[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 76 (Tuesday, April 20, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21163-21164]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8913]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. ICR-1218-0173 (2004)]


Course Evaluation 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 comment.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits comments concerning its request for an extension 
of the information collection requirements contained in the Course 
Evaluation Form.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by the following dates:
    Hard Copy: You comments must be submitted (postmarked or received) 
by June 21, 2004.
    Facsimile and electronic: Your comments must be submitted 
(postmarked or received) by June 21, 2004.

ADDRESSES: I. Submission of Comments. Regular mail, express delivery, 
hand-delivery, and messenger service: Submit your comments and 
attachments to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. ICR-1218-0173 (2004), 
Room N-2625, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW., Washington, DC 20210. OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor 
hours of operation are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., EST.
    Facsimile: If your comments, including any attachments, are 10 
pages or fewer, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 
693-1648. You must include the docket number of this document, Docket 
No. ICR 1218-0173 (2004), in your comments.
    Electronic: You may submit comments, but not attachments, through 
the Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov/.
    II. Obtaining Copies of the Supporting Statement for the 
Information Collection Request. The Supporting Statement for the 
Information Collection Request is available for downloading from OSHA's 
Web site at http://www.osha.gov. The supporting statement is available 
for inspection and copying in the OSHA Docket Office, at the address 
listed above. A printed copy of the supporting statement can be 
obtained by contacting Todd Owen at (202) 693-2222.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gail Butler, Division of 
Administration and Training Information, OSHA Office of Training and 
Education, 2020 South Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, 
Illinois 60005; telephone (not toll free) (847) 297-4810; e-mail: 
[email protected] or facsimile: (847) 297-4874.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Submission of Comments in 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. Please note you cannot attach materials such as 
studies or journal articles to electronic comments. If you have 
additional materials, you must submit three copies of them to the OSHA 
Docket Office at the address above. The additional materials must 
clearly identify your electronic comments by name, date, subject and 
docket number so that we can attach them to your comments. Because of 
security-related problems there may be a significant delay in the 
receipt of comments by regular mail. Please contact the OSHA Docket 
Office at (202) 693-2350 for information about security procedures 
concerning the delivery of material by express delivery, hand delivery 
and messenger service.

II. 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 accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (PRA-95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(q)(A)). This program ensures that 
information is in the desired format, reporting burden (time and cost) 
is minimal, collection instruments are clearly understood, and OSHA's 
estimate of the information-collection burden is correct.
    Section 21 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the 
``OSH Act'') (see 29 U.S.C. 670) authorizes the Occupational Safety and 
Health Administration (``OSHA'' or the (``Agency'') to conduct training 
and employee education. Paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of section 21 
require, respectively, that the Agency: (a) ``[C]onduct, directly or by 
grants or contracts, (1) education programs to provide an adequate 
supply of qualified personnel to carry out the purposes of this Act, 
and (2) informational programs on the importance of and proper use of 
adequate safety and health equipment''; (b) ``[C]onduct, directly or by 
grants or contracts, short-term training of personnel engaged in work 
related to [their] responsibilities under the Act''; and (c) ``(1) 
provide for the establishment and supervision of programs for the 
education and training of employers and employees in the recognition, 
avoidance, and prevention of unsafe and unhealthful working conditions 
in employments covered by this Act, and (2) consult with and advise 
employers and employees, and organizations representing employers and 
employees as to effective means of preventing occupational injuries and 
illnesses.''
    As authorized by section 21 of the Act, the OSHA Training Institute 
(the ``Institute'') provides basic, intermediate, and advanced training 
and education in occupational safety and health for Federal and State 
compliance officers, Agency professionals and technical-support 
personnel, employers, employees, organizations representing employees 
and employers, educators who develop curricula and teach occupational 
safety and health courses, and representatives of professional safety 
and health groups. This program includes courses on occupational safety

[[Page 21164]]

and health provided by the Institute at its national training facility 
in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The Institute also administers a 
program whereby several institutions in various locations throughout 
the United States have been authorized as OSHA Training Institute 
Education Centers. These Education Centers conduct various OSHA courses 
that are geared for private sector and other Federal Agency personnel. 
The goal of the Education Center program is to expand the accessibility 
of high-quality OSHA training courses.
    All students completing training courses at the Institute and the 
Education Centers are requested to complete the Course Evaluation Form 
(OSHA Form 49, 08-98 edition) on the last day of class. Students may be 
Federal, State, private sector, local or tribal government employees. 
The Course Evaluation Form contains ten closed-ended questions. It 
requests participant feedback on ten elements of the program to assess 
communication and accomplishment of learning objectives, course 
content, training environment, relevance of topics in job, 
effectiveness of exercises, workshops, laboratories, field trips and 
audiovisuals, usefulness of course materials and handouts, and overall 
rating of the course. The feedback provides an overall impression of 
the student's training experience for the course. Students may provide 
more detailed feedback in the narrative sections of the form. The 
Course Evaluation Form provides a standardized tool for collecting 
quality data that OSHA uses to determine program successes and 
shortcomings. Data from this form has also assisted the Training 
Institute in directing resources where they can do the most good.
    All Course Evaluation Forms are reviewed by the course chairperson, 
instructors, the Institute Director and the supervisor responsible for 
that course. Ratings provide baseline data from which to draw 
conclusions about the effectiveness and quality of the training courses 
and to assess the level of student satisfaction with the course. 
Evaluation data is used to determine which courses may need 
improvement. Problem areas are noted and the supervisor discusses them 
with the course chairperson. Courses needing further improvement are 
scheduled for a more comprehensive follow-up course evaluation with 
recommendations for improvement. Revised courses are closely monitored 
to determine if problem areas have been resolved.

III. 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 cost) 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.

IV. Proposed Actions

    OSHA is proposing to extend OMB's previous approval of the 
recordkeeping (paperwork) requirement specified in the Course 
Evaluation Form. The Agency 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 this information-collection 
requirement.
    Type of Review: Extension of currently approved information-
collection requirements.
    Title: Course Evaluation.
    OMB Number: 1218-0173.
    Affected Public: Individuals; business or other for-profit 
organizations; Federal Government; State, local, or tribal governments.
    Number of Respondents: 20,900.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Total Responses: 20,900.
    Average Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 3,483.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $0.

V. Authority and Signature

    John L. Henshaw, 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) and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 5-2002 (67 FR 65008).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on April 14, 2004.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 04-8913 Filed 4-19-04; 8:45 am]
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