Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 96 /Tuesday, May 19, 1998 / Notices 27597

e.g., permitting electronic submissions

of responses.

ADDRESSES: Comments are to be

submitted to the Docket Office, Docket

No. ICR 98–22, U.S. Department of

Labor, Room N–2625, 200 Constitution

Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20210,

telephone (202) 219–7894. Written

comments limited to 10 pages or less in

length may also be transmitted by

facsimile to (202) 219–5046.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dave Schmidt, Office of Statistics,

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration, U.S. Department of

Labor, Room N3647, 200 Constitution

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210,

telephone: (202) 219–6463. Copies of

the referenced information collection

request are available for inspection and

copying in the Docket Office and will be

mailed to persons who request copies by

telephoning Dave Schmidt at (202) 219–

6463 or Barbara Bielaski at (202) 219–

8076. For electronic copies of the OSHA

Data Collection Initiative Request,

contact OSHA’s WebPage on the

Internet at http://www.osha.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

To meet many of OSHA’s program

needs, OSHA is proposing to continue

its data initiative to collect occupational

injury and illness data and information

on number of workers employed and

number of hours worked from

establishments in portions of the private

sector. OSHA will collect 1998 data

from 80,000 employers required to

create and maintain records pursuant to

CFR part 1904. These data will allow

OSHA to calculate occupational injury

and illness rates and to focus its efforts

on individual workplaces with ongoing

serious safety and health problems.

Successful implementation of the data

collection initiative is critical to OSHA’s

reinvention efforts and the data

requirements tied to the Government

Performance and Results Act (GPRA).

II. Current Actions

This notice requests OMB approval of

the paperwork requirements for the

OSHA Data Collection System.

Approval is necessary to ensure that the

Agency continues to obtain

establishment data necessary to carry on

with the development and expansion of

the new OSHA. This will allow the

Agency to deal with a larger number of

employers without massive increases in

resources, will reduce intrusive

interventions in workplaces that are

relatively safe, and will lead to

improved workplace safety and health

for America’s workers. In addition,

OSHA will to be able to proceed with

its GPRA requirements to monitor the

results of Agency activities, quantify

and evaluate the successes and failure of

its various programs based on program

results, identify the most efficient and

effective program mix, and promote the

development of programs and policies

based on outcome data.

Type of Review: Extension of

currently approved collection.

Agency: Occupational Safety and

Health Administration.

Title: OSHA Data Collection System.

OMB Number: 1218–0209.

Agency Number: ICR–98–22.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit and State, Local or Tribal

Government.

Cite/Reference/Form/etc.: OSHA

Form 196A and OSHA Form 196B.

Total Respondents: 80,000.

Frequency: Annually.

Average Time per Response: 30

minutes.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 35,000

hours.

Comments submitted in response to

this comment request will be

summarized and/or included in the

request for Office of Management and

Budget approval of the information

collection request; they will also

become a matter of public record.

Dated: May 12, 1998.

Charles N. Jeffress,

Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety

and Health.

[FR Doc. 98–13256 Filed 5–18–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

[Docket No. ICR–98–23]

Proposed Information Collection

Request Submitted for Public

Comment and Recommendations; 29

CFR Part 1904 Recording and

Reporting Occupational Injuries and

Illnesses (1218–0176)

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: 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/or continuing collections of

information in accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA

95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This

program helps to ensure that requested

data can be provided in the desired

format, reporting burden (time and

financial resources) is minimized,

collection instruments are clearly

understood, and impact of collection

requirements on respondents can be

properly assessed. Currently, the

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA) is soliciting

comments concerning the proposed

extension of approval for the paperwork

requirements of 29 CFR part 1904.

Recording and Reporting Occupational

Injuries and Illnesses (less 1904.8,

Reporting of Fatality or Multiple

Hospitalization Incidents and 1904.17,

Annual OSHA Injury and Illness Survey

of Ten or More Employers).

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted on or before July 20, 1998.

Written comments should:

• Evaluate whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the Agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility;

• Evaluate the accuracy of the

Agency’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used;

• Enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be

collected; and

• Minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, including through the

use of appropriate automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology,

e.g., permitting electronic submissions

of responses.

ADDRESSES: Comments are to be

submitted to the Docket Office, Docket

No., ICR–98–23 U.S. Department of

Labor, Room N–2625, 200 Constitution

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210,

telephone: (202) 219–7894. Written

comments limited to 10 pages or less in

length may also be transmitted by

facsimile to (202) 219–5046.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dave Schmidt, Office of Statistics,

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration, U.S. Department of

Labor, Room N3507, 200 Constitution

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210,

telephone: (202) 219–6463. Copies of

the referenced information collection

request are available for inspection and

copying in the Docket Office and will be

mailed to persons who request copies by

telephoning Dave Schmidt at (202) 219–

6463 or Barbara Bielaski at (202) 219-

8076. For electronic copies, contact
27598 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 96 /Tuesday, May 19, 1998 / Notices

OSHA’s WebPage on the Internet at

http://www.osha.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The OSHA Act and 29 CFR Part 1904

prescribe that certain employers

maintain records of job related injuries

and illnesses. The injury and illness

records are intended to have multiple

purposes. One purpose is to provide

data needed by OSHA to carry out

enforcement and intervention activities

to provide workers a safe and healthy

work environment. The data are also

needed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics

to report on the number and rate of

occupational injuries and illnesses in

the country.

The data also provide information for

employers and employees of the kinds

of injuries and illnesses occurring in the

workplace and their related hazards.

Increased employer awareness should

result in the identification and

voluntary correction of hazardous

workplace conditions. Likewise,

employees who are provided

information on injuries and illnesses

will be more likely to follow safe work

practices and report workplace hazards.

This would generally raise the overall

level of safety and health in the

workplace.

OSHA currently has approval from

the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for information collection

requirements contained in 29 CFR part

1904. That approval will expire on

December 31, 1998, unless OSHA

applies for an extension of the OMB

approval. This notice initiates the

process for OSHA to request an

extension of the current OMB approval.

This notice also solicits public comment

on OSHA’s existing paperwork burden

estimates from those interested parties

and to seek public response to several

questions related to the development of

OSHA’s estimation. Interested parties

are requested to review OSHA’s

estimates, which are based upon the

most current data available, and to

comment on their accuracy or

appropriateness in today’s workplace

situation.

29 CFR 1904.8, Reporting of Fatality

or Multiple Hospitalization Incidents

(OMB control number 1218–0007) and

29 CFR 1904.17, Annual OSHA Injury

and Illness Survey of Ten or More

employers (OMB control number yet to

be assigned) are each under separate

Information Collection Request (ICR)

packages.

II. Current Actions

This notice requests an extension of

the current OMB approval of the

paperwork requirements in 29 CFR part

1904, Recording and Reporting

Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.

Type of Review: Extension of

currently approved collection.

Agency: U.S. Department of Labor,

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration.

Title: Recording and Reporting

Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.

OMB Number: 1218–0176

Agency Number: ICR–98–23

Frequency: Recordkeeping.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit; Farms; Not-for-profit institutions;

State and Local Government.

Cite/Reference/Form/etc: 29 CFR Part

1904; OSHA No. 200; OSHA No. 101

Number of Respondents: 1,110,398

Estimated Time Per Respondent: 1.56

hours

Total Burden Hours: 1,741,959 hours

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for Office of

Management and Budget approval of the

information collection request. They

will also become a matter of public

record.

Dated: May 12, 1998.

Charles N. Jeffress,

Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety

and Health.

[FR Doc. 98–13257 Filed 5–18–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

[Docket No. NRTL–2–90]

SGS U.S. Testing Company Inc.,

Applications for Renewal and

Expansion of Recognition

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health

Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Notice of request for renewal

and expansion of recognition as a

Nationally Recognized Testing

Laboratory (NRTL), and preliminary

finding.

SUMMARY: This notice announces: (1) the

application of SGS U.S. Testing

Company Inc. (formerly U.S. Testing

Company, Inc., California Division) for

renewal of its recognition as an NRTL

under 29 CFR 1910.7, and (2) the

applications of SGS U.S. Testing

Company Inc. for expansion of its

recognition as an NRTL under 29 CFR

1910.7, for a new site and to use

additional programs and procedures,

and presents the Agency’s preliminary

finding. In addition, this notice formally

reflects the name change to SGS U.S.

Testing Company Inc.

DATES: The last date for interested

parties to submit comments is July 20,

1998.

ADDRESS: Send comments concerning

this notice to: NRTL Program, Office of

Technical Programs and Coordination

Activities, Occupational Safety and

Health Administration, U.S. Department

of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue,

NW., Room N3653, Washington, DC

20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bernard Pasquet, NRTL Recognition

Program at the above address, or phone

(202) 219–7056.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Notice of Application

Notice is hereby given that SGS U.S.

Testing Company Inc. (SGS) has applied

to the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA), pursuant to 29

CFR 1910.7, for renewal and for an

expansion of its current recognition as

a Nationally Recognized Testing

Laboratory (NRTL). When first

recognized as an NRTL, the

organization’s name was U.S. Testing

Company, Inc., California Division. SGS

informed OSHA of the change in name

(see Exhibit 7B), and this notice reflects

that change. In regards to the renewal,

SGS received its recognition as an NRTL

on March 23, 1993 (see 58 FR 15509),

for a period of five years ending March

23, 1998. Appendix A to 29 CFR 1910.7

stipulates that the period of recognition

of an NRTL is five years and that an

NRTL may renew its recognition by

applying not less than nine months, nor

more than one year, before the

expiration date of its current

recognition. SGS applied for a renewal

of its recognition on March 23, 1997 (see

Exhibit 7C), within the time allotted,

and retains its recognition pending

OSHA’s final decision in this renewal

process. In regards to the expansions,

SGS requests recognition to use

additional programs and procedures.

However, that use will be subject to

certain conditions. SGS also requests

recognition for another testing facility

(site) in Fairfield, New Jersey, which

will become the headquarters of its

NRTL operations. The application for

this facility is for recognition for testing

and certification to the test standards

listed below in the section titled

‘‘Expansion of Recognition—Additional

Facility.’’ The application incorporates

the use of the additional programs and

procedures, also listed below. The

previous application of SGS, pursuant

to 29 CFR 1910.7, covered its

recognition as an NRTL (56 FR 10045,

3/23/92), which OSHA granted on the

date noted above.