment concerning its proposed extension of the information-collection requirements specified by its Standard on Reports of Injuries to Employees Operating Mechanical Power Presses (29 CFR 1910.217(g)). In the event an employee is injured while operating a mechanical power press, 29 CFR 1910.217(g) requires the employer to provide information to OSHA regarding the accident within 30 days of the accident. This information includes the employer's and employee's names, workplace address, injury sustained, task being performed when the injury occurred, number of operators involved, cause of the accident, type of clutch, safeguard(s), and feeding method(s) used, and means used to actuate the press. OSHA's Office of Engineering Safety collects and reviews this information.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted by the following dates:

Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) by May 30, 2003.

Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be received by May 30, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

I. Submission of Comments

Regular mail, express delivery, hand-delivery, and messenger service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. ICR 1218-0070(2003), Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor hours of operation are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., EST.

Facsimile: If your comments, including any attachments, are 10 pages or fewer, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at [phone]. You must include the docket number, ICR 1218-0070(2003), in your comments.

Electronic: You may submit comments, but not attachments, through the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov/​.

You may submit comments in response to this document by (1) hard copy, (2) FAX transmission (facsimile), or (3) electronically through the OSHA webpage. Please note you cannot attach materials such as studies or journal articles to electronic comments. If you have additional material, you must submit three copies of them to the OSHA Docket Office at the address above. The additional materials must clearly identify your electronic comments by name, date, subject and docket number so we can attach them to your comments. Because of security-related problems there may be a significant delay in the receipt of comments by regular mail. Please contact the OSHA Docket Office at [phone] for information about security procedures concerning the delivery of materials by express delivery, hand delivery and messenger service.

II. Obtaining Copies of the Supporting Statement for the Information Collection Request

The Supporting Statement for the Information Collection Request is available for downloading from OSHA's Web site at http://www.osha.gov. The supporting statement is available for inspection and copying in the OSHA Docket Office, at the address listed above. A printed copy of the supporting statement can be obtained by contacting Theda Kenney at [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Theda Kenney, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3609, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone [phone].

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 correct. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the Act) 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, illness, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657).

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 to protect workers, 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 proposes to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the collection-of-information requirements specified by the Standard on Reports of Injuries to Employees Operating Mechanical Power Presses (29 CFR 1910.217(g)). In the past, OSHA has used these reports as a source of up-to-date information on power press machines. Particularly, this information was used to identify the equipment used and conditions association with these injuries. As the number of reports have declined, and other sources of information have become available, OSHA is determining if these reports have any practical utility. Commenters are encouraged to provide any recommendations on how OSHA may utilize these reports now, or in the future. The Agency will summarize the comments submitted in response to this notice, and will include this summary in its request to OMB to extend the approval of these information-collection requirements.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved information-collection requirement.

Title: Reports of Injuries to Employees Operating Mechanical Power Presses (29 CFR 1910.217(g)).

OMB Number: 1218-0070.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profits institutions; Federal government; State, local, or tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 75.

Frequency of Recordkeeping: On occasion.

Average Time per Response: 20 minutes (.33 hour).

Total Annual Hours Requested: 25.

IV. Authority and Signature

John L. Henshaw, 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. 5-2002 (67 FR 65008).

Signed at Washington, DC, on March 25, 2003.

John L. Henshaw,

Assistant Secretary of Labor.