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[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 178 (Thursday, September 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54309-54310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-7662]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0190(2006)]

Electrical Protective Equipment Standard and the Electric Power 
Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Standard; 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 request for an 
extension of the information collection requirements specified by its 
standards on Electrical Protective Equipment (29 CFR 1910.137) and 
Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution (29 CFR 
1910.269).

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by November 13, 2006.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by November 13, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0190(2006) by any of the following methods:
    Regular mail, express delivery, hand delivery, and messenger 
service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket 
Office, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-2350 (OSHA's TTY number 
is (877) 889-5627). OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor hours 
are 8:15 am. to 4:45 p.m., e.t.
    Facsimile: If your comments are 10 pages or fewer, including 
attachments, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
1648.
    Electronic: You may submit comments through the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov. Follow instructions on the OSHA Web page for 
submitting comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read or download comments or 
background materials, such as the complete Information Collection 
Request (ICR) (containing the Supporting Statement, OMB-83-I Form, and 
attachments), go to OSHA's Web page at http://www.OSHA.gov. In 
addition, the ICR, comments and submissions are available for 
inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the address above. 
You may also contact Theda Kenney at the address below to obtain a copy 
of the ICR. For additional information on submitting comments, please 
see the ``Public Participation'' section in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

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 Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 et 
seq.) authorizes information collection by employers as necessary or 
appropriate for enforcement of the Act or for developing information 
regarding the causes and prevention of occupational injuries, 
illnesses, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657). The 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).

Electrical Protective Equipment Standard (Sec.  1910.137)

Testing Certification (Sec.  1910.137(b)(2)(xii)).

    Employers must certify that the electrical protective equipment 
used by their employees have passed the tests specified in paragraphs 
(b)(2)(viii), (b)(2)(ix), and (b)(2)(xi) of the standard. The 
certification must identify the equipment that passed the tests and the 
dates of the tests. This provision ensures that electrical protective 
equipment is reliable and safe for employee use and will provide 
adequate protection against electrical hazards. In addition, 
certification enables OSHA to determine

[[Page 54310]]

if employers are in compliance with the equipment-testing requirements 
of the standard.

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

Training Certification (Sec.  1910.269(a)(2)(vii)).

    This provision requires employers to certify that each employee 
received the training specified in paragraph (a)(2) of the standard. 
Employers must provide certification after an employee demonstrates 
proficiency in the work practices involved.
    The training conducted under paragraph (a)(2) of the standard must 
ensure that: Employees are familiar with the safety-related work 
practices, safety procedures, and other procedures, as well as any 
additional safety requirements in the standard that pertain to their 
respective job assignments; employees are familiar with any other 
safety practices, including applicable emergency procedures (such as 
pole top and manhole rescue), addressed specifically by this standard 
that relate to their work and are necessary for their safety; and 
qualified employees have the skills and techniques necessary to 
distinguish exposed live parts from other parts of electric equipment, 
can determine the nominal voltage of the exposed live parts, know the 
minimum approach distances specified by the standard for voltages when 
exposed to them, and understand the proper use of special precautionary 
techniques, personal protective equipment, insulating and shielding 
materials, and insulated tools for working on or near exposed and 
energized parts of electric equipment.
    Employees must receive additional training or retraining if: the 
supervision and annual inspections required by the standard indicate 
that they are not complying with the required safety-related work 
practices; new technology or equipment, or revised procedures, require 
the use of safety-related work practices that differ from their usual 
safety practices; and they use safety-related work practices that are 
different than their usual safety practices while performing job 
duties.
    The training requirements of this standard inform employees of the 
safety hazards of electrical exposure and provide them with the 
understanding required to minimize these safety hazards. In addition, 
employees received proper training in safety-related work practices, 
safety procedures, and other safety requirements specified in the 
standard. The required training, therefore, provides information to 
employees that enables them to recognize how and where electrical 
exposures occur, and what steps to take, including work practices, to 
limit such exposure. The certification requirement specified by 
paragraph (a)(2)(vii) of the standard helps employers monitor the 
training their employees received and helps OSHA determine if employers 
provided the required training to their employees.

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 OMB to extend their approval of the collection 
of information requirements contained in the standards on Electrical 
Protective Equipment (29 CFR 1910.137) and Electric Power Generation, 
Transmission, and Distribution (29 CFR 1910.269). The Agency is 
requesting an increase in burden hours for the existing collection of 
information requirements from 22,685 to 30,533 (a total increase of 
7,848 hours). The Agency will summarize the comments submitting in 
response to this notice, and will include this summary in its request 
to OMB.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Title: Electrical Protective Equipment (29 CFR 1910.137) and 
Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution (29 CFR 
1910.269).
    OMB Number: 1218-0190.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 20,765.
    Frequency: On occasion; Semi-annually; Annually.
    Average Time per Response: Varies from one minute (.02 hour) for a 
clerical employee to maintain training certification records to 15 
minutes (.25 hour) to test a batch of gloves or sleeves.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 30,533.
    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 and supporting materials in response to 
this notice by (1) hard copy, (2) fax transmission (facsimile), or (3) 
electronically through the OSHA Web page. Because of security-related 
problems, there may be a significant delay in the receipt of comments 
by regular mail. Please contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-
2350 (TTY (877) 889-5627) for information about security procedures 
concerning the delivery of submissions by express delivery, hand 
delivery, and courier service.
    All comments, submissions, and background documents are available 
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the above 
address. Comments and submissions posted on OSHA's Web page are 
available at http://www.OSHA.gov. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for 
information about materials not available through the OSHA Web page and 
for assistance using the Web page to locate docket submissions.
    Electronic copies of this Federal Register notice as well as other 
relevant documents are available on OSHA's Web page. Since all 
submissions become public, private information such as social security 
numbers should not be submitted.

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 September 8, 2006.
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 06-7662 Filed 9-13-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-M
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