85242 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 207 / Friday, October 25, 2024 / Notices 

Signed at Washington, DC, on October 21, 

2024. 

James S. Frederick, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for 

Occupational Safety and Health. 

[FR Doc. 2024–24785 Filed 10–24–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–26–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration 

[Docket No. OSHA–2011–0747] 

Blasting and the Use of Explosives; 

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. 

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 Standard on Blasting 

and the use of Explosives. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted 

(postmarked, sent, or received) by 

December 24, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: 

Electronically: You may submit 

comments, including attachments, 

electronically at https://

www.regulations.gov, 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 website. 

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 the OSHA 

docket number (OSHA–2011–0747) for 

the Information Collection Request 

(ICR). OSHA will place comments, 

including personal information, in the 

public docket, which may be available 

online. Therefore, OSHA cautions 

interested parties about submitting 

personal information such as Social 

Security number or date of birth. 

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, 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 (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 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 Standard on Blasting and the 

Use of Explosives (29 CFR part 1926, 

subpart U) specifies a number of 

paperwork requirements. The following 

is a brief description of the collection of 

information requirements contained in 

the Subpart. 

General Provisions (§ 1926.900) 

§ 1926.900(d)—Paragraph (d) states 

that employers must ensure that 

explosives not in use are kept in a 

locked magazine, unavailable to persons 

not authorized to handle explosives. 

The employers must maintain an 

inventory and use record of all 

explosives—in use and not in use. In 

addition, the employer must notify the 

appropriate authorities in the event of 

any loss, theft, or unauthorized entry 

into a magazine. 

§ 1926.900(k)(3)(i)—Paragraph (k)(3)(i) 

requires employers to display adequate 

signs warning against the use of mobile 

radio transmitters on all roads within 

1,000 feet of blasting operations to 

prevent the accidental discharge of 

electric blasting caps caused by current 

induced by radar, radio transmitters, 

lighting, adjacent power lines, dust 

storms, or other sources of extraneous 

electricity. The employer must certify 

and maintain a record of alternative 

provisions made to adequately prevent 

any premature firing of electric blasting 

caps. 

§ 1926.900(o)—Employers must notify 

the operators and/or owners of overhead 

power lines, communication lines, 

utility lines, or other services and 

structures when blasting operations will 

take place in proximity to those lines, 

services, or structures. 

§ 1926.903(d)—The employer must 

notify the hoist operator prior to 

transporting explosives or blasting 

agents in a shaft conveyance. 

§ 1926.903(e)—Employers must 

perform weekly inspections on the 

electrical system of trucks used for 

underground transportation of 

explosives. The weekly inspection is to 

detect any failure in the system which 

would constitute an electrical hazard. 

The most recent certification of 

inspection must be maintained and 

must include the date of inspection, a 

serial number or other identifier of the 

truck inspected, and the signature of the 

person who performed the inspection. 

§ 1926.905(t)—The employer blaster 

must maintain an accurate and up-todate record of explosives, blasting 

agents, and blasting supplies used in a 

blast. The employer must also maintain 

an accurate running inventory of all 

explosives and blasting agents stored on 

the operation. 

§ 1926.909(a)—Employers must post a 

code of blasting agents on one or more 

conspicuous places at the operation. All 

employees also shall familiarize 

themselves with the code and conform 

to it at all times. Danger signs warning 

of blasting agents shall also be placed at 

suitable locations. 

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; 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 207 / Friday, October 25, 2024 / Notices 85243 

• 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 that OMB extend 

the approval of the information 

collection requirements contained in the 

Standard on Blasting and the use of 

Explosives (29 CFR part 1926, subpart 

U) U.S.C. 669). The agency is requesting 

an adjustment decrease in the burden 

hours amount from 1,602 hours to 1,427 

hours, a difference of 175 hours. This 

decrease is due to the change in the 

number of affected sites due to general 

economic growth. 

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 

currently approved collection. 

Title: Standard on Blasting and the 

use of Explosives. 

OMB Control Number: 1218–0217. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofits. 

Number of Respondents: 171. 

Number of Responses: 758. 

Frequency of Responses: On occasion. 

Average Time per Response: Various. 

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,426. 

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; (2) by 

facsimile (fax) at (202) 693–1648; or (3) 

by hard copy. All comments, 

attachments, and other materials must 

identify the agency name and the OSHA 

docket number for the ICR (Docket No. 

OSHA–2011–0747). You may 

supplement electronic submissions 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 date 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 through this website. 

All submissions, including copyrighted 

material, are available for inspection 

and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. 

Information on using the https://

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 for 

information about materials not 

available through 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 October 18, 

2024. 

James S. Frederick, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for 

Occupational Safety and Health. 

[FR Doc. 2024–24793 Filed 10–24–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–26–P 

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration 

[Docket No. OSHA–2019–0009] 

DEKRA Certification Inc.: Grant of 

Expansion of Recognition 

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA), Labor. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In this notice, OSHA 

announces the final decision to expand 

the scope of recognition for DEKRA 

Certification Inc., as a Nationally 

Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). 

DATES: The expansion of the scope of 

recognition becomes effective on 

October 25, 2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Information regarding this notice is 

available from the following sources: 

Press inquiries: Contact Mr. Frank 

Meilinger, Director, OSHA Office of 

Communications, U.S. Department of 

Labor; telephone (202) 693–1999 or 

email meilinger.francis2@dol.gov. 

General and technical information: 

Contact Mr. Kevin Robinson, Director, 

Office of Technical Programs and 

Coordination Activities, Directorate of 

Technical Support and Emergency 

Management, Occupational Safety and 

Health Administration, U.S. Department 

of Labor; telephone (202) 693–1911 or 

email robinson.kevin@dol.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Notice of Final Decision 

OSHA hereby gives notice of the 

expansion of the scope of recognition of 

DEKRA Certification Inc. (DEKRA) as a 

NRTL. DEKRA’s expansion covers the 

addition of seventeen test standards to 

the NRTL scope of recognition. 

OSHA’s recognition of a NRTL 

signifies that the organization meets the 

requirements specified in 29 CFR 

1910.7. Recognition is an 

acknowledgment that the organization 

can perform independent safety testing 

and certification of the specific products 

covered within the scope of recognition. 

Each NRTL’s scope of recognition 

includes: (1) the type of products the 

NRTL may test, with each type specified 

by the applicable test standard; and (2) 

the recognized site(s) that has/have the 

technical capability to perform the 

product-testing and productcertification activities for test standards 

within the NRTL’s scope. Recognition is 

not a delegation or grant of government 

authority; however, recognition enables 

employers to use products approved by 

the NRTL to meet OSHA standards that 

require product testing and certification. 

The agency processes applications by 

a NRTL for initial recognition and for an 

expansion or renewal of this 

recognition, following requirements in 

Appendix A to 29 CFR 1910.7. This 

appendix requires that the agency 

publish two notices in the Federal 

Register in processing an application. In 

the first notice, OSHA announces the 

application and provides a preliminary 

finding. In the second notice, the agency 

provides a final decision on the 

application. These notices set forth the 

NRTL’s scope of recognition or 

modifications of that scope. OSHA 

maintains an informational web page for 

each NRTL, including DEKRA, which 

details the NRTL’s scope of recognition. 

These pages are available from the 

OSHA website at http://www.osha.gov/ 

dts/otpca/nrtl/index.html. 

DEKRA submitted an application to 

OSHA for expansion of the NRTL scope 

of recognition on December 24, 2021 

(OSHA–2019–0009–0007), requesting 

the addition of twenty-nine recognized 

testing standards. The application was 

amended on February 1, 2023 (OSHA– 

2019–0009–0008), removing eight 

standards from the original request, 

while adding an additional standard to 


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