[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 120 (Thursday, June 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28868-28869]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-13324]



[[Page 28868]]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2018-0006]


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.

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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 (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-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: (202) 693-2222.

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:
    <bullet> Whether the proposed information collection requirements 
are necessary for the proper performance of the Agency's functions, 
including whether the information is useful;
    <bullet> 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;
    <bullet> The quality, utility and clarity of the information 
collected; and
    <bullet> Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply; 
for example, by using automated or other

[[Page 28869]]

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 (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 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.
[FR Doc. 2018-13324 Filed 6-20-18; 8:45 am]
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