[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 104 (Wednesday, June 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31544-31545]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10823]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR 1218-0228(2005)]


Forging Machines; 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 contained in its 
standard on Forging Machines (29 CFR 1910.218).

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by August 1, 2005.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by August 1, 2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0228(2005), 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., ET.
    Facsimile: If your comments are 10 pages or fewer in length, 
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 the 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 also may 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'' heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.

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 
preclearnace 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 accurate. The Occupational Safety and Health Act 
of 1970 (the Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 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 Standard on Forging Machines (29 CFR 1910.218) (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 these requirements is to reduce 
employees' risk of death or serious injury by ensuring that forging 
machines used by them are in safe operating condition, and that they 
are able to clearly and properly identify manually operated valves and 
switches.
    Inspection of Forging Machines, Guards, and Point-of-Operation 
Protection Devices (paragraphs (a)(2)(i) and (a)(2)(ii)). Paragraph 
(a)(2)(i) requires employers to establish periodic and regular 
maintenance safety checks, and to develop and keep a certification 
record of each inspection. The certification record must include the 
date of inspection, the signature of the person who performed the 
inspection, and the serial number (or other identifier) of the forging 
machine inspected. Under paragraph (a)(2)(ii), employers are to 
schedule regular and frequent inspections of guards and point-of-
operation protection devices, and prepare a certification record of 
each inspection that contains the date of the inspection, the signature 
of the person who performed the inspection, and the serial number (or 
other identifier) of the equipment inspected. These inspection 
certification records provide assurance to employers, employees, and 
OSHA compliance officers that forging machines, guards, and point-of-
operation protection devices have been inspected, assuring that they 
will operate properly and safely, thereby preventing impact injury and 
death to employees during forging operations. These records also 
provide the most efficient means for the compliance officers to 
determine that an employer is complying with the Standard.
    Identification of Manually Controlled Valves and Switches 
(paragraphs (c), (h)(3), (i)(1) and (i)(2)). These paragraphs require 
proper and clear identification of manually operated valves and 
switches on presses, upsetters, boltheading equipment, and rivet-making 
machines, respectively. Marking valves and switches provide information 
to employees to ensure that they operate the forging machines correctly 
and safely.

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 proposes to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) 
approval of the collection of information (paperwork) requirements 
necessitated by the Standard on Forging Machines (29 CFR 1910.218). In 
its extension request, OSHA also is proposing to reduce the total 
burden hours for these requirements from 244,868 hours to 187,264 
hours. The Agency will include this summary in its request to OMB to

[[Page 31545]]

extend the approval of the collection of information requirements.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Title: Forging Machines (29 CFR 1910.218).
    OMB Number: 1218-0228.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; Not-for-profit 
organizations; Federal Government; State, Local, or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 27,700.
    Frequency of Response: Bi-weekly.
    Average Time Per Response: Varies from 2 minutes (.03 hour) for an 
employer to disclose certification records to 8 minutes (.13 hour) for 
a manufacturing worker to conduct an inspection of each forging machine 
and guard or point-of-operation protection device bi-weekly.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 187,264.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $0.

IV. Public Participation--Submission of Comments 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 Webpage. Because of security-related 
problems, a significant delay may occur 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 Webpage are 
available at http://www.OSHA.gov. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for 
information about materials not available through the OSHA Webpage and 
for assistance using the Webpage to locate docket submissions.
    Electronic copies of this Federal Register notice as well as other 
relevant documents are available on OSHA's Webpage. Since all 
submissions become public, private information such as social security 
numbers should not be submitted.

V. Authority and Signature

    Jonathan L. Snare, Acting 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 et seq.), and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 5-
2002 (67 FR 65008).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on May 24, 2005.
Jonathan L. Snare,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 05-10823 Filed 5-31-05; 8:45 am]
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