[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 185 (Monday, September 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58377-58378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20783]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2018-0006]
OSHA's Alliance Program; 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 the proposal to
extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the
information collection requirements specified in the OSHA's Alliance
Program OSHA's Alliance Program.
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
November 25, 2022.
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.
Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Documents in the docket 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 website. 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-2018-0006) 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 or Theda Kenney,
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).
OSHA created the Alliance Program in 2002 as a structure for
working with groups that are committed to worker safety and health. The
program enables OSHA to enter into a voluntary, cooperative
relationship at the national, regional, or Area Office level with
industry, labor, and other groups to improve workplace safety and
health; prevent workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses; and
reach employers and workers that OSHA may not otherwise reach through
its traditional methods. These groups include trade or professional
organizations, businesses,
unions, consulates, faith- and community-based organizations, and
educational institutions. OSHA and the groups work together to share
workplace safety and health information with workers and employers,
encourage participation in OSHA agency initiatives, develop compliance
assistance tools and resources, and educate workers and employers about
their rights and responsibilities. Alliance Program participants do not
receive exemptions from OSHA inspections or any other enforcement
benefits.
OSHA collects information from organizations that are signatories
to an Alliance agreement (known hereafter) as ``alliance
participants.'' Information is collected from the participant through
meetings, informal conversations and data forms to develop Alliance
agreements and, to develop annual as well as program-wide reports.
Alliance participants work with OSHA to develop agreements with
well-defined goals and specific objectives and activities. Agreements
commonly identify specific hazard(s), operations, or other areas of
concern; the targeted segment within the workforce and the planned
activities to meet the agreement's overarching goals and objectives.
OSHA provides templates for Alliance agreements and gathers the
necessary information from Alliance participants through meetings,
informal conversations, and review of a draft agreement.
Alliance participants also provide OSHA information about their
Alliance-related activities, including dissemination of educational
materials, outreach events and training for OSHA staff. This
information is collected using a data form (bi-annually) or through
routine meetings and includes an estimated number reached for each
activity as well as the areas associated with those activities that
OSHA emphasizes.
OSHA uses the information from the forms (National Alliances) and
collaborative data gathering (Regional and Area Office Alliances) to
compile annual evaluations for individual Alliances and assess the
effectiveness of the individual Alliance in meeting agreement goals and
objectives. OSHA uses aggregate data from active Alliances to assess
the impact of the program as a whole in meeting the agency's strategic
plan goals and strategies related to outreach and communication. The
success experienced by these Alliances, when shared, can serve as a
means to further promote improvement in worker safety and health.
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
collection, and transmission techniques.
III. Proposed Actions
The agency is requesting an adjustment decrease in the number of
burden hours from 14,122 hours to 13,928 hours, a difference of 194
hours. The decrease is due to a reduction in the number of field
alliance agreement participants going from 70 to 25. 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: OSHA's Alliance Program.
OMB Control Number: 1218-0274.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
Number of Respondents: 260.
Number of Responses: 4,913.
Frequency of Responses: Semi-annually, annually.
Average Time per Response: Varies.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 13,928.
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. Please
note: While OSHA's Docket Office is continuing to accept and process
submissions by regular mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Docket
Office is closed to the public and not able to receive submissions to
the docket by hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service. All
comments, attachments, and other material must identify the agency name
and the OSHA docket number for the ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2018-0006). You
may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files
electronically. If you wish to mail additional materials in reference
to an electronic or a 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 that the agency can attach
them to your comments.
Due to security procedures, the use of regular mail may cause a
significant delay in the receipt of comments.
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
dates 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
website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on
using the http://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 September 20, 2022.
James S. Frederick,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2022-20783 Filed 9-23-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P
