Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 105 / Thursday, May 31, 2001 / Notices 29601

hours, a total reduction of 372,059

hours. This reduction occurred because

OSHA is removing the burden hours

previously attributed to the training

requirement specified in

§ 1918.252(a)(2)(xiii)(C); this training is

performance-oriented and, therefore, not

subject to PRA–95. 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-collected requirements.

Type of Review: Extension of

currently approved informationcollection requirements.

Title: Welding, Cutting and Brazing.

OMB Number: 1218–0207.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit; not-for-profit institutions; Federal

government; State, local or tribal

governments.

Number of Respondents: 25,373.

Frequency of Response: Semiannually.

Average Time per Response: Varies

from 2 minutes (.03 hour) to develop an

inspection record to 5 minutes (.08

hour) to perform an inspection.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 8,119.

Estimated (Cost and Maintenance):

None.

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)

and Secretary of Labor’s Order No. 3–

2000 (65 FR 50017).

Signed at Washington, DC on May 25,

2001.

R. Davis Layne,

Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 01–13690 Filed 5–30–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

[Docket No. ICR–1218–0095(2001)]

Concrete and Masonry Construction;

Extension of the Office of Management

of 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 to decrease the

existing burden-hour estimates for, and

to extend OMB approval of, the

collection-of-information requirements

of 29 CFR 1926, subpart Q (‘‘Concrete

and Masonry Construction’’). After a

thorough review of the paperwork

requirements specified by this subpart,

the Agency determined that none of

them results in burden hours or costs as

specified by the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995.

DATES: Submit written comments on or

before July 30, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

to the Docket Office, Docket No. ICR–

1218–0095(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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathleen M. Martinez, Directorate of

Policy, Office of Regulatory Analysis,

OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room

N–3609, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202)

693–1953. A copy of the Agency’s

Information-Collection Request (‘‘ICR’’)

describing the information collections

specified by 29 CFR 1926, subpart Q is

available for inspection and copying in

the Docket Office or by requesting a

copy from Todd Owen at (202) 693–

2444. For electronic copies of the ICR

contact OSHA on the Internet at http:/

/www.osha.gov/comp-links.html and

select ‘‘Information Collection

Requests.’’

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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 understandable, and

OSHA’s estimate of the informationcollection burden is correct.

After a thorough review of the seven

standards in 29 CFR 1926, subpart Q

(hereafter, ‘‘Subpart’’), OSHA identified

a number of paperwork requirements;

however, it determined that none of

these requirements impose burden

hours or costs on respondents as

specified by PRA–95. These

requirements, and the rationale for

excluding them from the provisions of

PRA–95 regulating burden-hour and

cost determinations, are:

• The warning signs specified for

post-tensioning areas by paragraph (c)(2)

of § 1926.701 (‘‘General Requirements’’),

and the requirements to lock-out and

tag-out ejection systems and other

hazardous equipment mandated by

paragraphs (a)(2), (j)(1), and (j)(2), of

§ 1926.702 (‘‘Requirements for

Equipment and Tools’’), because

paragraphs § 1926.701(c)(2) and

§ 1926.702(a)(2) imply the wording for

the required warning signs and ejectionsystem tags, while paragraph

§ 1926.702(j)(2) provides the exact

wording for the hazardous-equipment

tags;

• Paragraph (a)(2) of § 1926.703

(‘‘Requirements for Cast-in-Place

Concrete’’), which requires employers to

make available at the jobsite drawings or

plans for the jack layout, formwork

(including shoring equipment), working

decks, and scaffolds, as well as revisions

to these documents, because having

these drawings or plans available at the

jobsite is a usual and customary

business practice;

• Provisions in § 1926.703 addressing

shoring design (paragraph (b)(8)(i)) and

formwork-removal plans (paragraph

(e)(1)(i)) because these provisions are

part of the general design-and-planning

requirement of paragraph (a)(2);

• The designs and plans specified by

paragraph (a) of § 1926.705

(‘‘Requirements for Lift-Slab

Construction Operations’’) because

employers develop and use these

documents as a usual and customary

business practice; and

• Marking the rated capacity of jacks

and lifting units as required by

§ 1926.703 because the manufacturers

and suppliers of this equipment provide

this service as a usual and customary

practice.

The warning-signs required by

paragraph § 1926.701(c)(2) reduce

exposure of nonessential employees to

the hazards of post-tensioning

operations, principally a failed rope or

wire that could strike an employee and

cause serious injury. The requirements

to lock-out and tag-out ejection systems

and other hazardous equipment (e.g.,

compressors, mixers, screens or pumps

used for concrete and masonry

construction) specified by paragraphs

§ 1926.702(a)(2), (j)(1), and (j)(2) warn

equipment operators not to activate

their equipment if another employee

enters the equipment to perform a task

(e.g., cleaning, inspecting maintenance,

repairing), thereby preventing serious

injury or death.

29602 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 105 / Thursday, May 31, 2001 / Notices

Construction contractors and

employees use the drawings, plans, and

designs required by § 1926.703(a)(2),

(b)(8)(i), and (e)(1)(i) to provide specific

instructions on how to construct, erect,

brace, maintain, and remove shores and

formwork if they pour concrete at the

jobsite. Similarly, the designs and plans

specified by § 1926.705(a) identify

methods for assembling and stabilizing

lift slabs during construction. These

requirements assure the structural

stability and integrity of the formwork

and lift slabs, which prevents employee

injury and death that may result from

the collapse of the formwork or lift

slabs. In addition, OSHA compliance

officers review the required paperwork

to determine if the formwork and lift

slabs comply with the specifications

and instructions contained in these

documents.

Section 1926.705(b) requires

employers to mark the rated capacity of

jacks and lifting units. This requirement

prevents overloading and subsequent

collapse of jacks and lifting units, as

well as their loads, thereby sparing

exposed employees from serious injury

and death.

II. Special Issues for Comment

OSHA has a particular interest in

comments on the following issues:

• Whether the proposed informationcollection requirements are necessary

for the proper performance of the

Agency’s functions, including whether

the information is useful;

• 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;

• 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 a decrease in the

existing burden-hour estimate for, as

well as an extension of OMB approval

of, the collection-of-information

requirements specified by the Subpart.

Accordingly, the Agency is requesting to

decrease the current burden hour

estimate from 7,787 hours to 0 hours, a

total reduction of 7,787 hours. The

Agency justifies this reduction based on

its conclusion that the paperwork

requirements found in this Subpart do

not impose respondent burden hours or

costs as specified by PRA–95. OSHA is

requesting to extend OMB’s previous

approval of the recordkeeping

(paperwork) requirements specified by

the Subpart. The Agency will

summarize the comments submitted in

response to this notice, and will include

this summary in its request to OMB to

extend its approval of these

information-collection requirements.

Type of Review: Extension of

currently approved informationcollection requirements.

Title: Concrete and Masonry

Construction.

OMB Number: 1218–0095.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit; not-for-profit institutions; Federal

government; State, local or tribal

governments.

Number of Respondents: None.

Frequency of Response: None.

Average Time per Response: None.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: None.

Estimated Cost (Operation and

Maintenance): None.

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)

and Secretary of Labor’s Order No. 3–

2000 (65 FR 50017).

Signed at Washington, DC on May 25,

2001.

R. Davis Layne,

Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 01–13691 Filed 5–30–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Veterans’ Employment and Training

Service (VETS)

Agency Information Activities;

Proposed Measures; Comments

Request; Performance Measures

AGENCY: Veterans’ Employment and

Training Service, Labor.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: By law, the Assistant

Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and

Training (ASVET) is required to

establish performance standards for the

provision of services to veterans by

State Employment Security Agencies

(SESA’s). The ASVET in turn, is

required to report on these results in the

Veterans’ Employment and Training

Service’s (VETS) Annual Report to

Congress. This notice requests

comments and opinions on the

applicability of a proposed means to

measure the performance outcomes of

the Public Labor Exchange, which

provides services to veterans within

local workforce investment areas. In

response to General Accounting Office

recommendations, VETS is moving from

process performance measures to

outcome measures, and to evaluation of

results based on absolute terms rather

than the current relative terms. The new

measures will provide useful

information on the effectiveness of

services provided to veterans. These

proposed performance measures will

also be key components of VETS’ fiveyear Strategic Plan and Annual

Performance Plans for the management

of services provided to veterans and

disabled veterans through the Public

Labor Exchange, which includes

services provided by Local Veterans’

Employment Representative (LVER) and

Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program

(DVOP) staff.

In addition to Public Labor Exchange

employees assigned to the Local

Employment Service Offices (LESO) or

One-Stop Centers established in the

States, DVOP and LVER positions are

provided to the States to enhance, not

supplant, services provided to veterans

by Wagner-Peyser staff.

DATES: To be assured of consideration,

comments on these proposed

performance measures must be received

on or before July 30, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to

Robert Wilson, Chief, Division of

Employment and Training Programs,

Veterans’ Employment and Training

Service, U.S. Department of Labor, 200

Constitution Avenue NW, Room S–

1316, Washington, DC 20210, Facsimile:

202–693–4755, E-mail: WilsonRobert@dol.gov. Receipt of submissions,

whether by U.S. mail, e-mail or FAX

transmittal, will not be acknowledged;

however, the sender may request

confirmation that a submission has been

received by telephoning VETS at (202)

693–4719 (VOICE) or (800) 670–7008

(TTY/TDD).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact

Robert Wilson, 202–693–4719, or Email: Wilson-Robert@dol.gov. (Please

note the above telephone numbers are

not toll free.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Authority

Components of the VETS’

performance measures are proposed

under the authority of Title 38 United

States Code (U.S.C.) section 4107(b),

which requires that performance

standards be established to assure that

SESA’s are providing maximum

employment and training opportunities

to eligible veterans and are in