[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 49 (Thursday, March 13, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14302-14304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05531]


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NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD


Plan for Generic Information Collection Activity: Submission for 
OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The NTSB is announcing it is submitting a plan for an 
Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for approval, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act. This ICR Plan describes various evaluation forms the NTSB plans to 
use to obtain feedback from attendees of various NTSB training 
programs. Feedback from attendees is important to the NTSB in ensuring 
the NTSB's training courses and programs are helpful to attendees in 
their places of employment and useful to attendees who participate in 
NTSB investigations and other related agency matters. This Notice 
informs the public that it may submit to the NTSB comments concerning 
the agency's proposed plan for information collection.

DATES: Submit written comments regarding this proposed plan for the 
collection of information by May 12, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Respondents may submit written comments on the collection of 
information to the National Transportation Safety Board Training 
Center, 45065 Riverside Parkway, Ashburn, Virginia 20147.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Pritchert, NTSB Training 
Officer, at (571) 223-3927.

[[Page 14303]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with OMB regulations that 
require this Notice for proposed ICRs, as well as OMB guidance 
concerning generic approval of plans for information collections, the 
NTSB herein notifies the public that it may submit comments on this 
proposed ICR Plan to the NTSB. 5 CFR 1320.10(a). Section 1320.10(a) 
requires this ``notice directing requests for information, including 
copies of the proposed collection of information and supporting 
documentation, to the [NTSB].'' Pursuant to Sec.  1320.10(a), the NTSB 
will provide a copy of this notice to OMB.

A. NTSB Training Center Evaluation Forms Are Appropriate for Generic 
Approval

    On May 28, 2010, the Administrator, Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), OMB, issued a memorandum to the Heads of 
Executive Departments and Agencies, and Independent Regulatory 
Agencies, providing instructions concerning how agencies can obtain 
generic OMB clearances for information collections in certain 
circumstances. Paperwork Reduction Act--Generic Clearances, available 
at  http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/inforeg/PRA_Gen_ICRs_5-28-2010.pdf. The memorandum states as follows 
concerning the appropriateness of obtaining such clearances:

    A generic ICR is a request for OMB approval of a plan for 
conducting more than one information collection using very similar 
methods when (1) the need for and the overall practical utility of 
the data collection can be evaluated in advance, as part of the 
review of the proposed plan, but (2) the agency cannot determine the 
details of the specific individual collections until a later time.

    The NTSB's desire to obtain information immediately following a 
training course will assist the NTSB Training Center in developing 
courses to achieve the NTSB's objective of improving investigators' and 
transportation industry peers' accident investigation theory, 
practices, and techniques. The mission of the NTSB Training Center, in 
accordance with 49 U.S.C. 1113(b)(1)(I), is to promote safe transport 
by:
     Ensuring and improving the quality of accident 
investigation through critical thought, instruction, and research;
     Communicating lessons learned, fostering the exchange of 
new ideas and new experience, and advocating operational excellence;
     Providing a modern platform for accident reconstruction 
and evaluation; and
     Utilizing its high-quality training resources to 
facilitate family assistance and first responder programs, sister 
agency instruction, and other compatible federal activity.
    In administering training courses designed to achieve these 
objectives, the NTSB seeks to maintain a standard of excellence. The 
NTSB's goal of providing materials, instructors, methods of 
instruction, and facility arrangements that are a worthy expenditure of 
Federal funds will require the NTSB to obtain feedback on the training 
courses from attendees.
    This type of information collection is appropriate for generic 
approval under the OIRA Administrator's guidance. The NTSB periodically 
changes the identification numbers and subject matter addressed in NTSB 
training courses. Such variance renders generic approval appropriate. 
By distributing evaluation forms, the NTSB will gather feedback 
concerning whether attendees found the instructor knowledgeable and 
helpful; whether the course materials were appropriate; the location 
and course facilities; the ``case studies'' discussed in the course; 
and other similar topics. Each course evaluation form will include some 
course-specific questions. Responses to such evaluations will assist 
the NTSB in ensuring its courses work to fulfill the goals listed 
above.
    In 2014, the NTSB will offer the following training courses, about 
which the NTSB seeks approval for evaluation forms: Accident 
Investigation Orientation (RPH301); Aircraft Accident Investigation 
(AS101); Aircraft Accident Investigation for Aviation Professionals (AS 
301); Cognitive Interviewing Series (IM401S); Family Assistance 
(TDA301); Investigating Human Fatigue Factors (IM303); Managing 
Communications During an Aircraft Accident or Incident (PA302); 
Managing Communications Following a Major Transportation Accident 
(PA303); Managing Transportation Mass Fatalities (TDA406); Marine 
Accident Investigation (MS101); Mass Fatalities for Medicolegal 
Professionals (TDA403); and Rotorcraft Accident Investigation (AS102). 
The NTSB may offer additional courses in upcoming years, such as 
Survival Factors in Aviation Accidents (AS302). In response to previous 
feedback, requests for training in specific areas, and other 
considerations, the NTSB will likely add or remove classes from this 
list in the coming years.
    Consistent with the OIRA Administrator's guidance concerning 
generic approvals, the NTSB will not be able to finalize draft 
evaluations specific to each course until the NTSB offers the course. 
These types of questions are unique to the specific course, and 
impossible to know prior to the offering of the course. Overall, the 
types of information the NTSB will solicit in its Training Center 
course evaluations is appropriate for a generic approval for the 
information collection.

B. Supporting Statement

    The OIRA Administrator's memorandum instructs agencies to provide 
specific information in the supporting statements describing the 
information collections. In particular, the supporting statements 
should include the following:

     The method of collection and, if statistical methods 
will be used, a discussion of the statistical methodology;
     the category (or categories) of respondents;
     the estimated ``burden cap,'' i.e., the maximum number 
of burden hours (per year) for the specific information collections, 
and against which burden will be charged for each collection 
actually used;
     the agency's plans for how it will use the information 
collected;
     the agency's plans to obtain public input regarding the 
specific information collections (i.e., consultation); and
     the agency's internal procedures to ensure that the 
specific collections comply with the PRA, applicable regulations, 
and the terms of the generic clearance.

Id. at 2.

1. Method of Collection

    The NTSB will collect the information by transmitting the 
evaluation form to attendees of each Training Center course. Depending 
on the circumstances, such transmission may occur via hand delivery, 
electronic mail, postal mail, or express mail, or a combination of 
these methods. Respondents will be provided instructions concerning how 
to return questionnaires to the Training Center.
    The NTSB will not use statistical methodology in reaching any 
conclusions based on the evaluations. Instead, the NTSB merely will 
note the total number of respondents in any documents in which it 
discusses the evaluations.
    Respondents' completion of the evaluations is voluntary, and the 
NTSB generally will not contact them more than once to request 
completion of the evaluation.

[[Page 14304]]

2. Category of Respondents

    In its evaluation forms, the NTSB will generally seek information 
only from attendees of each course. The NTSB will have the contact 
information for each attendee, because such information is required 
when registering for Training Center courses.

3. Maximum Burden Hours

    The NTSB plans to distribute the evaluations to attendees of each 
Training Center course. The NTSB offers 12 courses per year including 
multiple iterations. Among all courses, the NTSB estimates a total of 
600 non-Government attendees complete courses in any given year. As a 
result, the NTSB estimates it will distribute approximately 600 
Training Center evaluation forms each year. Each evaluation form will 
take approximately 11 minutes to complete.
    The NTSB seeks to emphasize these estimations are approximate, as 
they are depend on the number of courses the NTSB offers in the 
Training Center. Some courses may be cancelled due to low registration. 
In addition, only Government employees may choose to attend other 
courses. As a result, the NTSB can only provide an approximate estimate 
of the number of attendees per year.

4. Use of the Information Collected

    Feedback from attendees of NTSB Training Center courses is 
extremely important to the NTSB. The NTSB plans its course offerings 
based on the level of interest from potential attendees and on the 
degree to which attendees have found useful the information they 
learned during such courses. As a result, evaluations of NTSB Training 
Center courses will influence future course offerings. The NTSB will 
rely upon the provision of completed course evaluations to assist with 
the planning of course offerings.

5. Public Input Regarding the Information Collected

    The NTSB does not generally obtain public input concerning the 
scope of, or specific questions on, NTSB Training Center evaluation 
forms.

6. Internal Procedures

    Lastly, the OIRA Administrator's memorandum describing generic 
clearances recommends agencies describe the procedures it will 
undertake to ensure information collections to which the generic 
clearance applies will comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act, 
applicable regulations, and the terms provided in the generic 
clearance. The NTSB Office of General Counsel plans to provide internal 
guidance to agency personnel who offer courses and distribute course 
evaluations at the NTSB Training Center. Such guidance will include 
this publication, as well as the OIRA Administrator's memorandum 
discussing generic clearances, upon OMB approval of the clearance. The 
internal guidance will include specific instructions concerning use of 
evaluation forms, and explain the applicable provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act and its implementing regulations.

C. Description of Burden

    The NTSB has carefully reviewed previous questionnaires it has used 
to obtain information from attendees of courses the NTSB Training 
Center offers. The NTSB assures the public that these questionnaires 
have used plain, coherent, and unambiguous terminology in its requests 
for feedback. In addition, the questionnaires are not duplicative of 
other agencies' collections of information, because the NTSB maintains 
unique authority to offer such courses concerning investigations of 
transportation events. 49 U.S.C. 1113(b)(1)(I).
    In general, the NTSB believes the evaluation forms will impose a 
minimal burden on respondents: As indicated above, the NTSB estimates 
that each respondent will spend approximately 11 minutes in completing 
the evaluation. The NTSB estimates that a maximum of 240 respondents 
per year would complete an evaluation. Although the NTSB may distribute 
evaluations to perhaps as many as 600 people, historic response rates 
indicate only 40 percent of the evaluations will be returned completed. 
However, the NTSB again notes this number will vary, given the changes 
and demand for course offerings at the NTSB Training Center.

D. Request for Comments

    In accordance with 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), the NTSB seeks feedback 
from the public concerning this proposed plan for information 
collection. In particular, the NTSB asks the public to evaluate whether 
the proposed collection of information is necessary; to assess the 
accuracy of the NTSB's burden estimate; to comment on how to enhance 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and to comment on how the NTSB might minimize the burden of the 
collection of information.
    The NTSB will carefully consider all feedback it receives in 
response to this notice. As described above, obtaining the information 
the NTSB seeks on these evaluations in a timely manner is important to 
course offerings at the NTSB Training Center; therefore, obtaining 
approval from OIRA for these collections of information on a generic 
basis is a priority for the NTSB.

Deborah A.P. Hersman,
Chairman.
[FR Doc. 2014-05531 Filed 3-12-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7533-01-P