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Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission

Plain Writing Act Compliance Report

April 13, 20201

I. Senior Agency Official for Plain Writing:

Amanda Wood Laihow, Chief Counsel to Chairman James J. Sullivan, Jr.2 

Plain Writing Contact:

John X. Cerveny, Executive Secretary

 Contact Information:

plain@oshrc.gov

II. Explain what specific types of agency communications you have 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

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

Guide to Simplified Proceedings

Available on OSHRC Website

Employers who may or may not be represented by 

legal counsel

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

Commission Briefing Notices

Available on OSHRC Website

Anyone who is interested in the issues in cases at the 

Review Commission level

1 Report updated on April 13, 2021.

2 Amanda Wood Laihow assumed the role of Commissioner on January 21, 2020 
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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 Subpoenas

Issued as necessary by Commission

Administrative Law Judges

Anyone who is requested to testify or provide

evidence at Commission hearings

E-Filer User Guide

Available on OSHRC Website

Parties intending to file OSHRC case documents 

electronically

The documents are clearer and 

more self-explanatory

E-filer User Guide OSHA Area 

Offices

Available on OSHRC Website

OSHA Area Offices intending to file OSHRC case 

documents electronically

@OSHRC_Chairman Twitter 

account

Available at:

https://twitter.com/OSHRC_Chairman

Anyone who is interested in Commission news and 

events

E-Alert Service

Available by subscription through the 

OSHRC Website

Anyone who is interested in Commission news and 

events

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 network.

IV. Training

 Since the last Plain Writing Act Compliance Report was published on April 13, 2019, 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 

network. 

Available to all Commission 

employees

Ongoing

Legal Writing for Paralegals: 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

One employee August 29, 2019

Legal Ethics of Email and 

Social Media

One employee September 11, 2019

Effective Writing Workshop One employee September 24 and 25, 2019

Advanced Legal Writing and 

Editing

One employee September 26, 2019
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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: https://www.oshrc.gov/plain-writing/

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, 

and Commission announcements and notices.

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

Commission’s Plain Writing website: (https://www.oshrc.gov/plain-writing/).

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.