[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 10, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11457-11458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-5337]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR 1218-0221(2004)]


Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard; 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 comment.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB 
approval of the Information Collection requirements contained in the 
Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard (29 CFR 1910.180). The 
purpose of each of these requirements is to prevent employees from 
using unsafe cranes and ropes, thereby, reducing their risk of death or 
serious injury caused by a crane or rope failure during material 
handling.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by May 10, 2004.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by May 10, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

I. Submission of Comment

    Regular mail, express delivery, hand delivery, and messenger 
service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket 
Office, Docket No. ICR 1218-0221(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 1218-0221(2004), in 
your comments.
    Electronic: You may submit comments, but not attachments, through 
the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov/.

II. Obtaining Copies of the Supporting Statement for the Information 
Collection Request

    The Supporting Statement for the Information Collection Request 
(ICR) is available for downloading from OSHA's Web site at http://www.osha.gov. The complete ICR, containing the OMB Form 83-I, 
Supporting Statement, and attachments, is available for inspection and 
copying in the OSHA Docket Office, at the address listed above. A 
printed copy of the ICR can be obtained by contacting Theda Kenney at 
(202) 693-2222.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney, Directorate of Standards 
and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3609, 200 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-
2222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Submission of Comments on this Notice and Internet Access to 
Comments and Submissions

    You may submit comments in response to this document by (1) hard 
copy, (2) fax transmission (facsimile), or (3) electronically through 
the OSHA Web page. Please note that 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 receipt 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 or materials by express delivery, hand delivery 
and messenger service.

II. 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 minimal, collection instruments 
are clearly understood, 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 of the Act or for developing 
information regarding the causes and prevention of occupational 
injuries, illnesses, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657).
    The Standard specifies several paperwork requirements. The 
following sections describe who uses the information collected under 
each requirement, as well as how they use it. The purpose of each of 
these requirements is to prevent employees from using unsafe cranes and 
ropes, thereby reducing their risk of death or serious injury caused by 
a crane or rope failure during material handling.

(A) Inspection Records (Sec.  1910.180(d)(6))

    This paragraph specifies that employers must prepare a written 
record to certify that the monthly inspection or critical items in use 
on cranes (such as brakes, crane hooks, and ropes) has been performed. 
The certification record must include the inspection date, the 
signature of the person who conducted the inspection, and the serial 
number (or other identifier) of the inspected crane. Employers must 
keep the certificate readily available. The certification record 
provides employers, employees, and OSHA compliance officers with 
assurance that critical items on cranes have been inspected, and that 
equipment is in good operating condition, so that the crane and rope 
will not fail during material handling. These records also enable OSHA 
to determine that an employer is complying with the Standard.

(B) Rated Load Tests (Sec.  1910.180(e)(2))

    This provision requires employers to make available written reports 
of load-rating rests showing test procedures and confirming the 
adequacy of repairs or alterations, and to make readily available any 
rerating-test reports. These reports inform the employer, employees,

[[Page 11458]]

and OSHA compliance officers of a crane's lifting limitations, and 
provide information to crane operators to prevent them from exceeding 
these limits and causing crane failure.

(C) Rope Inspections (Sec.  1910.180(g))

    Paragraph (g)(1) requires employers to thoroughly inspect any rope 
in use at least once a month. The authorized person conducting the 
inspection must observe any deterioration resulting in appreciable loss 
of original strength and determine whether or not the condition is 
hazardous. Before reusing a rope that has not been used for at least a 
month because the crane housing the rope is shutdown or in storage, 
paragraph (g)(2)(ii) specifies that employers must have an appointed or 
authorized person inspect the rope for all types of deterioration. 
Employers must prepare a certification record for the inspections 
required by paragraphs (g)(1) and (g)(2)(ii). These certification 
records must include the inspection date, the signature of the person 
conducting the inspection, and the identifier for the inspected rope; 
paragraph (g)(1) states that employers must keep the certificates ``on 
file where readily available,'' while paragraph (g)(2)(ii) requires 
that certificates ``be * * * kept readily available.'' The 
certification records assure employers, employees, and OSHA that the 
inspected ropes are in good condition.

(D) Disclosure of Crane and Rope Inspection Certification Records

    The disclosure of certification records provide the most efficient 
means for OSHA compliance officers to determine that an employer is 
complying with the Standard.

III. 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.

IV. Proposed Actions

    OSHA is proposing to extend the information collections 
requirements in the Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard (29 
CFR 1910.180). 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 currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Title: Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard (29 CFR 
1910.180).
    OMB Number: 1918-0221.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; Federal government, State, local, or Tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 20,000.
    Frequency of Recordkeeping: On occasion; Monthly, Semi-annually.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes (.08 hour) to 
disclose certification records to 1 hour to conduct rated load tests.
    Total Annual Hours Requested: 174,062.

V. 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 6508).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on March 5th, 2004.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 04-5337 Filed 3-9-04; 8:45 am]
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