Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard; 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 comment.

SUMMARY:

OSHA solicits comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB approval of the Information Collection requirements contained in the Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard (29 CFR 1910.180). The purpose of each of these requirements is to prevent employees from using unsafe cranes and ropes, thereby, reducing their risk of death or serious injury caused by a crane or rope failure during material handling.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted by the following dates:

Hard Copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) by May 10, 2004.

Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be received by May 10, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

I. Submission of Comment

Regular mail, express delivery, hand delivery, and messenger service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. ICR 1218-0221(2004), Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor hours of operation are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., EST.

Facsimile: If your comments, including any attachments, are 10 pages or fewer, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-1648. You must include the docket number, ICR 1218-0221(2004), in your comments.

Electronic: You may submit comments, but not attachments, through the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov/ .

II. Obtaining Copies of the Supporting Statement for the Information Collection Request

The Supporting Statement for the Information Collection Request (ICR) is available for downloading from OSHA's Web site at http://www.osha.gov . The complete ICR, containing the OMB Form 83-I, Supporting Statement, and attachments, is available for inspection and copying in the OSHA Docket Office, at the address listed above. A printed copy of the ICR can be obtained by contacting Theda Kenney at (202) 693-2222.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Theda Kenney, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3609, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-2222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Submission of Comments on this Notice and Internet Access to Comments and Submissions

You may submit comments in response to this document by (1) hard copy, (2) fax transmission (facsimile), or (3) electronically through the OSHA Web page. Please note that you cannot attach materials such as studies or journal articles to electronic comments. If you have additional materials, you must submit three copies of them to the OSHA Docket Office at the address above. The additional materials must clearly identify your electronic comments by name, date, subject and docket number so we can attach them to your receipt comments. Because of security related problems there may be a significant delay in the receipt of comments by regular mail. Please contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 for information about security procedures concerning the delivery or materials by express delivery, hand delivery and messenger service.

II. 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 costs) is minimal, collection instruments are clearly understood, and OSHA's estimate of the information collection burden is correct. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the Act) authorizes information collection by employers as necessary or appropriate for enforcement of the Act or for developing information regarding the causes and prevention of occupational injuries, illnesses, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657).

The Standard specifies several paperwork requirements. The following sections describe who uses the information collected under each requirement, as well as how they use it. The purpose of each of these requirements is to prevent employees from using unsafe cranes and ropes, thereby reducing their risk of death or serious injury caused by a crane or rope failure during material handling.

(A) Inspection Records (§ 1910.180(d)(6))

This paragraph specifies that employers must prepare a written record to certify that the monthly inspection or critical items in use on cranes (such as brakes, crane hooks, and ropes) has been performed. The certification record must include the inspection date, the signature of the person who conducted the inspection, and the serial number (or other identifier) of the inspected crane. Employers must keep the certificate readily available. The certification record provides employers, employees, and OSHA compliance officers with assurance that critical items on cranes have been inspected, and that equipment is in good operating condition, so that the crane and rope will not fail during material handling. These records also enable OSHA to determine that an employer is complying with the Standard.

(B) Rated Load Tests (§ 1910.180(e)(2))

This provision requires employers to make available written reports of load-rating rests showing test procedures and confirming the adequacy of repairs or alterations, and to make readily available any rerating-test reports. These reports inform the employer, employees, and OSHA compliance officers of a crane's lifting limitations, and provide information to crane operators to prevent them from exceeding these limits and causing crane failure.

(C) Rope Inspections (§ 1910.180(g))

Paragraph (g)(1) requires employers to thoroughly inspect any rope in use at least once a month. The authorized person conducting the inspection must observe any deterioration resulting in appreciable loss of original strength and determine whether or not the condition is hazardous. Before reusing a rope that has not been used for at least a month because the crane housing the rope is shutdown or in storage, paragraph (g)(2)(ii) specifies that employers must have an appointed or authorized person inspect the rope for all types of deterioration. Employers must prepare a certification record for the inspections required by paragraphs (g)(1) and (g)(2)(ii). These certification records must include the inspection date, the signature of the person conducting the inspection, and the identifier for the inspected rope; paragraph (g)(1) states that employers must keep the certificates “on file where readily available,” while paragraph (g)(2)(ii) requires that certificates “be * * * kept readily available.” The certification records assure employers, employees, and OSHA that the inspected ropes are in good condition.

(D) Disclosure of Crane and Rope Inspection Certification Records

The disclosure of certification records provide the most efficient means for OSHA compliance officers to determine that an employer is complying with the Standard.

III. 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;
• 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.

IV. Proposed Actions

OSHA is proposing to extend the information collections requirements in the Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard (29 CFR 1910.180). 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.

Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information collection requirements.

Title: Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard (29 CFR 1910.180).

OMB Number: 1918-0221.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for-profit institutions; Federal government, State, local, or Tribal governments.

Number of Respondents: 20,000.

Frequency of Recordkeeping: On occasion; Monthly, Semi-annually.

Average Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes (.08 hour) to disclose certification records to 1 hour to conduct rated load tests.

Total Annual Hours Requested: 174,062.

V. Authority and Signature

John L. Henshaw, 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. 5-2002 (67 FR 6508).