[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 22, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56819-56820]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-21243]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its 
implementing regulations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 
hereby announces that it is seeking approval of the following 
information collection activities. Before submitting these information 
collection requirements for clearance by the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of 
the activities identified below.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than November 22, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on any or all of the following 
proposed activities by mail to either: Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of 
Safety, Planning and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1120 Vermont Ave., NW., Mail Stop 17, Washington, DC 
20590, or Ms. Debra Steward, Office of Information Technology and 
Productivity Improvement, RAD-20, Federal Railroad Administration, 1120 
Vermont Ave., NW., Mail Stop 35, Washington, DC 20590. Commenters 
requesting FRA to acknowledge receipt of their respective comments must 
include a self-addressed stamped postcard stating, ``Comments on OMB 
control number 2130-New. Alternatively, comments may be transmitted via 
facsimile to (202) 493-6230 or (202) 493-6170, or e-mail to Mr. Brogan 
at [email protected], or to Ms. Steward at 
[email protected]. Please refer to the assigned OMB control 
number or collection title in any correspondence submitted. FRA will 
summarize comments received in response to this notice in a subsequent 
notice and include them in its information collection submission to OMB 
for approval.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of Planning 
and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad Administration, 1120 
Vermont Ave., NW., Mail Stop 17, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 
493-6292) or Debra Steward, Office of Information Technology and 
Productivity Improvement, RAD-20, Federal Railroad Administration, 1120 
Vermont Ave., NW., Mail Stop 35, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 
493-6139). (These telephone numbers are not toll-free.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
Pub. L. 104-13, sec. 2, 109 Stat. 163 (1995) (codified as revised at 44 
U.S.C. 3501-3520), and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, 
require Federal agencies to provide 60-days notice to the public for 
comment on information collection activities before seeking approval by 
OMB. 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), 1320.10(e)(1), 
1320.12(a). Specifically, FRA invites interested respondents to comment 
on the following summary of proposed information collection activities 
regarding: (i) Whether the information collection activities are 
necessary for FRA to properly execute its functions, including whether 
the activities will have practical utility; (ii) the accuracy of FRA's 
estimates of the burden of the information collection activities, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used to 
determine the estimates; (iii) ways for FRA to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (iv) ways 
for FRA to minimize the burden of information collection activities on 
the public by automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology (e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of responses). See 44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)(i)-(iv); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1)(i)-(iv). FRA believes that 
soliciting public comment will promote its efforts to reduce the 
administrative and paperwork burdens associated with the collection of 
information mandated by Federal regulations. In summary, FRA reasons 
that comments received will advance three objectives: (i) Reduce 
reporting burdens; (ii) ensure that it organizes information collection 
requirements in a ``user friendly'' format to improve the use of such 
information; and (iii) accurately assess the resources expended to 
retrieve and produce information requested. See 44 U.S.C. 3501.
    Below is a brief summary of proposed new information collection 
activities that FRA will submit for clearance by OMB as required under 
the PRA:
    Title: Post-Traumatic Stress in Train Crew Members After a Critical 
Incident.
    OMB Control Number: 2130--New.
    Abstract: Nearly 1,000 fatalities occur every year in this country 
from trains striking motor vehicles at grade crossings and individual 
trespassers along the track. These events can be very traumatic to 
train crew members, who invariably are powerless to prevent such 
collisions. Exposure of train crews to such work-related traumas can 
cause extreme stress and result in safety-impairing behaviors, such as 
are seen in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Acute Stress Disorder. 
Most railroads have Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) 
intervention programs designed to mitigate problems caused by exposure 
to these traumas. However, they are quite varied in their approach, and 
it is not certain which components of these programs are most 
effective. The purpose of this collection of information is to identify 
``best practices'' for CISD programs in the railroad industry. By means 
of written and subsequent oral interviews with train crew members that 
will each take approximately 45 minutes, the proposed study aims to 
accomplish the following: (1) Benchmark rail industry best practices of 
CISD programs; (2) establish the extent of traumatic stress disorders

[[Page 56820]]

due to grade crossing and trespasser incidents in the rail industry 
(not by region or railroad) and identify at-risk populations; and (3) 
evaluate the effectiveness of individual components of CISD programs. 
It should be noted that only the components of CISD programs will be 
evaluated, not an individual railroad's overall intervention program.
    Affected Public: Train crew members.
    Respondent Universe: 2,000 train crew members.
    Frequency of Submission: One-time.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 3,000 hours.
    Status: Regular Review.
    Pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b), 
1320.8(b)(3)(vi), FRA informs all interested parties that it may not 
conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2004.
Kathy A. Weiner,
Director, Office of Information Technology and Support Systems, Federal 
Railroad Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-21243 Filed 9-21-04; 8:45 am]
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