E7-16437. Logging Operations; 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 comment.

SUMMARY:

OSHA solicits public comment concerning its proposal to extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements specified in its Standard on Logging Operations (29 CFR 1910.266).

DATES:

Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by October 22, 2007.

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 three copies of your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, OSHA Docket No. OSHA-2007-0018, 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., EST.

Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and OSHA docket number for the ICR (OSHA-2007-0018). 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 [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 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).

Paragraph (f)(1)(iii) of the Standard requires the employer to assure that operating and maintenance instructions are available on machines or in the area where the machine is being operated. Paragraph (g)(3) requires the employer to assure that operating and maintenance instructions are available in each vehicle.

Paragraph (i)(1) of the Standard requires employers to provide training for each employee, including supervisors. To meet this requirement, employers must conduct the training at the frequencies specified by paragraph (i)(2). Paragraph (i)(3) specifies that an employee's/supervisor's training must consist of the following elements: Safe work practices, including the use, operation, and maintenance of tools, machines, and vehicles the employee/supervisor uses or operates, as well as procedures, practices, and requirements of the employer's worksite; recognition and control of health and safety hazards associated with the employee's/supervisor's specific work tasks and logging operations in general; and the requirements of the Standard.

Paragraph (i)(10)(i) specifies that employers must verify that they are in compliance with the training requirements in paragraph (i). This certification must be in writing and provide the following information: The name/identifier of the employee/supervisor; the date(s) of the training; and either the signature of the employer or the individual who conducted the training. Paragraph (i)(10)(ii) requires employers to maintain the most recent certification for training completed by an employee/supervisor.

Training employees/supervisors in safe work practices and to recognize and control the safety and health hazards associated with their work tasks and overall logging operations enables them to prevent serious accidents by using specific procedures and equipment in a safe manner to avoid or to control dangerous exposures to these hazards.

Establishing and maintaining written certification of the training that each employee/supervisor has received (i.e., job and first aid) assures the employer that the training specified by the Standard has been conducted, and at the required frequencies. With regard to first-aid training, the certification assures that the employee's/supervisor's training certificate is currently valid. In addition, these records provide the most efficient means for an OSHA compliance officer to determine whether an employer performed the required training at the necessary and appropriate frequencies.

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

OSHA is requesting that OMB extend its approval of the information collection requirements contained in the Standard on Logging Operations (29 CFR 1910.266). The Agency is requesting to increase its existing burden hours from 30,751 hours to 31,286 hours for a total increase of 535 hours. The Agency will summarize the comments submitted in response to this notice and will include this summary in the request to OMB.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Title: Logging Operations (29 CFR 1910.266).

OMB Number: 1218-0198.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 11,447.

Frequency of Recordkeeping: Initially; on occasion.

Average Time per Response: Varies from 1 minute (.02 hour) to maintain training certification records to 3 hours to conduct initial training.

Total Annual Hours Requested: 31,286.

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-2007-0018). 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 [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 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 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

Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., 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. 5-2002 (67 FR 65008).

Signed at Washington, DC, on August 15, 2007.

Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.