[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 37 (Friday, February 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13753-13754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03637]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2011-0028]


Grain Handling Facilities 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 comments.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning the proposal to 
extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the 
information collection requirements specified in the Grain Handling 
Facilities Standard.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
April 23, 2024.

ADDRESSES: 
    Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments 
electronically at https://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting 
comments.
    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 
docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov. Documents in the docket are 
listed in the https://www.regulations.gov index; however, some 
information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to 
read or download through the websites. All submissions, including 
copyrighted material, are available for inspection through the OSHA 
Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY 
(877) 889-5627) for assistance in locating docket submissions.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and OSHA 
docket number (OSHA-2011-0028) for the Information Collection Request 
(ICR). OSHA will place all comments, including any personal 
information, in the public docket, which may be made available online. 
Therefore, OSHA cautions interested parties about submitting personal 
information such as social security numbers and birthdates.
    For further information on submitting comments, see the ``Public 
Participation'' heading in the section of this notice titled 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Seleda Perryman, Directorate of 
Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor; telephone (202) 
693-2222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Department of Labor, as part of the 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 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program ensures that 
information is in the desired format, the reporting burden (time and 
costs) is minimal, the collection instruments are clearly understood, 
and OSHA's estimate of the information collection burden is accurate. 
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (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

[[Page 13754]]

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 effort 
in obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657).
    The following sections describe who uses the information collected 
under each requirement, as well as how they use it. The purpose of 
these requirements is to reduce employees' risk of death or serious 
injury while working in grain handling facilities.
    Paragraph (d) of the Standard requires the employer to develop and 
implement an emergency action plan so that employees will be aware of 
the appropriate actions to take in the event of an emergency.
    Paragraph (e)(1) requires that employers provide training to 
employees at least annually and when changes in job assignment will 
expose them to new hazards. Paragraph (f)(1) requires the employer to 
issue a permit for all hot work. Under paragraph (f)(2) the permit 
shall certify that the requirements contained in 1910.272(a) have been 
implemented prior to beginning the hot work operations and shall be 
kept on file until completion of the hot work operation.
    Paragraph (g)(1)(i) requires the employer to issue a permit for 
entering bins, silos, or tanks unless the employer or the employer's 
representative is present during the entire operation. The permit shall 
certify that the precautions contained in paragraph (g) have been 
implemented prior to employees entering bins, silos, or tanks and shall 
be kept on file until completion of the entry operations.
    Paragraph (g)(1)(ii) requires that the employer de-energize, 
disconnect, lockout and tag, block off, or otherwise prevent operation 
of all mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment that 
presents a danger to employees inside grain storage structures.
    Paragraphs (i)(1) and (i)(2) require the employer to inform 
contractors performing work at the grain handling facility of known 
potential fire and explosion hazards related to the contractor's work 
and work area and to explain to the contractor the applicable 
provisions of the emergency action plan.
    Paragraph (j)(1) requires the employer to develop and implement a 
written housekeeping program that establishes the frequency and 
method(s) determined to best reduce accumulations of fugitive grain 
dust on ledges, floors, equipment, and other exposed surfaces.
    Under paragraph (m)(1), the employer is required to implement 
preventative maintenance procedures consisting of regularly scheduled 
inspections of at least the mechanical and safety control equipment 
associated with dryers, grain stream processing equipment, dust 
collection equipment including filter collectors, and bucket elevators. 
Paragraph (m)(3) requires a certification to be maintained for each 
inspection. Paragraph (m)(4) requires the employer to implement 
procedures for the use of tags and locks that will prevent the 
inadvertent application of energy or motion to the equipment being 
repaired, serviced, or adjusted.

II. Special Issues for Comment

    OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:
    <bullet> Whether the proposed information collection requirements 
are necessary for the proper performance of the agency's functions to 
protect workers, including whether the information is useful;
    <bullet> 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;
    <bullet> The quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
collected; and
    <bullet> Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply; 
for example, by using automated or other technological information, and 
transmission techniques.

III. Proposed Actions

    OSHA is requesting that OMB extend the approval of the information 
collection requirements contained in the Grain Handling Facilities 
Standard. The agency is requesting that the currently approved burden 
hours of 57,837 hours remain the same.
    OSHA will summarize the comments submitted in response to this 
notice and will include this summary in the request to OMB to extend 
the approval of the information collection requirements.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Title: Grain Handling Facilities Standard.
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0206.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
    Number of Respondents: 14,940.
    Number of Responses: 1,105,635.
    Frequency of Responses: On occasion.
    Average Time per Response: Varies.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 57,837.
    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 https://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal; or (2) by facsimile (fax), if your comments, 
including attachments, are not longer than 10 pages you may fax them to 
the OSHA Docket Office at 202-693-1648. All comments, attachments, and 
other material must identify the agency name and the OSHA docket number 
for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2011-0028). You may supplement electronic 
submission by uploading document files electronically.
    Comments and submissions are posted without change at https://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 https://www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g., copyrighted 
material) is not publicly available to read or download from this 
website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available 
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on 
using the http://www.regulations.gov website to submit comments and 
access the docket is available at the website's ``User Tips'' link. 
Contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350, (TTY (877) 889-5627) 
for information about materials not available from the website, and for 
assistance in using the internet to locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    James S. Frederick, 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. 8-2020 
(85 FR 58393).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on February 15, 2024.
James S. Frederick,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2024-03637 Filed 2-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P