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 Regulation on Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (29 CFR 1910.7). The Regulation specifies procedures that organizations must follow to apply for, and to maintain, OSHA's recognition to test and certify equipment, products, or material for their purpose.
DATES:
Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) by January 5, 2004.
Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be received by January 5, 2004.
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 1218-0147 (2004), 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 (202) 693-1648. You must include the docket number, ICR 1218-0147 (2004), in your comments.
Electronic: You may submit comments, but not attachments, through the Internet at http://ecomments.osh.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 materials, 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 (202) 693-2350 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 Bernard Pasquet at (813) 626-1177 ext. 3005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bernard Pasquet, Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine, 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 information-collection requirements in accordance 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 minimized, collection instruments are understandable, 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 or the Act for developing information regarding the causes and prevention of occupational injuries, illnesses, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657).
A number of standards issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) contain requirements for equipment, products, or materials. These standards often specify that employers use only equipment, products, or material tested or approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL); this requirement ensures that employers use safe and efficacious equipment, products, or materials in complying with the standards. Accordingly, OSHA promulgated the regulation titled “Definition and Requirements for a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory” (the Regulation). The Regulation specifies procedures that organizations must follow to apply for, and to maintain, OSHA's recognition to test and certify equipment, products, or material for this purpose.
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 the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory. There is an 85 burden hour reduction as a result of fewer organizations submitting initial recognition applications. 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: Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (29 CFR 1910.7).
OMB Number: 1218-0147.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local or Tribal Government; Federal Government.
Number of Respondents: 62.
Frequency of Recordkeeping: On occasion.
Total Response: 62.
Average Time per Response: 160 hours for an organization to prepare initial recognition applications to 16 hours for an annual site visit.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,260.
Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintain): 0.
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 October 29, 2003.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 03-27631 Filed 11-3-03; 8:45 am]
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