[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 67496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28304]


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OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) 
invites the public and other Federal agencies to comment on a proposed 
information collection concerning the OSHRC Settlement Part program. 
OSHRC will submit the proposed information collection request to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before January 3, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit all written comments, identified by the title 
``Paperwork Reduction Act Information Collection,'' by mail or hand 
delivery to John X. Cerveny, Deputy Executive Secretary, Occupational 
Safety and Health Review Commission, 1120 20th Street, NW., Washington, 
DC 20036-3457, by fax to (202) 606-5050, or by email to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for information or copies of 
the proposed information collection instrument should be directed to 
John X. Cerveny, Deputy Executive Secretary, Occupational Safety and 
Health Review Commission, 1120 20th Street NW., Ninth Floor, 
Washington, DC 20036-3457; Telephone (202) 606-5706; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OSHRC's Settlement Part program, codified at 
29 CFR 2200.120, is designed to encourage settlements on contested 
citations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety 
and Health Administration (OSHA) and to reduce litigation costs. The 
program requires employers who receive job safety or health citations 
that include proposed penalties of $100,000 or more in total to 
participate in formal settlement talks presided over by an OSHRC 
Administrative Law Judge. If settlement efforts fail, the case would 
continue under OSHRC's conventional proceedings, usually before a judge 
other than the one who presided over the settlement proceedings.
    To ensure the continued success of the program, OSHRC proposes to 
collect information from Settlement Part participants about their 
experiences with the program. The participants would be employers and 
Department of Labor personnel, Authorized Employee Representatives and 
their representatives, including attorneys, who have personally 
participated in cases from February 15, 2011 through February 14, 2012. 
The proposed information collection instrument is a written survey 
consisting of a series of multiple-choice questions that are intended 
to take a respondent no more than 30 minutes to complete. The 
respondents may skip any questions that they do not feel comfortable 
answering, and are permitted to comment further on their experiences at 
the end of the questionnaire.
    OSHRC will submit the proposed information collection to the Office 
of Management and Budget for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). OSHRC invites comments 
on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the agency's functions, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the 
information collection on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of 
information technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice 
will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval of this 
information collection; they also will become a matter of public 
record.
    OMB Control Number: Not applicable, new request.
    Form Number: Not applicable.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (new information collection).
    Title: Survey of Participants in OSHRC Settlement Part Program.
    Description: Information collection required to evaluate the Review 
Commission's Settlement Part process.
    Affected Public: Employer and Department of Labor (OSHA) personnel 
(settlement decision makers), Authorized Employee Representatives, and 
their representatives, including attorneys, who have personally 
participated in cases subject to Mandatory and Voluntary Settlement 
proceedings under 29 CFR 2200.120 from February 15, 2011 through 
February 14, 2012.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 300.
    Estimated Time per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Total Reporting Burden: 150 hours.

    Dated: October 26, 2011.
Debra Hall,
Acting Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-28304 Filed 10-31-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7600-01-P