Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 27, 2000 / Notices 58107

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

[Docket No. ICR–1218–0197(2000)]

Construction Standards on Fall

Protection Systems Criteria and

Practice and Training Requirements;

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: Notice of an opportunity for

public comment.

SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments

concerning its request for an extension

of the information-collection

requirements contained in its standards

titled, ‘‘Fall Protection Systems Criteria

and Practice’’ (29 CFR 1926.502) and

‘‘Training Requirements’’ (29 CFR

1926.503).

Request for Comment: The Agency

has a particular interest in comments on

the following issues:

• Whether the information-collection

requirements are necessary for the

proper performance of the Agency’s

functions, including whether the

information is useful;

• The accuracy of the Agency’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.

DATES: Submit written comments on or

before November 27, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

to the Docket Office, Docket No. ICR–

1218–0197(2000), OSHA, U.S.

Department of Labor, Room N–2625,

200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202)

693–2350. Commenters may transmit

written comments of 10 pages or less in

length by facsimile to (202) 693–1648.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathleen Martinez, Directorate of

Policy, OSHA, U.S. Department of

Labor, Room N–3641, 200 Constitution

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210;

telephone: (202) 693–2444. A copy of

the Agency’s Information-Collection

Request (ICR) supporting the need for

the information-collection requirements

specified by its standards on Fall

Protection Systems Criteria and Practice

and Training Requirements is available

for inspection and copying in the

Docket Office, or you may request a

mailed copy by telephoning Kathleen

Martinez at (202) 693–2444. For

electronic copies of this ICR, contact

OSHA on the Internet at http://

www.osha.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Department of Labor, as part of its

continuing effort to reduce paperwork

and respondent burden, conducts a

preclearance consultation program to

provide the general public and Federal

agencies with an opportunity to

comment on proposed and continuing

information- collection requirements in

accordance with the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA–95) (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

burden is correct. The Occupational

Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the Act)

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 standards on Fall Protection

Systems Criteria and Practice (29 CFR

1926.502) and Training Requirements

(29 CFR 1926.503) ensure that

employers provide the required fall

protection for their employees. These

standards have the following paperwork

requirements: Paragraphs (c)(4)(i) and

(k) of 29 CFR 1926.502, which require

certification of safety nets and

development of fall-protection plans,

respectively, and paragraph (b) of 29

CFR 1926.502, which specifies that

employers certify training records. The

requirement to certify safety nets is an

option available to employers who

demonstrate that performing a drop test

on safety nets is unreasonable; this

provision allows such employers to

certify that their safety nets are as

protective as safety nets that meet the

drop-test criteria. Fall-protection plans

are available to employers who have

employees engaged in leading-edge

work, precast-concrete-erection work, or

residential construction who provide

evidence that using only conventional

fall-protection equipment is infeasible

or is more hazardous than the fallprotection alternative described in the

fall-protection plan. The trainingcertification requirement documents the

training provided by an employer to

employees potentially exposed to fall

hazards; this training includes

recognizing fall hazards, and using

procedures and equipment that

minimize these hazards.

II. Proposed Actions

OSHA proposes to extend OMB’s

approval of the collection-ofinformation (paperwork) requirements

contained in its standards on Fall

Protection Systems Criteria and Practice

and Training Requirements. The Agency

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 contained in these

standards.

Type of Review: Extension of

currently approved informationcollection requirements.

Title: Fall Protection Systems Criteria

and Practice (29 CFR 1926.502) and

Training Requirements (29 CFR

1926.503).

OMB Number: 1218–0197.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations; Federal, State,

Local, or Tribal governments.

Number of Respondents: 100,000.

Frequency: On occasion.

Average Time per Response: Variable

(i.e., 5 minutes to certify a safety net; 65

minutes to develop and write a fallprotection plan; and 5 minutes to certify

training).

Estimated Total Burden Hours:

767,246 hours.

III. Authority and Signature

Charles N. Jeffress, 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) and Secretary of

Labor’s Order No 3–2000 (65 FR 50017).

Signed at Washington, DC on September

19, 2000.

Charles N. Jeffress,

Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 00–24805 Filed 9–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–P