[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 83 (Monday, April 30, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21414-21415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-10636]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0132(2001)]


Standard on Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs and 
Tags; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval 
of Information-Collection (Paperwork) Requirements

<BD>AGENCY: <RM>Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 
Labor.

<BD>ACTION: <RM>Notice of an opportunity for public comment.

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<BD>SUMMARY: <RM>OSHA solicits comments concerning its proposal to 
decrease the existing burden-hour estimates, and to extend OMB approval 
of the collection-of-information requirements, of the standard on 
Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs and Tags; this standard 
regulates the design, working and application of signs and tags that 
inform employees of workplace safety and health hazards.

<BD>DATES: <RM>Submit written comments on or before June 29, 2001.

<BD>ADDRESSES: <RM>Submit written comments to the Docket Office, Docket 
No. ICR-1218-0132(2001), 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 
by facsimile to (202) 693-1648.

<BD>FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: <RM>Theda Kenney, Directorate of 
Safety Standards Programs, OSHA, 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 collections contained in the 
standard on Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs and Tags (29 
CFR 1910.145) is available for inspection and copying in the Docket 
Office or by requesting a copy from Theda Kenney at (202) 693-2222. For 
electronic copies of the ICR contact OSHA on the Internet at http://www.osha.gov/comp-links.html and select ``Information Collection 
Requests.''

<BD>SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   

<RM>I. Background

    The Department of Labor, as part of its 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-95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program ensures that 
information is in the desired format, reporting burden (time and cost) 
is minimal, collection instruments are clearly understood, and OSHA's 
estimate of the information-collection burden is correct.

[[Page 21415]]

    In determining the paperwork requirements specified in the standard 
on Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs and Tags 
(Sec. 1910.145; hereafter the ``Standard''), the Agency finds that 
paragraph (a)(2) requires employers to use signs and tags that conform 
to the design and wording specifications contained in paragraphs (d)(1) 
through (d)(10), (e)(2), (f)(4)(i) through (f)(4)(iv), (f)(7), and 
(f)(8)(ii) of the Standard. OSHA believes that, as a usual and 
customary practice, employers meet this requirement by purchasing a 
supply of appropriate signs and tags. Therefore, the Agency concludes 
that no burden results from this requirement because appropriate signs 
and tags are readily available from commercial sources. This conclusion 
holds even for employers who don't make such purchases because OSHA 
provides them with the specific wording to use when fabricating their 
own signs and tags.
    The Agency notes that the Standard does not contain requirements 
for employers to post signs and tags. Instead, other OSHA standards in 
part 1910 directly specify the posting requirements for the signs and 
tags described by this Standard. Therefore, the Agency is removing the 
burden hours previously attributed to posting signs or tags under this 
Standard, and will assign these burden hours more appropriately to the 
standards that directly require such posting.
    OSHA is recognizing an additional paperwork requirement that it 
previously overlooked. The Standard requires employers to select signs 
and tags that are appropriate to the dangers and hazards identified in 
the workplace; paragraphs (c)(1)(i), (c)(2)(i), (c)(3), (e)(4), (f)(3), 
(f)(5) through (f)(7), and (f)(8)(i) specify the signs and tags that 
employers must select for these dangers and hazards. In addition, 
paragraphs (d)(l) through (d)(10), (e)(2), (f)(4)(i) through 
(f)(4)(iv), (f)(7), and (f)(8)(ii) provide the design and wording 
requirements for these signs and tags. Therefore, employers must ensure 
that the signs and tags selected are appropriate for the identified 
dangers and hazards and meet the design and wording requirements of the 
Standard. Accordingly, selecting appropriate signs and tags represents 
a paperwork requirement that incurs employer burden hours and cost. 
However, the Agency believes that this requirement imposes minimal 
burden on most employers because, after they initially identify 
workplace dangers and hazards and select the appropriate signs and 
tags, the types of dangers and hazards do not change significantly in 
most workplaces (i.e., new or additional signs and tags are necessary 
only for new facilities or new or additional dangers or hazards).

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, 
including whether the information is useful;
    <bullet> The accuracy of OSHA's estimate of the burden (time and 
cost) 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-
collection and-transmission techniques.

III. Proposed Actions

    OSHA proposes to decrease the existing burden-hour estimate, and to 
extend OMB approval, of the collection-of-information requirements 
specified by the Standard. In this regard, the Agency is proposing to 
decrease the current burden-hour estimate from 30,225 hours to 5,600 
hours, a total reduction of 24,625 hours. The Agency will summarize the 
comments submitted in response to this notice, and will include this 
summary in its request to OMB to extend the approval of these 
information-collection requirements.
    <IT>Type of Review: <RM>Extension of currently approved 
information-collection requirement.
    <IT>Title: <RM>Specifications for Accident Prevention Signs and 
Tags (29 CFR 1910.145).
    <IT>OMB Number: <RM>1218-0132.
    <IT>Affected Public: <RM>Business or other for-profit; not-for-
profit institutions; Federal government; State, local or tribal 
governments.
    <IT>Number of Respondents: <RM>112,000.
    <IT>Frequency of Response: <RM>On occasion.
    <IT>Average Time per Response: <RM>3 minutes (.05 hours).
    <IT>Estimated Total Burden Hours: <RM>5,600.
    <IT>Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): <RM>$0.

IV. Authority and Signature

    R. Davis Layne, Acting 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 April 24, 2001.
R. Davis Layne,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 01-10636 Filed 4-27-01; 8:45 am]
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