[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 227 (Monday, November 25, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70324-70326]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28074]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2010-0025]


Thy Hydrostatic Testing Provision of the Portable Fire 
Extinguishers Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and 
Budget's (OMB) Approval of the Information Collection (Paperwork) 
Requirements

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to 
extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the 
information collection requirements contained in the Hydrostatic 
Testing provision of the Portable Fire Extinguishers Standard for 
General Industry (29 CFR 1910.157(f)(16)).

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
January 24, 2014.

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.

[[Page 70325]]

    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 a copy of your comments and 
attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2010-0025, 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 the 
OSHA docket number for the Information Collection Request (ICR) (OSHA-
2010-0025). 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 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: Todd Owen or 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. 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 accord 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 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).
    The collections of information contained in the Hydrostatic Testing 
Provision of the Portable Fire Extinguishers Standard are necessary to 
reduce workers' risk of death or serious injury by ensuring that 
portable fire extinguishers are in safe operating condition. The 
following paragraphs describe who uses the information in the testing 
certification record, as well as how they use it.

Test Records (Sec.  1910.157(f)(16))

    Paragraph (f)(16) requires employers to develop and maintain a 
certification record of hydrostatic testing of portable fire 
extinguishers. The certification record must include the date of 
inspection, the signature of the person who performed the test, and the 
serial number (or other identifier) of the fire extinguisher that was 
tested.

Disclosure of Test Certification Records

    The certification record must be available to the Assistant 
Secretary or his/her representative upon request. The certification 
record provides assurance to employers, workers, and OSHA compliance 
officers that the fire extinguishers have been hydrostatically tested 
in accord with and at the intervals specified in Sec.  1910.157(f)(16), 
thereby ensuring that they will operate properly in the event workers 
need to use them. Additionally, these records provide the most 
efficient means for the compliance officers to determine that an 
employer is complying with the hydrostatic testing provision.

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 
cost) 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 Hydrostatic Testing Provision 
of the Portable Fire Extinguishers Standard for General Industry (29 
CFR 1910.157(f)(16)). OSHA is proposing to increase the burden hours in 
its currently approved information collection request from 124,084 
burden hours to 125,986 burden hours (a total increase of 1,902 hours). 
This increase is due to updated data showing an increase in the number 
of firms affected by the Standard. 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: The Hydrostatic Testing Provision of the Portable Fire 
Extinguishers Standard (29 CFR 1910.157(f)(16)).
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0218.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
    Number of Responses: 9,205,000.
    Frequency of Responses: On occasion.
    Average Time per Response: Ranges from one minute (.02 hour) to 
maintain the certification records to 33 minutes (.55 hour) to test an 
extinguisher, and generate and maintain the certification record.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 125,986 hours.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $16,952,542.

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.regualtions.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (fax); or (3) by hard copy. All 
comments, attachments, and other

[[Page 70326]]

material must identify the Agency name and the OSHA docket number for 
the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2010-0025). 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 http://www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g., copyrighted 
material) is not publically 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

    David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, 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. 1-2012 
(77 FR 3912).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on November 19, 2013.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2013-28074 Filed 11-22-13; 8:45 am]
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