2018-13324. Information Collection Requirements for OSHA's Alliance Program; Submission for 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 its proposal to obtain OMB approval of the information collection requirements specified by OSHA's Alliance Program.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by August 20, 2018.

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 [phone].

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-2018-0006, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3653, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210. Deliveries (hand, express mail, messenger, and courier service) are accepted during the Docket Office's normal business hours, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., ET.

Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and the OSHA docket number (OSHA-2018-0006) for the Information Collection Request (ICR). 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 above address. 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 website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. You may also contact Christie Garner at the number below to obtain a copy of the ICR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tom Mockler or Christie Garner, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, telephone: [phone].

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) (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 (see 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 said 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 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 participants 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 OSHA uses the information from the forms (national Alliance) and collaborative data gathering (Regional and Area Offices) to compile annual reports for individual Alliances and assess the effectiveness of the individual Alliance in meeting agreement goals and objectives. OSHA uses aggregate data from all 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.

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

This is an existing collection of information in use without an OMB number. The proposed ICR includes collection of information requirements for: (1) Alliance agreement development, (2) the biannual Alliance Data Reporting Form, and (3) annual reports. The burden hours for the information collection requirements contained in the proposed ICR would result in a total initial burden hour estimate of 2,210 hours.

The Agency will summarize the comments submitted in response to this notice and will include this summary in the request to OMB to approve these information collection requirements, and the associated templates and forms.

Type of Review: Existing collection in use without an OMB control number.

Title: Information Collection Requirements for OSHA's Alliance Program.

OMB Control Number: 1218—0NEW.

Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits.

Number of Respondents: 250

Frequency: Once, On occasion, Semi-annually, Annually.

Average Time per Response: Various.

Total Number of Responses: 690.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 2,210.

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-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 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 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 [phone], (TTY [phone]).

Comments and submissions are posted without change at http://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about submitting personal information such as their social security number 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 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 for information about materials not available from the website, and for assistance in using the internet to locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

Loren Sweatt, 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. 1-2012 (77 FR 3912).

Signed at Washington, DC, on June 18, 2018.

Loren Sweatt,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.