[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 6, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18140-18142]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-7740]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR 1218-0207(2004)]


Welding, Cutting and Brazing 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 requirement contained in the 
Welding, Cutting and Brazing Standard (29 CFR

[[Page 18141]]

1910.255(e)). The information collected is used by employers and 
employees whenever welding, cutting and brazing are performed. The 
purpose of the information is to ensure that employers evaluate hazards 
associated with welding and ensure that adequate measures are taken to 
make the process safe.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by June 7, 2004.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by June 7, 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 1218-0207(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., e.s.t.
    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 1218-0207(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 webpage. 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 that 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 of 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).
    29 CFR 1910.255(e) requires that a periodic inspection of 
resistance welding equipment be made by qualified maintenance 
personnel, and that a certification record be generated and maintained. 
The certification shall include the date of the inspection, the 
signature of the person who performed the inspection and the serial 
number, or other identifier, for the equipment inspected. The record 
shall be made available to an OSHA inspector upon request. The 
maintenance inspection ensures that welding equipment is in safe 
operating condition while the maintenance record provides evidence to 
employees and Agency compliance officers that employers performed the 
required inspections.\1\
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    \1\ The ICR does not account for the paperwork burden associated 
with several provisions of the standard either because manufacturers 
typically provide the required information (i.e., Sec. Sec.  
1910.252(b)(2)(ii)(G), (c)(1)(i)(A), (c)(1)(i)(B), (c)(1)(i)(C), 
1910.253(b)(1)(ii), (d)(4)(ii), (d)(4)(ii), (e)(6)(iii), (f)(1)(i), 
(g)(1)(ii), and 1910.254(b)(4)(iv)); the Agency believes that the 
paperwork requirement was a usual and customary business practice 
among the industry prior to publication of the standards (i.e., 
Sec. Sec.  1910.252(a)(2)(xiii)(D), (a)(2)(xiv)(D), 
1910.253(b)(5)(iii)(G), (c)(3)(v), and (f)(7)(i)A)); or the Agency 
believes that the implied training provisions are performance-
oriented and, therefore, not subject to PRA-95 (i.e., Sec. Sec.  
1910.252(a)(2)(xiii)(C) and 1910.253(a)(4)).
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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 collection requirement 
in the Welding, Cutting and Brazing Standard (29 CFR 1910.255(e)). 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 the information collection requirement.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Title: Welding, Cutting and Brazing Standard (29 CFR 1910.255(e)).
    OMB Number: 1218-0207.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; Federal government; State, local, or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 23,490.
    Frequency of Recordkeeping: On occasion.
    Average Time Per Response: Varies from 1 minute (.02 hour) to 
maintain the inspection certification record to 7 minutes (.12 hour) to 
perform the inspection and to generate and maintain the inspection 
certification record.
    Total Annual Hours Requested: 6,588.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $0.

[[Page 18142]]

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 65008).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on April 1st, 2004.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 04-7740 Filed 4-5-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-M