[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 12, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35063-35065]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-14170]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket Number OSHA-2012-0020]


Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee

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

ACTION: Request for nominations to serve on the Whistleblower 
Protection Advisory Committee.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and 
Health requests nominations for membership on the Whistleblower 
Protection Advisory Committee (WPAC).

DATES: Nominations for WPAC must be submitted (postmarked, sent, 
transmitted, or received) by July 27, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit nominations for WPAC, identified by the OSHA 
Docket No., OSHA-2012-0020, by any of the following methods:
    Electronically: Nominations, including attachments, may be 
submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions online for making 
electronic submissions.
    Facsimile: If your nomination and supporting materials, including 
attachments, do not exceed 10 pages, you may fax them to the OSHA 
Docket Office at (202) 693-1648.
    Mail, hand delivery, express mail, messenger or courier service: 
Submit your nominations and supporting materials to the OSHA Docket 
Office, Docket No. OSHA-2012-0020, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-
2625, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210; telephone 
(202) 693-2350 (OSHA's TTY number is (877) 889-5627). Deliveries (hand, 
express mail, messenger and courier service) are accepted during the 
Department of Labor's and Docket Office's normal business hours, 8:15 
a.m.-4:45 p.m., e.t.
    Instructions: All nominations and supporting materials for WPAC 
must include the Agency name and docket number for this Federal 
Register notice (Docket No. OSHA-2012-0020). Because of security-
related procedures, submitting nominations by regular mail may result 
in a significant delay in their receipt. Please contact the OSHA Docket 
Office for information about security procedures for submitting 
nominations by hand delivery, express delivery, and messenger or 
courier service. For additional information on submitting nominations 
see the ``Public Participation--Submission of Nominations and Access to 
Docket'' heading in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below.
    Submissions in response to this Federal Register notice, including 
personal information provided, are posted without change at http://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions interested parties about 
submitting personal information such as social security numbers and 
dates of birth.
    Docket: To read or download submissions or other material in the 
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the OSHA Docket Office at 
the address above. All 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 that Web site. All submissions, including copyrighted material, 
are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandra Dillon, Director, Office of the 
Whistleblower Protection Program, Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-3610, 200 Constitution 
Avenue NW., Washington, DC., 20210; telephone (202) 693-2199, this is 
not a toll-free number; email address [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Occupational Safety and Health (Assistant Secretary) invites interested 
individuals to submit nominations for membership on the Whistleblower 
Protection Advisory Committee (WPAC).
    WPAC's duties are solely advisory and consultative. WPAC advises, 
consults with, and makes recommendations to the Secretary of Labor 
(Secretary) and the Assistant Secretary on matters relating to the 
improvement of the fairness, efficiency, effectiveness and transparency 
of OSHA's whistleblower protection activities. In particular, WPAC will 
make recommendations regarding the development and/or implementation 
of:

[[Page 35064]]

     Better customer service to both workers who raise 
complaints and employers who are the subject of investigations;
     Improvement in the investigative and enforcement process, 
and the training of OSHA investigators;
     Improvement of regulations governing OSHA investigations;
     Cooperative activities with federal agencies responsible 
for areas also covered by the whistleblower protection statutes 
enforced by OSHA; and
     Other matters concerning the fairness, efficiency and 
transparency of OSHA's whistleblower investigations as identified by 
the Secretary or the Assistant Secretary.

WPAC is a continuing advisory body and operates in compliance with the 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as well as the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. 2) and its implementing 
regulations (see ``Authority and Signature'' section).

WPAC is comprised of 12 voting members, all of whom the Secretary 
appoints. The composition of WPAC and categories of new members to be 
appointed are as follows:
     Four management representatives who are employers or are 
from employer associations in industries covered by one or more of the 
whistleblower laws;
     Four labor representatives who are workers or from worker 
advocacy organizations in industries covered by one or more of the 
whistleblower laws;
     One member represents the State Plan states; and
     Three public representatives from colleges, universities, 
non-partisan think tanks, and/or other entities, that have extensive 
knowledge and expertise on whistleblower statutes and issues.
    In addition, the committee will also have three Ad hoc/Ex-officio/
Non-voting members who are regular government employees from other 
Federal Government agencies. They will be selected by the Secretary 
from Departments that have jurisdiction over statutes with 
whistleblower provisions, for example, the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (Sarbanes-Oxley Act), or the Department of Transportation's 
Federal Aviation Administration (Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment 
and Reform Act for the 21st Century), or the Federal Railroad 
Administration (Federal Railroad Safety Act).
    The members serve two-year terms, unless a member becomes unable to 
serve, resigns, ceases to be qualified to serve, or is removed by the 
Secretary. If a vacancy occurs before a term expires, the Secretary may 
appoint a new member who represents the same interest as the 
predecessor to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. The 
committee meets at least two times a year.
    Any individual or organization may nominate one or more qualified 
persons for membership. Nominations must include the nominee's name, 
contact information, and current occupation or position. The nomination 
also must include a resume of the nominee's background, experience and 
qualifications. The nomination must identify the category that the 
candidate is qualified to represent, and include a statement that the 
nominee is aware of the nomination and is willing to serve on WPAC for 
a two-year term.
    WPAC members will be selected on the basis of their experience, 
knowledge, and competence in the field of whistleblower protection. The 
information received through this nomination process, in addition to 
other relevant sources of information, will assist the Secretary in 
appointing members to serve on WPAC. In selecting WPAC members, the 
Secretary will consider individuals nominated in response to this 
Federal Register notice, as well as other qualified individuals.
    Before candidates are appointed, the U.S. Department of Labor 
(Department) conducts a basic background check using publically 
available, Internet-based sources.
    The Department is committed to bringing greater diversity of 
thought, perspective and experience to its advisory committees. In 
addition, the Department encourages nominees of all races, genders, 
ages, disabilities and sexual orientations to apply.

Public Participation--Submission of Nominations and Access to Docket

    You may submit nominations (1) Electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, 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 docket number for this 
Federal Register notice, (OSHA Docket No. OSHA 2012-0020). You may 
supplement electronic nominations by uploading document files 
electronically. If, instead, you wish to mail additional materials in 
reference to an electronic or fax submission, you must submit the 
documents to the OSHA Docket Office (see ADDRESSES section above). The 
additional materials must clearly identify your electronic nomination 
by name, date, and docket number so OSHA can attach them to your 
nomination. Because of security-related procedures, the use of regular 
mail may cause a significant delay in the receipt of nominations. For 
information about security procedures concerning the delivery of 
materials by hand, express delivery, messenger or courier service, 
please contact the OSHA Docket Office (see ADDRESSES section above).
    Submissions are posted without change at http://www.regulations.gov. OSHA therefore cautions individuals about 
submitting personal information such as social security numbers and 
dates 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 through http://www.regulations.gov. All submissions, including copyrighted material, 
are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office.
    Information on using the http://www.regulations.gov Web site to 
submit comments and access the docket is available at the Web site. 
Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information about materials not 
available through the Web site and for assistance in using the Internet 
to locate docket submissions.
    Electronic copies of this Federal Register document are available 
at: http://www.regulations.gov. This document, as well as news releases 
and other relevant information, also are available at OSHA's Web site 
at http://www.osha.gov.

Authority and Signature

    David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Occupational Safety and Health, directed the preparation of this notice 
under the authority granted by the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA), as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2), its implementing regulations (41 
CFR Part 102-3), chapter 1600 of Department of Labor Management Series 
3 (Mar. 17, 2008), Secretary of Labor's Order 1-2012 (Jan. 18, 2012), 
77 FR 3912 (Jan. 25, 2012), and the Secretary of Labor's authority to 
administer the whistleblower provisions found in Section 11(c) of the 
Occupational Safety and Health Act, 29 U.S.C. 660(c); the Surface 
Transportation Assistance Act, 49 U.S.C. 31105; the Asbestos Hazard 
Emergency Response Act, 15 U.S.C. 2651; the International Safe 
Container Act, 46 U.S.C. 80507; the Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 
300j-9(i); the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 1367; the 
Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2622; the Solid Waste Disposal 
Act, 42 U.S.C. 6971; the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7622; the

[[Page 35065]]

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, 
42 U.S.C. 9610; the Energy Reorganization Act, 42 U.S.C. 5851; the 
Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st 
Century, 49 U.S.C. 42121; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, 18 U.S.C. 1514A; the 
Pipeline Safety Improvement Act, 49 U.S.C. 60129; the Federal Railroad 
Safety Act, 49 U.S.C. 20109; the National Transit Systems Security Act, 
6 U.S.C. 1142; the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, 15 U.S.C. 
2087; Section 1558 of the Affordable Care Act, P.L. 111-148; the 
Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, 12 U.S.C.A. 5567, the 
Seaman's Protection Act, 46 U.S.C. 2114, and Section 402 of the FDA 
Food Safety Modernization Act, Public Law 111-353.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on June 6, 2012.
David Michaels,
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2012-14170 Filed 6-11-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P