[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 210 (Thursday, October 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68600-68601]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-23899]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mine Safety and Health Administration

[OMB Control No. 1219-0009]


Proposed Extension of Information Collection; Training Plans and 
Records of Training, for Underground Miners and Miners Working at 
Surface Mines and Surface Areas of Underground Mines

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 Training Plans 
and Records of Training, for Underground Miners and Miners Working at 
Surface Mines and Surface Areas of Underground Mines.

DATES: All comments must be received on or before December 28, 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-
2020-0033. 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, 
as amended (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 Mine Act recognizes that education and training is an important 
element of efforts to make the nation's mines safe. Section 115(a) of 
the Mine Act states that ``each operator of a coal or other mine shall 
have a health and safety training program which shall be approved by 
the Secretary.'' Title 30 CFR 48.3 and 48.23 require training plans for 
underground and surface mines, respectively. These standards are 
intended to ensure that miners will be effectively trained in matters 
affecting their health and safety, with the ultimate goal of reducing 
the occurrence of injury and illness in the nation's mines.
    Training plans are required to be submitted for approval to the 
MSHA District Manager for the area in which the mine is located. Plans 
must contain the following: (1) Company name; (2) mine name; (3) MSHA 
identification number of the mine; (4) the name and position of the 
person designated by the operator who is responsible for health and 
safety training at the mine; (5) a list of MSHA-approved instructors 
with whom the operator proposes to make

[[Page 68601]]

arrangements to teach the courses and the courses each instructor is 
qualified to teach; (6) the location where training will be given for 
each course; (7) a description of the teaching methods and the course 
materials which are to be used in training; (8) the approximate number 
of miners employed at the mine and the maximum number who will attend 
each session of training; (9) the predicted time or periods of time 
when regularly scheduled refresher training will be given including the 
titles of courses to be taught; (10) the total number of instruction 
hours for each course; and (11) the predicted time and length of each 
session of training for new task training including a complete list of 
task assignments, the titles of personnel conducting the training, the 
outline of training procedures used, and the evaluation procedures used 
to determine the effectiveness of the training.
    Title 30 CFR 48.9 and 48.29 require records of training for 
underground and surface mines, respectively. Upon completion of each 
training program, the mine operator certifies on a form approved by the 
Secretary, MSHA Form 5000-23, Certificate of Training, that the miner 
has received the specified training in each subject area of the 
approved health and safety training plan.
    The Certificate of Training forms are to be maintained by the 
operator for a period of 2 years for current employees and for 60 days 
after termination of a miner's employment, and must be available for 
inspection at the mine site. In addition, the miner is entitled to a 
copy of the certificate upon completion of the training and when the 
miner leaves the operator's employment.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    MSHA is soliciting comments concerning the proposed information 
collection related to Training Plans and Records of Training, for 
Underground Miners and Miners Working at Surface Mines and Surface 
Areas of Underground Mines. 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 CONTACT section of this 
notice from the previous collection of information.

III. Current Actions

    This information collection request concerns provisions for 
Training Plans and Records of Training, for Underground Miners and 
Miners Working at Surface Mines and Surface Areas of Underground Mines. 
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: 1219-0009.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 5,828.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Number of Responses: 143,145.
    Annual Burden Hours: 14,773 hours.
    Annual Respondent or Recordkeeper Cost: $468,122.
    MSHA Forms: MSHA Form 5000-23, Certificate of Training.
    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. 2020-23899 Filed 10-28-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P