[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16627-16629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-06767]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2017-0005]


Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution 
Standards for Construction and General Industry and Electrical 
Protective Equipment Standards for Construction and General Industry; 
Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of 
Collections of Information

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

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning its request for an 
extension of the collections of information specified in its standards 
on the Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution for 
Construction and General Industry and Electrical Protective Equipment 
Standards for Construction and General Industry.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
June 5, 2017.

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 a copy of your comments and 
attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2017-0005, 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of 
Labor, Room N-3653, 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, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., e.t.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and OSHA 
docket number (OSHA-2017-0005) for the Information Collection Request 
(ICR). 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 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 collections of 
information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (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

[[Page 16628]]

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 Electrical Protective Equipment Standard (29 CFR 1926.97 and 29 
CFR 1910.137) and the Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and 
Distribution Standard (29 CFR 1926 and 29 CFR 1910.269) specify several 
collections of information. The following describes the collections of 
information contained in the standards and addresses who will use the 
information.

Electrical Protective Equipment Standard (Sec. Sec.  1926.97 and 
1910.137)

Testing Certification (Sec. Sec.  1926.97(c)(2)(xii) and 
1910.137(c)(2)(xii))
    Employers must certify that the electrical protective equipment 
used by their workers have passed the tests specified in paragraphs 
(c)(2)(vii)(D), (c)(2)(viii), (c)(2)(ix), and (c)(2)(xi) of the 
standards. The certification must identify the equipment that passed 
the tests and the dates of the tests. The two standards require 
testing: Periodically (generally, every 6 months for rubber insulating 
gloves and every 12 months for most other types of rubber insulating 
equipment); after any repairs; and before the equipment is returned to 
service after any inspection finds certain defects. In addition, the 
employer must test rubber insulating gloves before reuse after 
employees use them without protector gloves and must certify that 
testing. These performance-based standards ensure that employers 
maintain the most recent test records for equipment that passes the 
required tests without specifying precisely how the employer must 
maintain those records.

Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Standard 
(Sec. Sec.  1926.950 and 1910.269)

Host Employer Responsibilities (Sec. Sec.  1926.950(c)(1) and 
1910.269(a)(3)(i))
    Before work begins, the host employer must inform the contract 
employers of: The characteristics of the host employer's installation 
listed; conditions listed in paragraphs of this section that are known 
to the host employer; information about the design and operation of the 
host employer's installation that the contract employer needs to make 
the assessments required by this section; and any other information 
about the design and operation of the host employer's installation that 
is known by the host employer, that the contract employer requests, and 
that is related to the protection of the contract employer's employees.
Contract Employer Responsibilities (Sec. Sec.  1926.950(c)(2) and 
1910.269(a)(3)(ii))
    Contract employers must ensure that each of its employees is 
instructed in the hazardous conditions relevant to the employee's work 
that the contract employer is aware of as a result of information 
communicated to the contract employer by the host employer; before work 
begins, the contract employer must advise the host employer of any 
unique hazardous conditions presented by the contract employer's work; 
and the contract employer must advise the host employer of any 
unanticipated hazardous conditions found during the contract employer's 
work that the host employer did not mention. The contract employer 
shall provide this information to the host employer within two working 
days after discovering the hazardous condition.
Job Briefing (Sec. Sec.  1926.952(a)(1) and 1910.269(c)(1)(i))
    In assigning an employee or a group of employees to perform a job, 
the employer must provide the employee in charge of the job with all 
available information that relates to the determination of existing 
characteristics and conditions required by (Sec. Sec.  1926.950(d) 
and1910.269(a)(4)).
Engineering Analyses To Determine Maximum Anticipated Per-Unit 
Transient Overvoltage (Sec. Sec.  1926.960(c)(1)(ii) and 
1910.269(l)(3)(ii))
    The employer must determine the maximum anticipated per-unit 
transient overvoltage, phase-to-ground, through an engineering analysis 
or assume a maximum anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage, phase-
to-ground, in accordance with the tables listed. When the employer uses 
portable protective gaps to control the maximum transient overvoltage, 
the value of the maximum anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage, 
phase-to-ground, must provide for five standard deviations between the 
statistical sparkover voltage of the gap and the statistical withstand 
voltage corresponding to the electrical component of the minimum 
approach distance. The employer must make available upon request to 
employees and to the Assistant Secretary or designee for examination 
and copying; any engineering analysis conducted to determine maximum 
anticipated per-unit transient overvoltage.

II. Special Issues for Comment

    OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:
     Whether the proposed collections of information 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 collections of information, 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 collections 
of information contained in the Standards on Electric Power Generation, 
Transmission, and Distribution for Construction and General Industry 
(29 CFR part 1926, subpart V and 29 CFR 1910.269) and the Electrical 
Protective Equipment Standards for Construction and General Industry 
(29 CFR 1926.97 and 29 CFR 1910.137). The Agency is proposing to 
decrease the burden hours in the currently approved information 
collection request from 452,091 hours to 365,094 hours (a total 
decrease of 86,997 hours). The decrease is a result of a determination 
that the estimated number of establishments affected has declined. 
Also, the decrease is due to the removal of burden hours associated 
with OSHA requests to access records from employers. Usually, OSHA 
requests access to records during an inspection. Information collected 
by the Agency during the investigation is not subject to the PRA under 
5 CFR 1320.4(a)(2). Therefore, OSHA takes no burden or cost for OSHA 
requests to access records in this Supporting Statement. The Agency 
will summarize the comments submitted in response to this notice, and 
will include this summary in its request to OMB.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.

[[Page 16629]]

    Title: Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution 
Standards for Construction and General Industry and Electrical 
Protective Equipment for Construction and General.
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0253.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
    Number of Respondents: 19,746.
    Total Responses: 952,348.
    Frequency of Responses: On occasion; semi-annually; annually.
    Average Time per Response: Various.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 365,094.
    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-2017-0005). 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 that 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 
dates 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

    Dorothy Dougherty, Deputy 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 March 28, 2017.
Dorothy Dougherty,
 Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and 
Health.
[FR Doc. 2017-06767 Filed 4-4-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-26-P