[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61330-61332]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27852]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be 
provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial 
resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, 
and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be 
properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting 
comments concerning the proposed revision of the ``Occupational 
Requirements Survey.'' A copy of the proposed information collection 
request can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in 
the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
Addresses section of this notice on or before February 26, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also 
may be transmitted by fax to 202-691-5111 (this is not a toll free 
number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
at

[[Page 61331]]

202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (See Addresses section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) is a nationwide survey 
that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is conducting at the request 
of the Social Security Administration (SSA). Three years of data 
collection and capture for the ORS will start in 2018 and end in mid-
2021.
    Estimates produced from the data collected by the ORS will be used 
by the SSA to update occupational requirements data for administering 
the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) programs.
    The ORS occupational information will allow SSA adjudicators to 
clearly associate the assessment of a claimant's physical and mental 
functional capacity and vocational profile with work requirements. BLS 
will compute percentages of workers with various characteristics, such 
as skill and strength level. SSA will use this information to provide 
statistical support for the medical-vocational rules used at step 5 of 
sequential evaluation regarding the number of unskilled jobs that exist 
at each level of exertion in the national economy.
    The Social Security Administration, Members of Congress, and 
representatives of the disability community have all identified 
collection of updated information on the requirements of work in 
today's economy as crucial to the equitable and efficient operation of 
the Social Security Disability (SSDI) program.
    The ORS collects data from a sample of employers. These 
requirements of work data consist of information about the duties, 
responsibilities, and critical job tasks for a sample of occupations 
for each sampled employer.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the 
Occupational Requirements Survey.
    The ORS collects data on the requirements of work, as defined by 
the SSA's disability program:
    (1) An indicator of ``time to proficiency,'' defined as the amount 
of time required by a typical worker to learn the techniques, acquire 
the information, and develop the facility needed for average job 
performance, comparable to the Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) 
used in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT).
    (2) Physical Demand characteristics/factors of occupations, 
measured in such a way to support SSA disability determination needs, 
comparable to measures in Appendix C of the Selected Characteristics of 
Occupations (SCO).
    (3) Environmental Conditions, measured in such a way to support SSA 
disability determination needs, comparable to measures in Appendix D of 
the SCO.
    (4) Data elements that describe the mental and cognitive demands of 
work.
    (5) Occupational task lists of occupations, defined as the critical 
job function and key job tasks, to validate the reported requirements 
of work, comparable to data identified in the Employment and Training 
Administration's (ETA's) O*NET Program.
    The ORS data will be collected using a revised sample design. This 
two-stage stratified design includes new sample cell definitions and 
allocations to accommodate the goal to produce estimates for as many 
occupations as possible. Occupations for private industry 
establishments will be selected before the sample is fielded. 
Occupational selection for government units will generally occur after 
establishment contact. The probability of an occupation being selected 
after the sample is fielded will be proportionate to its employment 
within the establishment.
    BLS will disseminate the data from the ORS on the BLS public 
website (www.bls.gov/ors). The new design will use a five-year rotation 
with complete estimates published after the full sample has been 
collected. Interim results will be produced and disseminated on an 
annual basis.
    ORS collection will use several forms (having unique private 
industry and government collection versions). For those sampled 
establishments that are in the current National Compensation Survey 
(NCS), ORS will use NCS data and forms for those data elements that 
overlap.
    ORS data are defined to balance SSA's adjudication needs with the 
ability of the respondent to provide data. With this clearance, BLS is: 
Replacing questions related to the mental and cognitive demands; adding 
a screening question for the presence of stooping, kneeling, crouching 
or crawling; modifying the categories collected for hearing; and 
eliminating ``Push/Pull--Feet Only'' collection.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility.
     Evaluate 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.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.
    Title of Collection: Occupational Requirements Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220-0189.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit; not-for-profit 
institutions; and State, local, and tribal government.
    Total Average Burden: All figures in the table below are based on a 
three-year average.

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                                                                                          Average
                                                                       Respondents     responses per      Total # of    Average minutes    Total hours
                                                                                            year          responses
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Three-year average.................................................          11,200          1.04464           11,700         107.4205           20,947
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                            Collection Forms
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Occupational Requirements        List form numbers    Name form
 Survey (Private Industry        ORS Form 15-1P        Establishment.
 sample).                        ORS Form 4 PPD-4P    Collection Forms
                                 ORS Form 4 PPD-4PA    for Private
                                                       Industry.
Occupational Requirements        List form numbers    Name form
 Survey (State and local         ORS Form 15-1G        Establishment.
 government sample).             ORS Form 4 PPD-4G    Collection Forms
                                 ORS Form 4 PPD-4GA    for Governments.
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    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 20th day of December 2017.
Kimberley Hill,
Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2017-27852 Filed 12-26-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-24-P