Federal Register/Vol. 80, No. 161/Thursday, August 20, 2015
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
50652 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 161 / Thursday, August 20, 2015 / Notices APPENDIX—Continued [66 TAA petitions instituted between 6/29/15 and 7/24/15] Subject firm Date of Date of TA–W (petitioners) Location institution petition 90058 .......... ICON Health & Fitness Inc. (Company) .......................................... Ogden, UT ....................... 07/23/15 07/22/15 90059 .......... Radiant Thermal Prods Inc. (Workers) ........................................... Roselle, NJ ...................... 07/23/15 07/21/15 90060 .......... Lenovo (State/One-Stop) ................................................................ Morrisville, NC ................. 07/24/15 07/24/15 [FR Doc. 2015–20539 Filed 8–19–15; 8:45 am] I. Notice of Application recently developed equipment and BILLING CODE 4510–FN–P On April 3, 2014, Impregilo Healy procedures for soft-ground tunneling. Parsons Joint Venture, (‘‘IHP JV’’ or ‘‘the The applicant’s workers engage in the applicant’’), 2600 Independence Avenue construction of subaqueous tunnels DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SE., Washington, DC 20003, submitted below the water table through soft soils an application for a permanent variance consisting of clay, silt, and sand using Occupational Safety and Health advanced shielded mechanical Administration and interim order under Section 6(d) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act excavation techniques in conjunction [Docket No. OSHA–2014–0011] of 1970 (‘‘OSH Act’’; 29 U.S.C. 655) and with an Earth Pressure Balanced Tunnel 29 CFR 1905.11 (‘‘Variances and other Boring Machine (EPBTBM). Impregilo Healy Parsons Joint Venture; relief under section 6(d)’’) from several IHP JV employs specially trained Grant of a Permanent Variance provisions of the OSHA standard that personnel for the construction of the tunnel, and states that this construction AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health regulates work in compressed air at 29 Administration (OSHA), Labor. CFR 1926.803. IHP JV also requested an project uses shielded mechanical- excavation techniques. IHP JV asserts ACTION: Notice. interim order pending OSHA’s decision on the application for a variance that its workers perform hyperbaric SUMMARY: In this notice, OSHA grants a (Exhibit OSHA–2014–0011–0001, interventions at pressures greater than permanent variance to Impregilo Healy Request for Variance). Specifically, the 50 p.s.i.g. in the excavation chamber of Parsons Joint Venture from the applicant seeks a variance from the the EPBTBM. The hyperbaric provisions of OSHA standards that provisions of the standard that: (1) interventions consist of conducting regulate work in compressed-air Prohibit compressed-air worker inspections and maintenance work on environments at 29 CFR 1926.803. exposure to pressures exceeding 50 the cutter-head structure and cutting DATES: The permanent variance pounds per square inch (p.s.i.) except in tools of the EPBTBM. specified by this notice becomes an emergency (29 CFR 1926.803(e)(5)); 1 OSHA considered IHP JV’s effective on August 20, 2015, and shall (2) require the use of the decompression application for a permanent variance remain in effect until the completion of values specified in decompression and interim order. On February 11, the Anacostia River Tunnel Project, but tables in Appendix A of the 2015, OSHA published a preliminary no later than December 31, 2016. compressed-air standard for Federal Register notice announcing IHP JV’s application for a permanent FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: construction (29 CFR 1926.803(f)(1)); Information regarding this notice is and (3) require the use of automated variance and interim order, grant of an available from the following sources: operational controls and a special interim order, and request for comments Press inquiries: Contact Mr. Frank decompression chamber (29 CFR (80 FR 7636) for the Anacostia River Meilinger, Director, OSHA Office of 1926.803(g)(1)(iii) and .803(g)(1)(xvii), Tunnel project. respectively). Communications, U.S. Department of II. The Variance Application Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., According to its application, IHP JV is Room N–3647, Washington, DC 20210; currently the general contractor for the A. Background District of Columbia Water and Sewer telephone: (202) 693–1999; email: IHP JV asserts that innovations in Authority’s (‘‘DC Water’’) project to [email protected]. tunnel excavation, specifically with construct the Anacostia River Tunnel. General and technical information: EPBTBMs, have, in most cases, The Anacostia River Tunnel project Contact Mr. Kevin Robinson, Director, eliminated the need to pressurize the design requires the ability to safely Office of Technical Programs and entire tunnel. These advances in perform hyperbaric interventions in Coordination Activities, Directorate of technology modified substantially the compressed air at pressures higher than Technical Support and Emergency methods used by the construction allowed in the existing OSHA standard Management, Occupational Safety and industry to excavate subaqueous tunnels 29 CFR 1926.803(e)(5) which states: ‘‘No Health Administration, U.S. Department compared to the caisson work regulated employee shall be subjected to pressure of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., by the current OSHA compressed-air exceeding 50 p.s.i.g. except in Room N–3655, Washington, DC 20210; standard for construction at 29 CFR emergency’’ (see footnote 1). phone: (202) 693–2110 or email: 1926.803. Such advances reduce the The applicant is a contractor that [email protected]. number of workers exposed, and the works on complex tunnel projects using SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of total duration of exposure, to hyperbaric this Federal Register notice. Electronic 1 The decompression tables in Appendix A of pressure during tunnel construction. copies of this Federal Register notice subpart S express the maximum working pressures Using shielded mechanical- are available at http:// as pounds per square inch gauge (p.s.i.g.), with a excavation techniques, in conjunction www.regulations.gov. This Federal maximum working pressure of 50 p.s.i.g. Therefore, with precast concrete tunnel liners and throughout this notice, OSHA expresses the 50 p.s.i. Register notice and other relevant value specified by § 1926.803(e)(5) as 50 p.s.i.g., backfill grout, EPBTBMs provide information are also available at OSHA’s consistent with the terminology in Appendix A, methods to achieve the face pressures Web page at http://www.osha.gov. Table 1 of subpart S. required to maintain a stabilized tunnel VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:31 Aug 19, 2015 Jkt 235001 PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\20AUN1.SGM 20AUN1 tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 161 / Thursday, August 20, 2015 / Notices 50653 face through various geologies, and informed its workers and their certain hyperbaric pressures (i.e., when isolate that pressure to the forward representatives of their rights to petition decompression times are greater than section (the working chamber) of the the Assistant Secretary of Labor for work times), the twin man locks allow EPBTBM. Interventions in the working Occupational Safety and Health for a for crew rotation. During crew rotation, chamber take place only after halting hearing on the variance application. one crew can be compressing or tunnel excavation and preparing the decompressing while the second crew is B. Variance From Paragraph (e)(5) of 29 machine and crew for an intervention. working. Therefore, the working crew CFR 1926.803, Prohibition of Exposure Interventions occur to inspect or always has an unoccupied man lock at to Pressure Greater Than 50 p.s.i.g. (See maintain the mechanical-excavation its disposal. Footnote 1) components located in the working The applicant developed a project- chamber. Maintenance conducted in the The applicant states that it may specific HOM for the Anacostia River working chamber includes changing perform hyperbaric interventions at Tunnel project (Exhibit OSHA–2014– replaceable cutting tools and disposable pressures greater than 50 p.s.i.g. in the 0011–0003, IHP JV Project-Specific wear bars, and, in rare cases, repairing working chamber of the EPBTBM; this HOM) that describes in detail the structural damage to the cutter head. pressure exceeds the pressure limit of hyperbaric procedures and required In addition to innovations in tunnel- 50 p.s.i.g. specified for nonemergency medical examinations used during the excavation methods, research conducted purposes by 29 CFR 1926.803(e)(5). The tunnel-construction project. The HOM after OSHA published its compressed- EPBTBM has twin man locks, with each is project-specific, and discusses air standard for construction in 1971, man lock having two compartments. standard operating procedures and resulted in advances in hyperbaric This configuration allows workers to emergency and contingency procedures. medicine. In this regard, the applicant access the man locks for compression The procedures include using asserts that the use of decompression and decompression, and medical experienced and knowledgeable man- protocols incorporating oxygen is more personnel to access the man locks if lock attendants who have the training efficient, effective, and safer for tunnel required in an emergency. and experience necessary to recognize workers than compliance with the EPBTBMs are capable of maintaining and treat decompression illnesses and existing OSHA standard (29 CFR 1926, pressure at the tunnel face, and injuries. The attendants are