[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 140 (Monday, July 23, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40170-40172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-14109]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2007-0050]


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 public 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 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 (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
September 21, 2007.

ADDRESSES: 
    Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments 
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting 
comments.
    Facsimile: If your comments, including attachments, are not longer 
than 10 pages, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
1648.
    Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger, or courier service: 
When using this method, you must submit three copies of your comments 
and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2007-0050, 
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 
DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier 
service) are accepted during the Department of Labor's and Docket 
Office's normal business hours, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., e.t.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and OSHA 
docket number for the ICR (OSHA-2007-0050). All comments, including any 
personal information you provide, are placed in the public docket 
without change, and may be made available online at http://www.regulations.gov. For further information on submitting comments see 
the ``Public Participation'' heading in the section of this notice 
titled Supplementary Information.
    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at 
the address above. All documents in the docket (including this Federal 
Register notice) are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index; 
however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly 
available to read or download through the website. All submissions, 
including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and 
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Theda Kenney at 
the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.

[[Page 40171]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theda Kenney or Todd Owen, 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. 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 OSH 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 OSH Act also requires 
that OSHA obtain such information with minimum burden upon employers, 
especially those operating small businesses, and to reduce to the 
maximum extent feasible unnecessary duplication of efforts in obtaining 
information (29 U.S.C. 657).
    Section 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)(iii), (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 standard (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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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 that OMB extend its approval of the information 
collection requirements contained in the Standard on Welding, Cutting 
and Brazing (29 CFR part 1910, subpart Q). The Agency is requesting to 
reduce its current burden hour estimate associated with this Standard 
from 6,588 to 5,994 hours for a total reduction of 594 hours. The 
Agency will summarize the comments submitted in response to this notice 
and will include this summary in the request to OMB.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Title: Welding, Cutting and Brazing (29 CFR part 1910, subpart Q).
    OMB Number: 1218-0207.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 21,373.
    Frequency: 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.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 5,994.
    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 in response to this document as follows: 
(1) Electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (FAX); or (3) by hard copy. All 
comments, attachments, and other material must identify the Agency name 
and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2007-0050). You 
may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files 
electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference 
to an electronic or facsimile submission, you must submit them to the 
OSHA Docket Office (see the section of this notice titled ADDRESSES). 
The additional materials must clearly identify your electronic comments 
by your name, date, and the docket number so the Agency can attach them 
to your comments.
    Because of security procedures, the use of regular mail may cause a 
significant delay in the receipt of comments. For information about 
security procedures concerning the delivery of materials by hand, 
express delivery, messenger, or courier service, please contact the 
OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY (877) 889-5627).
    Comments and submissions are posted without change at http://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about 
submitting personal information such as social security numbers and 
date of birth. Although all submissions are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g., copyrighted 
material) is not publicly available to read or download through this 
website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available 
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on 
using the www.regulations.gov Web site to submit comments and access 
the docket is available at the Web site's ``User Tips'' link. Contact 
the OSHA Docket Office for information about materials not available 
through the Web site, and for assistance in using the Internet to 
locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., 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).


[[Page 40172]]


    Signed at Washington, DC, on July 16, 2007.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
 [FR Doc. E7-14109 Filed 7-20-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P