BILLING CODE: 4510-26-P
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2011-0063]
Slings 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 public comments.
SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning the proposal to extend the
Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) approval of the information collection
requirements specified in the Slings Standard.
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by [INSERT
DATE 60 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL
REGISTER].
ADDRESSES:
Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments electronically at
https://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the
instructions online for submitting comments.
Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the docket, go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Documents in the docket are listed in the
https://www.regulations.gov index; however, some information (e.g., copyrighted
material) is not publicly available to read or download through the websites. All
submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection through the
OSHA Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY (877)
889-5627) for assistance in locating docket submissions.

Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and OSHA docket
number (OSHA- 2011-0063) for the Information Collection Request (ICR). OSHA will
place all comments, including any personal information, in the public docket, which may
be made available online. Therefore, OSHA cautions interested parties about submitting
personal information such as social security numbers and birthdates.
For further information on submitting comments, see the “Public Participation”
heading in the section of this notice titled “SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.”
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Seleda Perryman, Directorate of
Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor; telephone (202) 693-2222.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Department of Labor, as part of the 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) (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, the collection instruments
are clearly understood, and OSHA’s estimate of the information collection burden is
accurate. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (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 following sections describe who uses the information collected under each
requirement, as well as how they use it.
The Slings Standard (29 CFR 1910.184) specifies several paperwork
requirements, depending on the type of sling (paragraph (e) of the Standard covers alloy
steel chain slings; paragraph (f) covers wire rope slings; paragraph (g) covers metal mesh
slings; paragraph (h) covers natural and synthetic fiber-rope slings; and paragraph (i)
covers synthetic web slings).
The purpose of each of these requirements is to prevent workers from using
defective or deteriorated slings, thereby reducing their risk of death or serious injury
caused by sling failure during material handling. The information on the identification
tags, markings, and coding’s assists the employer in determining whether the sling can be
used for lifting. The sling inspections enable early detection of faulty slings. The
inspection and repair records provide employers with the date of the last inspection and
the type of repairs made. This information provides assurance about the condition of the
slings. These records also provide the most efficient means for an OSHA compliance
officer to determine that an employer is complying with the Standard. Proof-testing
certificates give employers, workers, and OSHA compliance officers assurance that the
slings are safe to use.
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 to protect workers, 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, and transmission techniques.

III. Proposed Actions
OSHA is requesting that OMB extend the approval of the information collection
requirements contained in the Slings Standard. The agency is requesting an adjustment
increase in the burden hours amount from 31,398 hours to 38,339 hours, a difference of
6,941 hours. This increase is due to the estimated adjustment (increase) in the number of
slings (from 1,847,854 to 2,256,276).

OSHA will summarize the 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.
Type of Review:

Extension of a currently approved collection.

Title:

Slings Standard.

OMB Control Number:
Affected Public:

1218-0223.

Business or other for-profits.

Number of Respondents:

2,256,276.

Number of Responses:465,923.
Frequency of Responses:

On occasion.

Average Time per Response: Varies.
Estimated Total Burden Hours:

38,339.

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 https://www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal eRulemaking Portal;

or (2) by facsimile (fax), if your comments, including attachments, are not longer than 10
pages you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-1648. All comments,
attachments, and other material must identify the agency name and the OSHA docket
number for the ICR (OSHA-2011-0063). You may supplement electronic submission by
uploading document files electronically.
Comments and submissions are posted without change at
https://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about submitting
personal information such as social security numbers and dates of birth. Although all
submissions are listed in the https://www.regulations.gov index, some information (e.g.,
copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download from this website. All
submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at
the OSHA Docket Office. Information on using the https://www.regulations.gov website
to submit comments and access the docket is available at the website’s “User Tips” link.
Contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350, (TTY (877) 889-5627) for
information about materials not available from the website, and for assistance in using the
internet to locate docket submissions.
V. Authority and Signature
James S. Frederick, 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. 8-2020 (85 FR 58393).
Signed at Washington, DC, on June 21, 2024.
James S. Frederick,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2024-14037 Filed: 6/26/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 6/27/2024]