[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 178 (Monday, September 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56637-56638]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20193]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mine Safety and Health Administration

[OMB Control No. 1219-0007]


Proposed Extension of Information Collection; Mine Accident, 
Injury, and Illness Report and Quarterly Mine Employment and Coal 
Production Report

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information 
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This program 
helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired 
format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, 
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of 
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. 
Currently, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is 
soliciting comments on the information collection for Mine Accident, 
Injury, and Illness Report and Quarterly Mine Employment and Coal 
Production Report.

DATES: All comments must be received on or before November 13, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comment as follows. Please note that late, 
untimely filed comments will not be considered.
    Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic comments in the following 
way:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments for docket number MSHA-
2020-0025. Comments submitted electronically, including attachments, to 
https://www.regulations.gov will be posted to the docket, with no 
changes. Because your comment will be made public, you are responsible 
for ensuring that your comment does not include any confidential 
information that you or a third party may not wish to be posted, such 
as your or anyone else's Social Security number or confidential 
business information.
     If you want to submit a comment with confidential 
information that you do not wish to be made available to the public, 
submit the comment as a written/paper submission.
    Written/Paper Submissions: Submit written/paper submissions in the 
following way:
     Mail/Hand Delivery: Mail or visit DOL-MSHA, Office of 
Standards, Regulations, and Variances, 201 12th Street South, Suite 
4E401, Arlington, VA 22202-5452.
     MSHA will post your comment as well as any attachments, 
except for information submitted and marked as confidential, in the 
docket at https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roslyn Fontaine, Deputy Director, 
Office of Standards, Regulations, and Variances, MSHA, at 
[email protected] (email); (202) 693-9440 (voice); 
or (202) 693-9441 (facsimile).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Section 103(h) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 
(Mine Act), 30 U.S.C. 813(h), authorizes MSHA to collect information 
necessary to carry out its duty in protecting the safety and health of 
miners. Further, section 101(a) of the Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. 811, 
authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to develop, promulgate, 
and revise as may be appropriate, improved mandatory health or safety 
standards for the protection of life and prevention of injuries in coal 
or other mines.
    The reporting and recordkeeping provisions in 30 CFR part 50 (Part 
50), Notification, Investigation, Reports and Records of Accidents, 
Injuries and Illnesses, Employment and Coal Production in Mines, are 
essential elements in MSHA's statutory mandate to reduce work-related 
injuries and illnesses among the nation's miners (30 U.S.C. 801).
    Section 50.10 requires mine operators and independent contractors 
to immediately notify MSHA in the event of an accident. This immediate 
notification is critical to MSHA's timely investigation and assessment 
of the cause of the accident.
    Section 50.11 requires that the mine operator or independent 
contractor investigate each accident and occupational injury and 
prepare a report. The mine operator or independent contractor may not 
use MSHA Form 7000-1 as the investigation report, except if the 
operator or contractor employs fewer than 20 miners and the injury is 
not related to an accident.
    Section 50.20 requires mine operators and independent contractors 
to report each accident, injury, and illness to MSHA on Form 7000-1 
within 10 working days after an accident or injury has occurred or an 
occupational illness has been diagnosed. The use of MSHA Form 7000-1 
provides for uniform information gathering across the mining industry.
    Section 50.30 requires that all mine operators and independent 
contractors working on mine property report employment to MSHA 
quarterly on Form 7000-2, and that coal mine operators and independent 
contractors also report coal production.
    Accident, injury, and illness data, when correlated with employment 
and production data, provide information that MSHA uses to improve its 
safety and health enforcement programs, focus its education and 
training efforts, and establish priorities for its technical assistance 
activities in mine safety and health. Maintaining a current database 
allows MSHA to identify and direct increased attention to those mines, 
industry segments, and geographical areas where hazardous trends are 
developing. This could not be done effectively using historical data. 
The information collected under Part 50 is the most comprehensive and 
reliable occupational data available concerning the mining industry.
    Section 103(d) of the Mine Act mandates that each accident be 
investigated by the operator to determine the cause and means of 
preventing a recurrence. Operators must keep records of such accidents 
and investigations and make them available

[[Page 56638]]

to the Secretary or the Secretary's authorized representative and the 
appropriate State agency.
    Section 103(h) requires operators to keep any records and make any 
reports that are reasonably necessary for MSHA to perform its duties 
under the Mine Act. Section 103(j) requires operators to notify MSHA of 
the occurrence of an accident and to take appropriate measures to 
preserve any evidence that would assist in the investigation into the 
causes of the accident.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    MSHA is soliciting comments concerning the proposed information 
collection related to Mine Accident, Injury, and Illness Report and 
Quarterly Mine Employment and Coal Production Report. MSHA is 
particularly interested in comments that:
     Evaluate whether the collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, 
including whether the information has practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of MSHA's estimate of the burden of 
the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
     Suggest methods to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.
    Background documents related to this information collection request 
are available at https://regulations.gov and in DOL-MSHA located at 201 
12th Street South, Suite 4E401, Arlington, VA 22202-5452. Questions 
about the information collection requirements may be directed to the 
person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION section of this notice 
from the previous collection of information.

III. Current Actions

    This information collection request concerns provisions for Mine 
Accident, Injury, and Illness Report and Quarterly Mine Employment and 
Coal Production Report. MSHA has updated the data with respect to the 
number of respondents, responses, burden hours, and burden costs 
supporting this information collection request from the previous 
information collection request.
    Type of Review: Extension, without change, of a currently approved 
collection.
    Agency: Mine Safety and Health Administration.
    OMB Number: 1219-0007.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 25,067.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Number of Responses: 112,414.
    Annual Burden Hours: 131,632 hours.
    Annual Respondent or Recordkeeper Cost: $2,946.
    MSHA Forms: MSHA Form 7000-1, Mine Accident, Injury, and Illness 
Report; MSHA Form 7000-2, Quarterly Mine Employment and Coal Production 
Report.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized in 
the request for Office of Management and Budget approval of the 
proposed information collection request; they will become a matter of 
public record and will be available at https://www.reginfo.gov.

Roslyn B. Fontaine,
Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-20193 Filed 9-11-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P