[Federal Register: May 24, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 100)]
[Notices]               
[Page 29987-29989]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24my06-130]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0215(2006)]

 
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Standards for Shipyard 
Employment; 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.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comment concerning its request for an 
extension of the information collection requirements specified by its 
standards on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Shipyard 
Employment (29 CFR part 1915, subpart I).

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by July 24, 2006.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by July 24, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0215(2006), by any of the following methods:
    Regular mail, express delivery, hand delivery, and messenger 
service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket 
Office, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-2350 (OSHA's TTY number 
is (877) 889-5627). OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor hours 
are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., e.t.
    Facsimile: If your comments are 10 pages or fewer, including 
attachments, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
1648.
    Electronic: You may submit comments through the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov.
 Follow instructions on the OSHA Web page for submitting comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read or download comments or 
background materials, such as the complete Information Collection 
Request (ICR) (containing the Supporting Statement, OMB-83-I Form, and 
attachments), go to OSHA's Web page at http://www.OSHA.gov. In addition, 
the ICR, comments and submissions are available for inspection and copying
at the OSHA Docket Office at the address above. You may also contact 
Theda Kenney at the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR. For 
additional information on submitting comments, please see the ``Public 
Participation'' section in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney or Todd Owen, Directorate 
of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, 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 (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 Act) (29 U.S.C. 615 et 
seq.) 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, 
illnesses, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657). The Act also requires that 
OSHA obtain such information with minimum burden upon employers, 
especially those operating small business, and to reduce to the maximum 
extent feasible unnecessary duplication of efforts in obtaining 
information (29 U.S.C. 657).
    Part 1915 subpart I specifies several paperwork requirements.\1\ 
The following describe the information collection requirements:
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    \1\ This Information Collection Request (ICR) does not include 
burden hours and costs associated with the information collection 
requirements in the standard on Respiratory Protection (29 CFR 
1915.154), which has been addressed in a separate ICR. See OMB 
Control NO. 1218-0099.
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    Hazard Assessment and Verification (29 CFR 1915.152(b)). Paragraph 
(b) requires that the employer assess work activities to determine 
whether there are hazards present, or likely to be present, which 
necessitate the employee's use of PPE. If such hazards are present, or 
likely to be present, the employer must: (1) Select the type of PPE 
that will protect the affected employee from the hazards identified in 
the occupational hazard assessment; (2) communicate selection decisions 
to affected employees; (3) select PPE that properly fits each affected 
employee; and (4) verify that the required occupational hazard 
assessment has been performed. The verification document must contain 
the following information: Occupation, the date(s) of the hazard 
assessment, and the name of the person performing the hazard 
assessment.
    Training and Verification (29 CFR 1915.152(e)). Paragraph (e)(1) 
requires that the employer provide training to each employee who is 
required to use PPE and paragraph (e)(3) requires retraining under 
certain circumstances. Paragraph (e)(4) requires that the employer 
verify that each affected employee has received the PPE training. The 
verification must contain the following information: Name of each 
employee trained, the date(s) of training, and the type of training the 
employee received.
    The part 1915 standards on PPE protection for the eyes and face 
(Sec.  1915.153), head (Sec.  1915.155), feet (Sec.  1915.156), hands 
and body (Sec.  1915.157), lifesaving equipment (Sec.  1915.158), 
personal fall arrest systems (Sec.  1915.159), and positioning device 
systems (Sec.  1915.160) do not contain any separate information 
collections requirements.

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 OMB to extend their approval of the collection 
of information requirements contained in the standards on Personal 
Protective Equipment for Shipyard Employment (29 CFR part 1915, subpart 
I). The Agency is requesting an increase in burden hours for the 
existing collection of information requirements from 1,761 to 2,041 (a 
total increase of 280 hours). 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 currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Title: Personal Protective Equipment Standards for Shipyard 
Employment (29 CFR part 1915, subpart I).
    OMB Number: 1218-0215.
    Affected Public: Business or other-for-profits; Federal Government; 
State, local, or tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 639.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from one minute (.02 hour) to 
maintain training documentation to 5 minutes (.08 hour) to document a 
hazard reassement.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 2,041.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $0.

IV. Public Participation--Submission of Coments on This Notice and 
Internet Access to Comments and Submissions

    You may submit comments and supporting materials in response to 
this notice by (1) Hard copy, (2) FAX transmission (facsimile), or (3) 
electronically through the OSHA Web page. 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 (TTY (877) 889-5627) for information about security procedures 
concerning the delivery of submissions by express delivery, hand 
delivery, and courier service.
    All comments, submissions, and background documents are available 
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the above 
address. Comments and submissions posted on OSHA's Web page are 
available at http://www.OSHA.gov. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for 

information about materials not available through the OSHA Web page and 
for assistance using the Web page to locate docket submissions.
    Electronic copies of this Federal Register notice as well as other 
relevant documents are available on OSHA's Web page. Since all 
submissions become public, private information such as social security 
numbers should not be submitted.

V. Authority and Signature

    Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., Assistant Sececretary 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 May 18, 2006.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 06-4824 Filed 5-23-06; 8:45 am]

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