[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 110 (Thursday, June 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37581-37582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12208]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. OSHA-2009-0042]
Occupational Safety and Health Administration Conflict of
Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form; Extension of the 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 request to extend
the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of information
collection. Regarding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Conflict of Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form.
DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by
August 7, 2023.
ADDRESSES:
Electronically: You may submit comments, including attachments,
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal eRulemaking
Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting comments.
Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Documents in the docket are
listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index; however, some
information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to
read or download through the website. All submissions, including
copyrighted material, are available for inspection through the OSHA
Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY
(877) 889-5627) for assistance in locating docket submissions.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and the
OSHA Docket Number for this Federal Register notice (OSHA-2009-0042).
OSHA will place comments, including personal information, in the public
docket, which may be available online. Therefore, OSHA cautions
interested parties about submitting personal information such as Social
Security numbers and birthdates.
For further information on submitting comments, see the ``Public
Participation'' heading in the section of this notice titled
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Seleda Perryman or Theda Kenney,
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 the 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 accordance 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, the collection instruments are clearly understood, and
OSHA's estimate of the information collection burden is accurate. The
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (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 (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 effort in
obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657).
OSHA conducts peer reviews of a draft product for quality by
specialists in the field who were not involved in producing the draft.
The selection of participants in a peer review is based on expertise,
considering their independence and any actual or potential conflicts of
interest. The Office of Management and Budget published the Final
Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review on December 15, 2004. The
Bulletin states ``. . . the agency must address reviewers' potential
conflicts of interest (including those stemming from ties to regulated
businesses and other stakeholders) and independence from the agency.''
The Bulletin requires agencies to adopt or adapt the committee
selection policies employed by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
when selecting peer reviewers who are not government employees. To
fulfill this requirement, OSHA has developed a Conflict of Interest
(COI) and Disclosure Form, based on NAS' Conflict of Interest
Disclosure form. This form will be used to determine whether a conflict
exists for a potential peer review panel member.
II. Special Issues for Comment
OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:
Whether the proposed information collection requirements
are necessary for the proper performance of the agency's functions,
including whether the information is useful;
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;
The quality, utility, and clarity of the information
collected; and
Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply--
for example, by using automated or other technological information
collection and transmission techniques.
III. Proposed Actions
There are no changes in burden hours from the previous Information
Collection Request for obtaining the necessary background information
and disclosure of conflict-of-interest information to ensure that
invited experts are not compromised.
OSHA will summarize the comments submitted in response to this
notice and will include this summary in the request to OMB to extend
the approval of the information collection requirements.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Title: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Conflict of
Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form.
OMB Control Number: 1218-0255.
Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
Number of Respondents: 36.
Frequency: On occasion.
Average Time per Response: OSHA estimates it will take thirty
minutes (30/60 hour) to complete the short version of the COI form, and
one (1) hour to complete the long version of the COI form.
Estimated Total Number of Responses: 36.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 27.
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 this ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2009-0042).
You may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files
electronically.
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
James S. Frederick, 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 May 25, 2023.
James S. Frederick,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2023-12208 Filed 6-7-23; 8:45 am]
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