2020-08771. Logging Operations Standard; 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 the proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the collection of information contained in the Logging Operations Standard.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by June 23, 2020.

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 [phone].

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-2010-0041, 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 OSHA Docket Office's normal business hours, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., ET.

Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and the OSHA docket number (OSHA-2010-0041) for the Information Collection Request (ICR). All comments, including any personal information you provide, such as social security number and date of birth, 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 above address. 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 website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Theda Kenney at [phone] to obtain a copy of the ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Theda Kenney or Seleda Perryman, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, telephone [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Department of Labor, as part of the 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 collection of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (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 (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 OSHA to 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 said information (29 U.S.C. 657).

The collection of information contained in the Logging Operations Standard are necessary to reduce workers' risk of death or serious injury by requiring employers to assure that operating and maintenance instructions are available on machines or in the area where the machine is operated. For vehicles, employers must assure that operating and maintenance instructions are available for each vehicle.

Maintenance and Operating Instructions (§§ 1910.266(f)(1)(iii) and (g)(3))

Under paragraph (f)(1)(iii) and (g)(3) of the Standard, employers must assure that operating and maintenance instructions are available on machines or in the area where the machine is being operated, and in vehicles. For those machines with no operating instructions in the cab, the employer will be required to obtain and retain a manual within the immediate work area for each machine. Because the Logging Operations final rule has been in effect since 1995, OSHA assumes that all employers are in compliance with the provision to have operating and maintenance instructions available on machines or in the area where the machines are being operated.

Certification of Training (§ 1910.266(i)(10)(i) and (i)(10)(ii))

Paragraph (i)(10)(i) requires employers to certify in writing that a worker/supervisor received the training the Standard requires. Under paragraph (i)(10)(ii), employers need only maintain the most recent certification for training that a worker/supervisor has received.

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 Action

OSHA is requesting that OMB extend the approval of the information collection requirements contained in the Logging Operations Standard (29 CFR 1910.266). Based on updated County Business Pattern data, the agency found that the number of establishments increased from 7,908 to 8,076, as well as the number of workers from 49,649 to 50,188. However, OSHA is requesting an adjustment decrease in the number of burden hours for the information collection requirements in the Standard from 1,603 hours to 1,507 hours for a total decrease of 96 burden hours. The decrease is due to the agency's use of a new method for rounding burden hours.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Title: Logging Operations Standard (29 CFR 1910.266).

OMB Control Number: 1218-0198.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.

Number of Respondents: 8,076.

Number of Responses: 50,996.

Frequency of Responses: On occasion.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,507 hours.

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-2010-0041). 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.

Due to 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 [phone], (TTY [phone]).

Comments and submissions are posted without change at http://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about submitting personal information such as their 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 publically available to read or download through this website.

All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on using the http://www.regulations.gov website to submit comments and access the docket is available at the website's “User Tips” link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information about materials not available through the website, and for assistance in using the internet to locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

Loren Sweatt, Principal 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 April 20, 2020.

Loren Sweatt,

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.