OSHA is seeking public comments on its request for an extension of the information collection requirements contained in the Electrical Standards for Construction (29 CFR part 1926, subpart K) and the Electrical Standards for General Industry (29 CFR part 1910, subpart S). The Standards address safety procedures for installation and maintenance of electric utilization equipment that prevent death and serious injuries among construction and general industry workers in the workplace caused by electrical hazards.

Burden on employers

The OSH Act requires that OSHA obtain information needed to enforce standards with a minimum burden upon employers, especially those operating small businesses.

The information collection requirements specified by the Electrical Standards for Construction and the Electrical Standards for General Industry alert workers to the presence and types of electrical hazards in the workplace. The encompass:

The employer using electrical equipment that is marked with the manufacturer's name, trademark, or other descriptive markings that identify the producer of the equipment, and marking the equipment with the voltage, current, wattage, or other ratings necessary; requiring each disconnecting means for motors and appliances to be marked legibly to indicate its purpose, unless located and arranged so the purpose is evident; requiring the entrances to rooms and other guarded locations containing exposed live parts to be marked with conspicuous warning signs forbidding unqualified persons from entering; and, for construction employers only, establishing and implementing the assured equipment grounding conductor program instead of using ground-fault circuit interrupters.

OSHA wants to know:

• 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 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.

The agency is proposing an adjustment increase to the existing burden hours from 170,098 to 220,849 for the Electrical Standards for Construction and for General Industry, a total increase of 50,751 hours. The cost of the labels remains the same at $3.75 each, however, the cost of caution and warning signs increased to $10.95 6.95, a total increase of $4.00 each. The total cost over a five-year period to the employer is $18,863,802 (or $3,772,760 per year). The Agency will summarize any comments submitted in response to this notice, and will include this summary in the request to OMB to extend the approval of the information collection requirements contained in these Standards.

Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by December 30, 2014. For more information go to www.regulations.gov.