
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 159 (Friday, August 18, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39459-39460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17505]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR



Occupational Safety and Health Administration



[Docket No. OSHA-2011-0028]




Grain Handling Facilities; 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 public comments.



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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to 

extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the 

information collection requirements contained in the standard on Grain 

Handling Facilities.



DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 

October 17, 2017.



ADDRESSES:

    Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments 

electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting 

comments.

    Facsimile: If your comments, including attachments, are not longer 

than 10 pages you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-

1648.

    Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger, or courier service: 

When using this method, you must submit a copy of your comments and 

attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, OSHA Docket No. OSHA-2011-0028, 

U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration, Room N-3653, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, 

DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier 

service) are accepted during the Department of Labor's and Docket 

Office's normal business hours, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., e.t.

    Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and the 

OSHA docket number for the Information Collection Request (ICR) (OSHA-

2011-0028). All comments, including any personal information you 

provide, are placed in the public docket without change, and may be 

made available online at http://www.regulations.gov. For further 

information on submitting comments see the ``Public Participation'' 

heading in the section of this notice titled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 

docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at 

the address above. All documents in the docket (including this Federal 

Register notice) are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index; 

however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly 

available to read or download through the Web site. All submissions, 

including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and 

copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Theda Kenney at 

the address below to obtain a copy of the ICR.



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Owen or 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. 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 accord with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995 (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 accurate. The Occupational Safety 

and Health Act of 1970 (the OSH Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) authorizes 

information collection by employers as necessary or appropriate for 

enforcement of the OSH Act or for developing information regarding the 

causes and prevention of occupational injuries, illnesses, and 

accidents (29 U.S.C. 657). The OSH Act also requires that OSHA obtain 

such information with minimum burden upon employers, especially those 

operating small businesses, and to reduce to the maximum extent 

feasible unnecessary duplication of effort in obtaining information (29 

U.S.C. 657).

    The Grain Handling Facilities Standard specifies a number of 

paperwork requirements. The following sections describe who uses the 

information collected under each requirement as well as how they use 

it. The purpose of the requirements is to reduce employees' risk of 

death or serious injury while working in grain handling facilities.

    Paragraph (d) of the Standard requires the employer to develop and 

implement an emergency action plan so that employees will be aware of 

the appropriate actions to take in the event of an emergency.

    Paragraph (e)(1) requires that employers provide training to 

employees at least annually and when changes in job assignment will 

expose them to new hazards. Paragraph (f)(1) requires the employer to 

issue a permit for all hot work. Under paragraph (f)(2) the permit 

shall certify that the requirements contained in 1910.272(a) have been 

implemented prior to beginning the hot work operations and shall be 

kept on file until completion of the hot work operation.

    Paragraph (g)(1)(i) requires the employer to issue a permit for 

entering bins, silos, or tanks unless the employer or the employer's 

representative is present during the entire operation. The permit shall 

certify that the precautions contained in paragraph (g) have been 

implemented prior to employees entering bins, silos or tanks and shall 

be kept on file until completion of the entry operations.

    Paragraph (g)(1)(ii) requires that the employer de-energize, 

disconnect, lockout and tag, block off or otherwise prevent operation 

of all mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic equipment which 

presents a danger to employees inside grain storage structures.

    Paragraphs (i)(1) and (i)(2) require the employer to inform 

contractors performing work at the grain handling facility of known 

potential fire and explosion hazards related to the contractor's work 

and work area, and to



[[Page 39460]]



explain to the contractor the applicable provisions of the emergency 

action plan.

    Paragraph (j)(1) requires the employer to develop and implement a 

written housekeeping program that establishes the frequency and 

method(s) determined to best reduce accumulations of fugitive grain 

dust on ledges, floors, equipment, and other exposed surfaces.

    Under paragraph (m)(1), the employer is required to implement 

preventive maintenance procedures consisting of regularly scheduled 

inspections of at least the mechanical and safety control equipment 

associated with dryers, grain stream processing equipment, dust 

collection equipment including filter collectors, and bucket elevators. 

Paragraph (m)(3) requires a certification be maintained of each 

inspection. Paragraph (m)(4) requires the employer to implement 

procedures for the use of tags and locks which will prevent the 

inadvertent application of energy or motion to equipment being 

repaired, serviced, or adjusted.



II. 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.



III. Proposed Actions



    OSHA is requesting that OMB extend its approval of the information 

collection requirements contained in the standard on Grain Handling 

Facilities (29 CFR 1910.272). The Agency is requesting a reduction in 

the current burden hours from 68,782 to 24,392 (difference of 44,390 

hours). This decrease is due to the reduction of grain handling 

facilities from 9,025 to 5,500. The Agency will summarize any comments 

submitted in response to this notice and will include this summary in 

the request to OMB.

    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

    Title: Grain Handling Facilities Standard (29 CFR 1910.272).

    OMB Control Number: 1218-0206.

    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.

    Number of Respondents: 47,007.

    Frequency of Responses: On occasion.

    Average Time per Response: Various.

    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 24,392.

    Total Responses: 514,721.

    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $0.



IV. Public Participation--Submission of Comments on This Notice and 

Internet Access to Comments and Submissions



    You may submit comments in response to this document as follows: 

(1) Electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal; (2) by facsimile (fax); or (3) by hard copy. All 

comments, attachments, and other material must identify the Agency name 

and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2011-0028). You 

may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files 

electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference 

to an electronic or facsimile submission, you must submit them to the 

OSHA Docket Office (see the section of this notice titled ADDRESSES). 

The additional materials must clearly identify your electronic comments 

by your name, date, and the docket number so the Agency can attach them 

to your comments.

    Because of security procedures, the use of regular mail may cause a 

significant delay in the receipt of comments. For information about 

security procedures concerning the delivery of materials by hand, 

express delivery, messenger, or courier service, please contact the 

OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350, (TTY (877) 889-5627).

    Comments and submissions are posted without change at http://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about 

submitting personal information such as Social Security numbers and 

date of birth. Although all submissions are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g., copyrighted 

material) is not publicly available to read or download through this 

Web site.

    All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for 

inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on using 

the http://www.regulations.gov Web site to submit comments and access 

the docket is available at the Web site's ``User Tips'' link. Contact 

the OSHA Docket Office for information about materials not available 

from the Web site, and for assistance in using the Internet to locate 

docket submissions.



V. Authority and Signature



    Loren Sweatt, Deputy 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 et seq.) and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 1-2012 (77 FR 

3912).



Loren Sweatt,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.

[FR Doc. 2017-17505 Filed 8-17-17; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-26-P




