[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 232 (Friday, December 1, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75316-75317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30644]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0238(2000)]


Standard on Portable Fire Extinguishers; Extension of the Office 
of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of an Information Collection 
(Paperwork) Request

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of an opportunity for public comment.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning the proposed increase in, 
and extension of, the information collection requirements contained in 
paragraph (e)(3) of the standard on Portable Fire Extinguishers, 29 CFR 
1910.157.

REQUEST FOR COMMENT: The Agency seeks comments on the following issues:
    <bullet> Whether the information collection requirement is 
necessary for the proper performance of the Agency's functions, 
including whether the information is useful;
    <bullet> The accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden (time 
and costs) of the information collection requirement, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

[[Page 75317]]

    <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 
transmission and collection techniques.

DATE: Submit written comments on or before January 30, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to the Docket Office, Docket No. 
ICR-1218-0238(2000), Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 
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: Theda Kenney, Directorate of Safety 
Standards Programs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Room N-3609, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202) 693-2222. A copy of the Agency's 
Information collection Request (ICR) supporting the need for the 
information collection requirement contained in paragraph (e)(3) of the 
standard is available for inspection and copying in the Docket Office, 
or mailed on request by telephoning Theda Kenney at (202) 693-2222 or 
Barbara Bielaski at (202) 693-2444. For electronic copies of the ICR, 
contact OSHA on the Internet at http://www.osha.gov/comp-links.html, 
and click on ``Information Collection Requests.''

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 government 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 collection 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.)
    Paragraph (e)(3) of the standard on Portable Fire Extinguishers (29 
CFR 1910.157) specifies that employers must subject each portable fire 
extinguisher to an annual maintenance inspection and record the date of 
the inspection. In addition, this provision requires employers to 
retain the inspection record for one year after the last entry or for 
the life of the shell, whichever is less, and to make the record 
available to OSHA on request. This recordkeeping requirement assures 
employees and Agency compliance officers that portable fire 
extinguishers located in the workplace will operate normally in case of 
fire; in addition, this requirement provides evidence to OSHA 
compliance officers during an inspection that the employer performed 
the required maintenance checks on the portable fire extinguishers.

II. Proposed Actions

    OSHA proposes to increase the existing burden hour estimate, and to 
extend OMB's approval, of the collection-of-information requirement 
specified by paragraph (e)(3) of its standard on Portable Fire 
Extinguishers (29 CFR 1910.157). In this regard, the Agency is 
increasing the burden hours associated with the collection of 
information requirement by 2,250 hours (from the current total of 
63,750 burden hours to a new total of 66,000 burden hours). This 
adjustment resulted from an increase in the estimated number of 
employers (and, therefore, the number of portable fire extinguishers) 
covered by the requirement. An adjustment also occurred in the cost of 
servicing portable fire extinguishers under contract; accordingly, the 
contract-servicing cost increased from the current estimate of 
$9,180,000 to a new estimate of $19,008,000. 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 requirement contained in the standard on Portable Fire 
Extinguishers.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirement.
    Title: Portable Fire Extinguishers (29 CFR 1910.157).
    OMB Number: 1218-0238.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; Federal government; state, local or tribal governments
    Number of Respondents: 132,000.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Average Time per Response: 30 minutes (0.50 hour).
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 66,000.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $19,008,000.

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), Secretary of Labor's Order No. 3-2000 (65 FR 50017).

    Signed at Washington, DC on November 21, 2000.
Charles N. Jeffress,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 00-30644 Filed 11-30-00; 8:45 am]
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