[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 96 (Friday, May 17, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29202-29203]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-11792]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA 2013-0002-N-11]


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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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 proposed 
information collection activities. Before submitting this proposed 
information collection request (ICR) 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 July 16, 2013.

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, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 25, Washington, DC 
20590, or Ms. Kimberly Toone, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, 
Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., 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'' 
and should also include the title of the collection of information. 
Alternatively, comments may be transmitted via facsimile to (202) 493-
6216 or (202) 493-6497, or via email to Mr. Brogan at 
[email protected], or to Ms. Toone at [email protected]. Please 
refer to the assigned OMB control number 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, 1200 
New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 25, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: 
(202) 493-6292) or Ms. Kimberly Toone, Office of Information 
Technology, RAD-20, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey 
Ave. SE., Mail Stop 35, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-
6132). (These telephone numbers are not toll-free.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
Public Law 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 for reinstatement or renewal by OMB. 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 
5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1),

[[Page 29203]]

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 the proposed Information Collection 
Request (ICR) that FRA will submit for clearance by OMB as required 
under the PRA:
    Title: Electronic Device Distraction: Test of Peer to Peer 
Intervention Combined With Social Marketing.
    OMB Control Number: 2130-New.
    Abstract: Operating railroad equipment while being distracted by 
the use of electronic devices (e.g., phones, game consoles, personal 
computers, etc.) is known to be a factor in some accidents and 
suspected of being the cause of many others in the railroad industry. 
It is also known that such use is dangerous, as evidenced by several 
high profile accidents in the railroad industry, and by research on 
distraction in other transportation modes. Consequently, the Department 
of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 
have a keen interest in devising counter measures to reduce the 
incidence of electronic device distraction (EDD) in the railroad 
industry. One promising approach is to combine peer-to-peer 
conversations with an effort to change the culture with respect to the 
acceptability of EDD. FRA is initiating a small scale test of this 
approach at the Harrisburg Yard of the Norfolk Southern Railroad. As 
part of its efforts, an evaluation is taking place to determine if the 
approach works and what will be needed to scale it up to other sites in 
the railroad industry. As part of the test, it will be necessary to 
conduct face-to-face interviews with three respondent groups. They are: 
(1) Members of participating crafts and supervisors at the pilot site; 
(2) Norfolk Southern personnel involved in implementing and managing 
the pilot; (3) Project team members in the organizations contracted to 
assist with the pilot. The majority of interviews will be face-to-face.
    Form Number(s): FRA F 6180.160.
    Affected Public: Railroad Employees.
    Respondent Universe: 480 Railroad Employees.
    Frequency of Submission: On occasion.

                                                Reporting Burden
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                                                                                   Average time
         Respondent group            Respondent  universe       Total annual       per response    Total annual
                                                                 responses           (minutes)     burden hours
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Pilot Site Personnel..............  450 Railroad           50 forms/                          30              25
                                     Employees.             questionnaires.
Norfolk Southern Personnel          15 Railroad Employees  15 forms/                          30               8
 involved in implementing and                               questionnaires.
 managing the pilot.
Project Team Members..............  15 AARs/Fulcrum/       15 forms/                          30               8
                                     Aubrey Daniels         questionnaires.
                                     Personnel.
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    Total Responses: 80.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 41 hours.
    Type of Request: Approval of a New Information Collection.
    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 May 8, 2013.
Rebecca Pennington,
Chief Financial Officer, Federal Railroad Administration.
[FR Doc. 2013-11792 Filed 5-16-13; 8:45 am]
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