1

Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission

Plain Writing Act Compliance Report

April 13, 2015

I. Senior Agency Official for Plain Writing:

Richard Huberman, Chief of Staff and Legal Counsel to Chairman

 Plain Writing Contact:

John Cerveny, Executive Secretary

 Contact Information:

plain@oshrc.gov

II. Explain what specific types of agency communications have you released by 

making them available in a format that is consistent with the Plain Writing

guidelines.

Type of communications of 

document or posting. List how this 

is made available to the public

Who is the intended user and approximate 

number of potential users

What has changed by using Plain 

Writing

Guide to Review Commission 

Procedures

Available on OSHRC Website

Employers who may or may not be represented by 

legal counsel

The documents are clearer and 

more self-explanatory

Guide to Simplified Procedures

Available on OSHRC Website

Employers who may or may not be represented by 

legal counsel

Employee Guide to Review 

Commission Procedures

Available on OSHRC Website

Employees who wish to participate in a Commission 

proceeding or who are contesting a proposed 

abatement period

The Freedom of Information Act 

Reference Guide

Available on OSHRC Website

Anyone who is interested in submitting a FOIA 

request to the Commission

Press Releases

Available on OSHRC Website

Anyone who is interested in Commission news and 

events

Proposed Information Collection 

on the Settlement Part program

Published in the Federal Register

Anyone who is interested in commenting on the 

survey of Settlement Part program participants
2

Type of communications of 

document or posting. List how this 

is made available to the public

Who is the intended user and approximate 

number of potential users

What has changed by using Plain 

Writing

Commission Briefing Notices

Available on OSHRC Website

Anyone who is interested in the issues in cases at the 

Review Commission level

The documents are clearer and 

more self-explanatory

Request for Public Comment on a 

Review Level Alternative Dispute 

Resolution Program

Published in the Federal Register

Anyone who is interested in commenting on the 

creation of a review level alternative dispute 

resolution program

Commission Subpoenas

Issued as necessary by Commission 

Administrative Law Judges

Anyone who is requested to testify or provide 

evidence at Commission hearings

III. Inform agency staff of Plain Writing Act’s requirements:

On June 24, 2011, the Senior Agency Official for Plain Writing informed all Commission 

personnel by e-mail of the Plain Writing Act and its requirements. The email included links to 

various plain writing resources, including material posted on the Commission’s intranet.

IV. Training

 Since the last Plain Writing Act Compliance Report was published on April 11, 2014, the 

Review Commission provided the following training:

Type of Training Employees trained Date

Webinars and online training

provided by 

plainlanguage.gov and hosted 

on the Commission’s intranet. 

Available to all Commission 

employees

Ongoing

Legal Writing for Paralegals: 

The Good, The Bad, and the 

Ugly (online training)

One employee Web-based on demand

The Value of Concise, 

Precise Organization in 

Writing: a Paralegal’s Guide

(online training)

One employee Web-based on demand 

Power Editing for Lawyers

(online training)

One employee Web-based on demand

Effective Writing for 

Lawyers Workshop

One employee April 29, 2014

Ethics Writing for Lawyers 

Workshop

One employee May 16, 2014
3

Type of Training Employees trained Date

EDIT7001D – Proofreading

(Graduate School USA)

One employee May 21-22, 2014

Drafting Final Agency 

Actions

One employee August 6-8, 2014

Writing to Win One employee October 12, 2014

V. Ongoing compliance/sustaining change

The Commission will stay in compliance with the Act by incorporating plain 

language considerations in all documents that the Commission issues to the public. 

VI. Agency’s plain writing website

a. Website address: http://www.oshrc.gov/open/plain_writing.html

b. Implementation of the Act: 

The Commission will be using plain writing in any updates to documents most 

often read by the general public, such as our Guide to Review Commission 

Procedures, Guide to Simplified Proceedings, Employee Guide to Review 

Commission Procedures, The Freedom of Information Act Reference Guide, 

Commission announcements and notices.

c. Link to Compliance reports: Compliance reports will be available on the 

Commission’s Plain Writing website:

(http://www.oshrc.gov/open/plain_writing.html).

d. More information on Plain Writing may be obtained at the Plain Language 

website (http://www.plainlanguage.gov). 

VII. Customer Satisfaction Evaluation after Experiencing Plain Writing 

Communications

The Commission set up an e-mail address (plain@oshrc.gov) through which the 

public may contact us to let us know if they have trouble understanding our 

documents or the pages on our website. The Commission will monitor that e-mail 

address and will take appropriate action on all correspondence received.