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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37837-37838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15455]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Docket Number DOT-OST-2014-0112]

Agency Information Collection Activity; Notice of Request for 
Approval To Collect New Information: Voluntary Near Miss Reporting in 
Oil and Gas Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S. 
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the 
intention of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to request the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the following 
information collection: Voluntary Near Miss Reporting in Oil and Gas 
Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This data collection 
effort supports a multi-year program focused on improving safety in the 
OCS by collecting and analyzing data and information on near misses and 
other unsafe occurrences in all oil and gas operations on the OCS. In 
August 2013, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) 
and BTS signed an Interagency Agreement (IAA) to develop and implement 
a voluntary program for confidential reporting of `near misses' 
occurring on the OCS. BTS will analyze and aggregate information 
provided under this program and publish reports that will provide BSEE, 
the industry and all OCS stakeholders with essential information about 
accident precursors and other hazards associated with OCS oil and gas 
operations so that all stakeholders can use that information to reduce 
safety and environmental hazards and continue building a more robust 
OCS safety culture. This information collection is necessary to aid 
BSEE, the oil and gas industry and other stakeholders in identifying 
root causes of potentially unsafe events.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by September 2, 2014.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that your comments are not entered more than once 
into the docket, submit comments by only one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your 
comments electronically. Docket Number: DOT-OST-2014-0112.
     Mail: Docket Services, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: Deliver to mail address above between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: (202) 493-2251.

Identify all transmission with ``Docket Number DOT-OST-2014-0112'' at 
the beginning of each page of the document.
    Instructions: All comments must include the agency name and docket 
number for this notice. Paper comments should be submitted in 
duplicate. The DMF is open for examination and copying, at the above 
address from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays. If you wish to receive confirmation of receipt of 
your written comments, please include a self-addressed, stamped 
postcard with the following statement: ``Comments on Docket Number DOT-
OST-2014-0112.'' The Docket Clerk will date stamp the postcard prior to 
returning it to you via the U.S. mail. Please note that all comments 
received, including any personal information, will be posted and will 
be publicly viewable, without change, at www.regulations.gov. You may 
review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register 
published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; pages 19477-78) or 
you may review the Privacy Act Statement at www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Demetra V. Collia, Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics, Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of 
Advanced Studies, RTS-31, E324-302, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001; Phone No. (202) 366-1610; Fax No. (202) 366-
3383; email: demetra.collia@dot.gov. Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 
5 p.m., EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Data Confidentiality Provisions: The confidentiality of near miss 
data submitted to BTS is protected under the BTS confidentiality 
statute (49 U.S.C. Sec. 6307) and the Confidential Information 
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2002 (Pub. L. 
107-347, Title V). In accordance with these confidentiality statutes, 
only statistical and non-identifying data will be made publicly 
available by BTS through its reports. BTS will not release to BSEE or 
any other public or private entity any information that might reveal 
the identity of individuals or organizations mentioned in near miss 
reports without explicit consent of the respondent and any other 
affected entities.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. The Data Collection

    The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35; as 
amended) and 5 CFR part 1320 require each Federal agency to obtain OMB 
approval to initiate an information collection activity. BTS is seeking 
OMB approval for the following BTS information collection activity:
    Title: Voluntary Near Miss Reporting in Oil and Gas Operations on 
the Outer Continental Shelf
    OMB Control Number: TBD.
    Type of Review: Approval of data collection.
    Respondents: Employees working in the oil and gas industry on the 
OCS.
    Number of Potential Responses: Based on near miss reporting trends 
in other industries, BTS expects to receive no more than two responses 
per calendar day during the first three years of the program 
(approximately 730 responses per year).
    Estimated Time per Response: not to exceed 60 minutes (this 
includes estimated time for a follow up interview, if needed.)

[[Page 37838]]

    Frequency: Intermittent for three years. (Reports are submitted 
when there is a qualifying event, i.e., when a near miss occurs in oil 
and gas operations on the OCS.)
    Total Annual Burden: 730 hours.
    Abstract: Collecting transportation safety data, including data on 
precursors to adverse events, is an important component of BTS's 
responsibility to the transportation community and is authorized in 
BTS' authorizing statute (49 U.S.C. 6302). To that end, BTS has entered 
into an IAA with BSEE to establish and operate a voluntary, 
confidential near miss data collection program. In 2013, the National 
Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill recommended, among 
other things, that BSEE develop a system for reporting near miss events 
in oil and gas operations on the OCS. BSEE evaluated various near miss 
reporting systems that have proven successful in improving safety in 
major industries (such as commercial airlines, railroads, and 
firefighting programs) and identified BTS as an agency with experience 
in developing and operating such systems to improve safety.
    It is estimated that the time for an individual respondent to 
complete a near miss report and, if needed, participate in a brief 
confidential interview will be no more than 60 minutes for a maximum 
total burden of 730 hours (730 reports*60 minutes/60 = 720 hours). 
Reports may be voluntarily submitted to BTS when there is a qualifying 
event, i.e., when a near miss occurs in oil and gas operations on the 
OCS. Potential respondents include employees of OCS oil and gas lessees 
and operators and their contractors. It should be noted that not all of 
the potential respondents will submit information at any given time and 
some may submit multiple times.

II. Background

    Under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), 43 U.S.C. 
1331-1356a, the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary) is authorized 
to regulate oil and natural gas exploration, development, and 
production operations on the OCS. The Secretary has assigned BSEE the 
responsibility for offshore safety and environmental enforcement under 
OCSLA (see 76 FR 64432, Oct. 18, 2011). The BSEE promotes safety, 
protects the environment, and conserves offshore oil and gas resources 
through regulatory oversight and enforcement, research activities, 
public outreach, information sharing, and appropriate cooperation with 
industry and other OCS stakeholders. BSEE's goals include building and 
maintaining a culture of safety and risk reduction on the OCS.
    In 2013, the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil 
Spill recommended, among other things, that BSEE develop a system for 
near miss reporting for oil and gas operations on the OCS. BSEE has 
decided to implement that recommendation through a system of voluntary 
reporting of near miss information. BSEE has also decided to encourage 
participation in that system by ensuring the confidentiality of such 
reports, including the reporter's identities (if provided) and other 
identifying information.
    BSEE evaluated various near miss reporting systems that have proven 
successful in improving safety in major industries (such as commercial 
airlines, railroads, and firefighting programs) and identified BTS as 
an agency with experience in developing and operating such systems, on 
a confidential basis, to improve safety. In August 2013, BSEE and BTS 
signed an IAA to develop and implement a voluntary program for 
confidential reporting of `near misses' occurring on the Outer 
Continental Shelf (OCS).
    The goal of the voluntary near miss reporting system is to provide 
BTS with essential information about accident precursors and other 
hazards associated with OCS oil and gas operations. BTS will develop 
and publish aggregate reports that BSEE, the industry and all OCS 
stakeholders can use--in conjunction with incident reports and other 
sources of information--to reduce safety and environmental risks and 
continue building a more robust OCS safety culture.
    A near miss is an event and/or condition that could have resulted 
in loss, or had the potential for additional safety, environmental or 
other consequences, but did not result in an adverse event. This 
adverse event was prevented only by a fortuitous break in the chain of 
events and/or conditions. The potential loss could be human injury, 
environmental damage, or negative business impact. Knowledge about a 
near miss presents an opportunity to address unsafe work conditions, 
prevent accidents, and improve safety and environmental protection in 
the workplace. Near miss systems in other industry sectors have shown 
that voluntary reporting of near misses to a confidential system can 
become a tool to identify safety issues and help prevent accidents by 
providing a cooperative, non-punitive environment to communicate safety 
concerns.
    BTS will: Collect near miss reports voluntarily submitted by 
employees and other respondents working on the OCS; conduct follow-up 
interviews as needed, develop an analytical database using the reported 
data and other pertinent information; conduct statistical analyses and 
develop public reports; and protect the confidentiality of the near 
miss reports in accordance with BTS' own statute and CIPSEA. 
Accordingly, only statistical and non-sensitive information will be 
made available through BTS' publications and reports. Those 
publications and reports will potentially provide the industry, BSEE, 
other OCS stakeholders, and the public with valuable information 
regarding precursors to safety risks and contribute to research and 
development of intervention programs aimed at preventing accidents and 
fatalities in the OCS.
    Respondents who report a near miss event will be asked to fill out 
a report and participate in a brief, confidential interview for further 
clarification, as needed. Respondents will have the option to mail or 
submit the report electronically to BTS. Respondents will be asked to 
provide information such as: (1) Name and contact information 
(optional); (2) time and location of the event; (3) a short description 
of the event; (4) contributing factors to the reported near miss; and 
(5) any other information that might be useful in determining a root 
cause of such event.
    Some of the information collected through this voluntary initiative 
will also help inform the continuing effort to work with oil and gas 
companies and other entities that already collect offshore near miss 
data.

III. Request for Public Comment

    BTS requests comments on any aspects of this information collection 
request, including: (1) The accuracy of the estimated burden of 730 
hours detailed in Section I; (2) ways to enhance the quality, 
usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (3) ways to 
minimize the collection burden without reducing the quality of the 
information collected, including additional use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.

Patricia Hu,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Research and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2014-15455 Filed 7-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
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