[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 226 (Friday, November 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71173-71174]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23291]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0244 (2006)]


OSHA Strategic Partnership Program for Worker Safety and Health 
(OSPP)

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with 5 CFR 1320.8(d), the Occupational Safety 
and Health Administration (OSHA) requests comments concerning its 
proposed extension of the collection of information requirements 
specified in the OSHA Strategic Partnership Program for Worker Safety 
and Health (OSPP).

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard copy: Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by January 24, 2006.
    Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be 
received by January 24, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OSHA Docket No. ICR-
1218-0244(2006), by any of the following methods:
    Regular mail, express delivery, hand delivery, and messenger 
service: Submit your comments and attachments to the OSHA Docket 
Office, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone (202) 693-2350 (OSHA's TTY number 
is (877) 889-5627). OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor hours 
are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., e.t.
    Facsimile: If your comments are 10 pages or fewer in length, 
including attachments, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at 
(202) 693-1648.
    Electronic: You may submit comments through the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov. Follow instructions on the OSHA Web page for 
submitting comments.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read or download comments or 
background materials, such as the complete Information Collection 
Request (ICR) (containing the Supporting Statement, OMB-83-I Form, and 
attachments), go to OSHA's Web page at http://www.OSHA.gov. In 
addition, the ICR, comments and submissions are available for 
inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the address above. 
You may also contact Cathy Oliver at the address below to obtain a copy 
of the ICR. For additional information on submitting comments, please 
see the ``Public Participation'' heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cathy Oliver, Directorate of 
Cooperative and State Programs, Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3700, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210, (202) 693-2208.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce 
paperwork and respondent (i.e., employer) burdens, conducts a 
preclearance consultation program to provide the public with an 
opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing information 
collection requirements in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (PRA-95) (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 correct. The 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of the 1970 (the Act) authorizes 
information collection by employers as necessary or appropriate for 
enforcement of the Act or for developing information regarding the 
causes and prevention of occupational injuries, illnesses, and 
accidents (29 U.S.C. 657 et seq.).
    The OSPP allows OSHA to enter into an extended, voluntary, 
cooperative relationship with groups of employers, employees, and 
representatives (sometimes including other stakeholders, and sometimes 
involving only one employer) to encourage, assist and recognize their 
efforts to eliminate serious hazards and achieve a high level of worker 
safety and health that goes beyond what historically has been achieved 
through traditional enforcement methods. Each OSHA Strategic 
Partnership (OSP) determines which information will be needed, 
determining the best collection method, and clarifying how the 
information will be used. At a minimum, each OSP must identify baseline 
illness and injury data corresponding to all summary line items on the 
OSHA 200/300 logs, and must track changes at either the worksite level 
or participant-aggregate level. An OSP may also include other measures 
of success, such as training activity, self inspections, and/or 
workers' compensation data.
    In this regard, the information collection requirements for the 
OSPP is used by the Agency to gauge the effectiveness of its programs, 
identify needed improvements, and ensure that its resources are being 
used to good and effective purposes.

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 function, 
including whether the information is useful;
    <bullet> The accuracy of OSHA's estimate of the burden (time and 
costs) for the information collection requirements, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
    <bullet> The quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
collected;
    <bullet> Ways to minimize the burden on those who are to respond, 
including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

III. Proposed Actions

    OSHA is requesting that OMB extend the approval of the collection 
of information (paperwork) requirements outlined by the Strategic 
Partnership Program. In addition, the Agency proposes to use a blanket 
approval, eliminating the need for the Agency to submit the collection 
of information requirements for each individual partnership to OMB for 
approval. The Agency also proposes to increase the existing burden 
hours estimates as a result of the increasing the number of 
partnerships. OSHA will summarize the comments submitted in response to 
this notice, and will include this summary in its request to OMB to 
extend the approval of the collection of information requirements.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information 
collection requirements.
    Title: OSHA Strategic Partnership Program for Worker Safety and 
Health (OSPP).
    OMB Number: 1218-0244.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profits; not-for-profit 
institutions; Federal government; State, local or tribal governments.

[[Page 71174]]

    Frequency: Annually.
    Number of Respondents: 5,113.
    Estimated Time Per Respondent: 11 hours.
    Total Burden Hours: 57,923.

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 by (1) hard 
copy, (2) FAX transmission (facsimile), or (3) electronically through 
the OSHA Web page. Because of security-related problems, there may be 
significant delay in the receipt of comments by regular mail. Please 
contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY (877) 889-5627) 
for information about security procedures concerning the delivery of 
submissions by express delivery, hand delivery, and courier service.
    All comments, submissions and background documents are available 
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the above 
address. Comments and submissions posted on OSHA's Web page are 
available at http://www.OSHA.gov. Contact the OSHA Docket Office for 
information about materials not available through the OSHA Web page and 
for assistance using the Web page to locate docket submissions.
    Electronic copies of this Federal Register notice as well as other 
relevant documents are available on OSHA's Web page. Since all 
submissions become public, private information such as social security 
numbers should not be submitted.

V. Authority and Signature

    Jonathan L. Snare, Acting 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. 5-
2002 (67 FR 65008).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on November 17, 2005.
Jonathan L. Snare,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 05-23291 Filed 11-23-05; 8:45 am]
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