[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47081-47083]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16437]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2007-0018]


Logging Operations; 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 proposal to extend 
OMB approval of the information collection requirements specified in 
its Standard on Logging Operations (29 CFR 1910.266).

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
October 22, 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, OSHA Docket No. OSHA-2007-
0018, 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., EST.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and OSHA 
docket number for the ICR (OSHA-2007-0018). 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.

[[Page 47082]]

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 Web site. 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.

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 OSH 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).
    Paragraph (f)(1)(iii) of the Standard requires the employer to 
assure that operating and maintenance instructions are available on 
machines or in the area where the machine is being operated. Paragraph 
(g)(3) requires the employer to assure that operating and maintenance 
instructions are available in each vehicle.
    Paragraph (i)(1) of the Standard requires employers to provide 
training for each employee, including supervisors. To meet this 
requirement, employers must conduct the training at the frequencies 
specified by paragraph (i)(2). Paragraph (i)(3) specifies that an 
employee's/supervisor's training must consist of the following 
elements: Safe work practices, including the use, operation, and 
maintenance of tools, machines, and vehicles the employee/supervisor 
uses or operates, as well as procedures, practices, and requirements of 
the employer's worksite; recognition and control of health and safety 
hazards associated with the employee's/supervisor's specific work tasks 
and logging operations in general; and the requirements of the 
Standard.
    Paragraph (i)(10)(i) specifies that employers must verify that they 
are in compliance with the training requirements in paragraph (i). This 
certification must be in writing and provide the following information: 
The name/identifier of the employee/supervisor; the date(s) of the 
training; and either the signature of the employer or the individual 
who conducted the training. Paragraph (i)(10)(ii) requires employers to 
maintain the most recent certification for training completed by an 
employee/supervisor.
    Training employees/supervisors in safe work practices and to 
recognize and control the safety and health hazards associated with 
their work tasks and overall logging operations enables them to prevent 
serious accidents by using specific procedures and equipment in a safe 
manner to avoid or to control dangerous exposures to these hazards.
    Establishing and maintaining written certification of the training 
that each employee/supervisor has received (i.e., job and first aid) 
assures the employer that the training specified by the Standard has 
been conducted, and at the required frequencies. With regard to first-
aid training, the certification assures that the employee's/
supervisor's training certificate is currently valid. In addition, 
these records provide the most efficient means for an OSHA compliance 
officer to determine whether an employer performed the required 
training at the necessary and appropriate frequencies.

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 Logging Operations 
(29 CFR 1910.266). The Agency is requesting to increase its existing 
burden hours from 30,751 hours to 31,286 hours for a total increase of 
535 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: Logging Operations (29 CFR 1910.266).
    OMB Number: 1218-0198.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 11,447.
    Frequency of Recordkeeping: Initially; on occasion.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from 1 minute (.02 hour) to 
maintain training certification records to 3 hours to conduct initial 
training.
    Total Annual Hours Requested: 31,286.
    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-2007-0018). 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

[[Page 47083]]

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 http://www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g., copyrighted 
material) is not publicly available to read or download through this 
Web site. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are 
available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. 
Information on using the http://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).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on August 15, 2007.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
 [FR Doc. E7-16437 Filed 8-21-07; 8:45 am]
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