Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Coal Mine Rescue Teams: Arrangements for Emergency Medical Assistance and Transportation for Injured Persons-Agreements, Reporting Requirements, and Posting Requirements

AGENCY:

Office of the Secretary, Department of Labor.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) titled, “Coal Mine Rescue Teams: Arrangements for Emergency Medical Assistance and Transportation for Injured Persons-Agreements, Reporting Requirements, and Posting Requirements,” to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use, without change, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Public comments on the ICR are invited.

DATES:

The OMB will consider all written comments that agency receives on or before January 19, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

A copy of this ICR with applicable supporting documentation; including a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency of response, and estimated total burden may be obtained free of charge from the RegInfo.gov Web site at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=201611-1219-002 (this link will only become active on the day following publication of this notice) or by contacting Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129, TTY 202-693-8064, (these are not toll-free numbers) or by email at DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

Submit comments about this request by mail or courier to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attn: OMB Desk Officer for DOL-MSHA, Office of Management and Budget, Room 10235, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503; by Fax: 202-395-5806 (this is not a toll-free number); or by email: OIRA_submission@omb.eop.gov. Commenters are encouraged, but not required, to send a courtesy copy of any comments by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor-OASAM, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Attn: Departmental Information Compliance Management Program, Room N1301, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; or by email: DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129, TTY 202-693-8064, (these are not toll-free numbers) or by email at DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This ICR seeks to extend PRA authority for the Coal Mine Rescue Teams: Arrangements for Emergency Medical Assistance and Transportation for Injured Persons-Agreements, Reporting Requirements, and Posting Requirements information collection. More specifically, this ICR covers the following requirements for a coal mine: reporting to the MSHA how the mine will comply with mine rescue team requirements; reporting to the MSHA alternative mine rescue capability for a small and remote mine; providing an annual certification to the MSHA that each mine rescue team designated to provide mine rescue coverage meets applicable requirements; maintaining a record of mine rescue equipment testing, medical physical examinations of mine rescue team members, and mine rescue team training; posting a copy of the mine rescue notification plan and providing a written copy to a designated mine worker representative; and posting at appropriate places of an underground or surface mine the names, titles, addresses, and telephone numbers of all persons or services currently available under medical assistance and transportation arrangements. Coal mine operators, supervisors, and employees, as well as State and Federal mine inspectors use the records to provide assurance that each mine operator and mine rescue team is prepared for a mine emergency. Records also show that mine rescue team equipment has been examined and tested and is in good working order. Training records show that mine rescue team members and the responsible persons at the mine are competent to respond to a mine emergency involving a fire, an explosion, or a gas or water inundation. Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as Amended sections 101(a) and 103(h) authorize this information collection. See 30 U.S.C. 811(a) and 813(h).

This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to an information collection, unless it is approved by the OMB under the PRA and displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6. The DOL obtains OMB approval for this information collection under Control Number 1219-0144.

OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than three (3) years without renewal, and the current approval for this collection is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2016. The DOL seeks to extend PRA authorization for this information collection through May 31, 2019, without any change to existing requirements. The DOL notes that existing information collection requirements submitted to the OMB receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo review. For additional substantive information about this ICR, see the related notice published in the Federal Register on July 31, 2016 (81 FR 50023).

Interested parties are encouraged to send comments to the OMB, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the address shown in the ADDRESSES section within thirty (30) days of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. In order to help ensure appropriate consideration, comments should mention OMB Control Number 1219-0144. The OMB is particularly interested in comments that:

• 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 submission of responses.

Agency: DOL-MSHA.

Title of Collection: Coal Mine Rescue Teams: Arrangements for Emergency Medical Assistance and Transportation for Injured Persons-Agreements, Reporting Requirements, and Posting Requirements.

OMB Control Number: 1219-0144.

Affected Public: Private Sector—businesses or other for-profits.

Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 275.

Total Estimated Number of Responses: 15,280.

Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 2,203 hours.

Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $617,070.