[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 6 (Thursday, January 9, 2014)][Notices][Pages 1658-1660]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00121]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2010-0021]


Grantee Quarterly Progress Report; 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 specified for its Grantee Quarterly 
Progress Report.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
March 10, 2014.

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, Docket No. OSHA-2010-0021, U.S. 
Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 
Room N-2625, 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, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., e.t.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and the 
OSHA docket number for the Information Collection Request (ICR) (OSHA-
2010-0021). 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 from the Web site. All submissions, 
including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and 
copying at the OSHA Docket Office. To obtain a copy of the ICR, you may 
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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kimberly A. Mason, OSHA Directorate of 
Training and Education, 2020 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington 
Heights, IL 60005-4102; telephone: (847) 759-7700; email: 
HarwoodGrants@dol.gov.

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 (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 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 efforts in 
obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657).
    Section 21 of the OSH Act (29 U.S.C. 670) authorizes OSHA to 
conduct directly, or through grants and contracts, education and 
training courses. These courses must ensure an adequate number of 
qualified personnel to fulfill the purposes of the OSH Act, provide 
them with short-term training, inform them of the importance and proper 
use of safety and health equipment, and train employers and employees 
to recognize, avoid, and prevent unsafe and unhealthful working 
conditions.
    Under Section 21, OSHA awards training grants to nonprofit 
organizations to provide part of the required training. The Agency 
requires organizations that receive these grants to submit quarterly 
progress reports that provide information on their grant-funded 
training activities; these reports allow OSHA to monitor the grantee's 
performance and to determine if an organization is using grant funds as 
specified in its grant application. Accordingly, the Agency compares 
the information provided in the quarterly progress report to the 
quarterly milestones proposed by the organization in the work plan and 
budget that accompanied the grant application. This information 
includes: Identifier data (organization name and grant number); the 
date and location where the training occurred; the length of training 
(hours); the number of employees and employers attending training 
sessions provided by the organization during the quarter; a description 
of the training provided; a narrative account of grant activities 
conducted during the quarter; and an evaluation of progress regarding 
planned versus actual work accomplished. This comparison permits OSHA 
to determine if the organization is meeting the proposed program goals 
and objectives, and spending funds in the manner described in the 
proposed budget.
    Requiring these reports on a quarterly basis enables OSHA to 
identify work plan, training, and expenditure discrepancies in a timely 
fashion so that it can implement appropriate action. In addition, this 
information permits the Agency to assess an organization's ability to 
meet projected milestones and expenditures.

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 specified for the Grantee Quarterly Progress 
Report. OSHA is proposing to increase the burden hours in its currently 
approved information collection request from 4,944 burden hours to 
5,096 burden hours (a total increase of 152 hours). Although the annual 
number of grants managed by the Agency decreased from a three-year 
average of 103 to 91, the estimated number of hours required to 
complete the report increased by 2 hours per quarter. The number of 
hours required to complete the report was increased in order to 
collect, compile, and maintain evaluation information for the narrative 
portion of the report. The Agency will summarize the 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: Grantee Quarterly Progress Report.
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0100.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 91.
    Frequency of Responses: Quarterly.
    Average Time per Response: 14 hours per quarter.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 5,096.
    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-2010-0021). 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 from 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 through the Web site, and for assistance in 
using the Internet to locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, 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 
(72 FR 3912).


    Signed at Washington, DC, on January 3, 2014.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2014-00121 Filed 1-8-14; 8:45 am]
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