[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 194 (Monday, October 7, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62497-62499]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-25379]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary


Submission for OMB review; comment request

September 26, 2002.
    The Department of Labor (DOL) has submitted the following public 
information collection requests (ICRs) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). A copy of 
each ICR, with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by 
calling the Department of Labor. To obtain documentation contact Darrin 
King at (202) 693-4129 or e-Mail King-Darrin@dol. gov.
    Comments should be sent to Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Attn: Stuart Shapiro, OMB Desk Officer for MSHA, Office of 
Management and Budget, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503 ((202) 395-
7316), within 30 days from the date of this publication in the Federal 
Register.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments which:
    * Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    * Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    * Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    * Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who 
are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Agency: Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Title: Quarterly Mine Employment and Coal Production Report.
    OMB Number: 1219-0006.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Number of Respondents: 24,604.
    Number of Annual Responses: 86,158.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes for hardcopy filings and 15 
minutes for electronic filings.
    Total Burden Hours: 41,155.
    Total Annualized Capital/Startup Costs: $0.
    Total Annual Costs (operating/maintaining systems or purchasing 
services): $27,236.
    Description: The reporting and record keeping provisions in 30 CFR 
50, Notification, Investigation, Reports and Records of Accidents, 
Injuries and Illnesses, Employment and Coal Production in Mines, are 
essential elements in MSHA's Congressional mandate to reduce work-
related injuries and illnesses among the nation's miners.
    Section 30 CFR 50.30(a) requires mine operators and independent 
contractors working on mine property to report quarterly employment and 
coal production to MSHA on Form 7000-2. MSHA tabulates and analyzes the 
information from this form along with data from MSHA Form 7000-1, Mine 
Accident, Injury, and Illness Report (OMB No. 1219-0007), to compute 
incidence and severity rates for various injury types. These rates are 
used to analyze trends and to assess the degree of success of the 
health and safety efforts of MSHA and the mining industry.
    Employment and production data when correlated with accident, 
injury, and illness data provide information that allows MSHA to 
improve its safety and health enforcement programs, focus its education 
and training efforts, and establish priorities for its technical 
assistance activities in mine safety and health. Maintaining a current 
database allows MSHA to identify and direct increased attention to 
those mines, industry segments, and geographical areas where hazardous 
trends are developing.
    MSHA Form 7000-2 is also a source of national coal production data, 
allowing MSHA to analyze the relationship between production and health 
and safety. Coal production data are also used to determine the sizes 
of coal mines for assessment purposes.
    Section 103(d) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 
(Mine Act) requires operators to report employee hours worked. Section 
103(h) of the Mine Act requires operators to keep any records and make 
any reports that are reasonably necessary for MSHA to perform its 
duties under the Mine Act.
    Data collected through MSHA Form 7000-1 (OMB  1219-0007) 
and MSHA Form 7000-2 enable MSHA to publish

[[Page 62498]]

timely quarterly and annual statistics, reflecting current safety and 
health conditions in the mining industry. The data gathered from this 
collection provides MSHA with the figures upon which to base its 
incidence rate calculations and trend analyses. These data are used not 
only by MSHA, but also by other Federal and State agencies, health and 
safety researchers, and the mining community to assist in measuring and 
comparing the results of health and safety efforts both in the United 
States and internationally.
    Coal production data are used in various analyses that range from a 
comparative nature to complex modeling--such as the Cost of Injury 
Model developed through research. Additionally, this information 
impacts the evaluation and review of MSHA's regulations, the 
development of new safety and health standards, and the evaluation of 
MSHA's programs.
    Quarterly employment and worktime information provide control 
figures on which MSHA can base its incidence rate calculations and 
trend analyses. The employment data are used to normalize injury 
experience so that mines of different sizes can be compared and also to 
compare experience for different time periods.
    MSHA tabulates and analyzes the information from MSHA Form 7000-2, 
along with that from MSHA Form 7000-1, Mine Accident, Injury, and 
Illness Report, to compute incidence and severity rates for various 
injury types.
    MSHA uses this information to direct its inspection and assistance 
activities to those mines, industry segments, and geographical areas 
which the current data demonstrate as having particular problems. 
Injury rates must be computed at least quarterly for MSHA to target its 
enforcement and assistance resources. Less frequent data collection 
would neither be timely nor statistically valid for this purpose.

    Agency: Mine Safety and Heath Administration (MSHA).
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Title: Mine Accident, Injury and Illness Report.
    OMB Number: 1219-0007.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Number of Respondents: 4,174.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                           Requirement                                Annual       response time   Annual burden
                                                                     responses        (hours)          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Immediate Notification of MSHA--30 CFR 50.10:
    Fatal Accidents.............................................              72            0.50              36
    Other Accidents.............................................           1,813            0.50             907
Investigation of Accidents and Occupational Injuries--30 CFR
 50.11(b):
    Fatal Accidents.............................................              72           80.00           5,760
    Nonfatal Accidents..........................................              78           16.00           1,248
    Other Occurrences...........................................          15,592            1.00          15,592
Separate Investigation Reports--30 CFR 50.11(b):
    Fatal Accidents.............................................              56            4.00             224
    Other Occurrences...........................................          14,468            1.00          14,468
Mine Accident, Injury, and Illness Reports--30 CFR 50.20:
    Initial Reports.............................................          17,555            0.50           8,778
    Follow-up Reports...........................................           8,518            0.33           2,811
                                                                 -----------------
      Total.....................................................          58,224  ..............          49,823
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Total Annualized Capital/Startup Costs: $0.
    Total Annual Costs (operating/maintaining systems or purchasing 
services): $12,914.
    Description: The reporting and recordkeeping provisions in 30 CFR 
50, Notification, Investigation, Reports and Records of Accidents, 
Injuries and Illnesses, Employment and Coal Production in Mines, are 
essential elements in MSHA's Congressional mandate to reduce work-
related injuries and illnesses among the nation's miners.
    Section 50.10 requires mine operators and mining contractors to 
immediately notify MSHA in the event of an accident. This immediate 
notification is critical to MSHA's timely investigation and assessment 
of the probable cause of the accident.
    Section 50.11 requires that the operator or contractor investigate 
each accident and occupational injury and prepare a report. The 
operator or contractor may not use MSHA Form 7000-1 as a report, unless 
the mine employs fewer than 20 miners and the occurrence involves an 
occupational injury not related to an accident.
    Section 50.20(a) requires mine operators and mining contractors to 
report each accident, injury, or illness to MSHA on Form 7000-1 within 
10 working days after an accident or injury has occurred or an 
occupational illness has been diagnosed. The use of MSHA Form 7000-1 
provides for uniform information gathering across the mining industry.
    MSHA tabulates and analyzes the information from MSHA Form 7000-1, 
along with data from MSHA Form 7000-2, Quarterly Mine Employment and 
Coal Production Report (OMB No. 1219-0006), to compute incidence and 
severity rates for various injury types. These rates are used to 
analyze trends and to assess the degree of success of the health and 
safety efforts of MSHA and the mining industry.
    Accident, injury, and illness data when correlated with employment 
and production data provide information that allows MSHA to improve its 
safety and health enforcement programs, focus its education and 
training efforts, and establish priorities for its technical assistance 
activities in mine safety and health. Maintaining a current database 
allows MSHA to identify and direct increased attention to those mines, 
industry segments, and geographical areas where hazardous trends are 
developing. This could not be done effectively utilizing historical 
data. The information collected under Part 50 is the most comprehensive 
and reliable occupational data available concerning the mining 
industry.
    Section 103(d) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 
(Mine Act) mandates that each accident be investigated by the operator 
to determine the cause and means of preventing a recurrence. Records of 
such accidents and investigations shall be kept and made available to 
the Secretary or his authorized representative and the appropriate 
State agency. Section 103(h) requires operators to keep any records and 
make

[[Page 62499]]

any reports that are reasonably necessary for MSHA to perform its 
duties under the Mine Act. Section 103(j) of the Mine Act requires 
operators to notify MSHA of the occurrence of an accident and to take 
appropriate measures to preserve any evidence which would assist in the 
investigation into the cause or causes of the accident.
    Data collected through MSHA Form 7000-1 and MSHA Form 7000-2 enable 
MSHA to publish timely quarterly and annual statistics, reflecting 
current safety and health conditions in the mining industry. These data 
are used not only by MSHA, but also by other Federal and State 
agencies, health and safety researchers, and the mining community to 
assist in measuring and comparing the results of health and safety 
efforts both in the United States and internationally.
    MSHA tabulates and analyzes information from MSHA Form 7000-1, 
along with that from MSHA Form 7000-2, Quarterly Mine Employment and 
Coal Production Report, to derive quarterly evaluations of normalized 
injury and illness experience at the nation's mines. These data allow 
MSHA to detect accident, injury, and illness trends ascribable to 
specific mine sites, types of mining, work locations, or tasks.
    MSHA uses this information to target its inspection and assistance 
activities toward those mines, industry segments, and geographical 
areas which the current data demonstrate as having particular problems. 
Injury rates must be computed at least quarterly for MSHA to target its 
enforcement and assistance resources. Less frequent data collection 
would neither be timely nor statistically valid for this purpose.
    The mining industry also uses this quarterly injury incidence data 
in its efforts to reduce injuries and illnesses. MSHA's compilations 
are the only source of information which permits a particular mining 
operation to compare its record with that of similar mines.

Ira Mills,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 02-25379 Filed 10-4-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-M