[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 110 (Thursday, June 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37581-37582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12208]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2009-0042]


Occupational Safety and Health Administration Conflict of 
Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form; Extension of the Office of 
Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection 
(Paperwork) Requirements

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

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public comments concerning its request to extend 
the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of information 
collection. Regarding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
Conflict of Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
August 7, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Electronically: You may submit comments, including attachments, 
electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal. Follow the instructions online for submitting comments.
    Docket: To read or download comments or other material in the 
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov. 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 the website. All submissions, including 
copyrighted material, are available for inspection through the OSHA 
Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 (TTY 
(877) 889-5627) for assistance in locating docket submissions.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and the 
OSHA Docket Number for this Federal Register notice (OSHA-2009-0042). 
OSHA will place comments, including personal information, in the public 
docket, which may be available online. Therefore, OSHA cautions 
interested parties about submitting personal information such as Social 
Security numbers and birthdates.
    For further information on submitting comments, see the ``Public 
Participation'' heading in the section of this notice titled 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Seleda Perryman or Theda Kenney, 
Directorate of Standards and Guidance, OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor, 
telephone (202) 693-2222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Department of Labor, as part of the continuing effort to reduce 
paperwork and respondent (i.e., employer) burden, conducts a 
preclearance consultation program to provide the public with an 
opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing information 
collection requirements in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program ensures that 
information is in the desired format, reporting burden (time and costs) 
is minimal, the collection instruments are clearly understood, and 
OSHA's estimate of the information collection burden is accurate. The 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) (29 U.S.C. 651 et 
seq.) authorizes information collection by employers as necessary or 
appropriate for enforcement of the OSH Act or for developing 
information regarding the causes and prevention of occupational 
injuries, illnesses, and accidents (29 U.S.C. 657). The OSH Act also 
requires that OSHA obtain such information with minimum burden upon 
employers, especially those operating small businesses, and to reduce 
to the maximum extent feasible unnecessary duplication of effort in 
obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657).
    OSHA conducts peer reviews of a draft product for quality by 
specialists in the field who were not involved in producing the draft. 
The selection of participants in a peer review is based on expertise, 
considering their independence and any actual or potential conflicts of 
interest. The Office of Management and Budget published the Final 
Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review on December 15, 2004. The 
Bulletin states ``. . . the agency must address reviewers' potential 
conflicts of interest (including those stemming from ties to regulated 
businesses and other stakeholders) and independence from the agency.'' 
The Bulletin requires agencies to adopt or adapt the committee 
selection policies employed by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) 
when selecting peer reviewers who are not government employees. To 
fulfill this requirement, OSHA has developed a Conflict of Interest 
(COI) and Disclosure Form, based on NAS' Conflict of Interest 
Disclosure form. This form will be used to determine whether a conflict 
exists for a potential peer review panel member.

II. Special Issues for Comment

    OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:
     Whether the proposed information collection requirements 
are necessary for the proper performance of the agency's functions, 
including whether the information is useful;
     The accuracy of OSHA's estimate of the burden (time and 
costs) of the information collection requirements, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     The quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
collected; and
     Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply--
for example, by using automated or other technological information 
collection and transmission techniques.

III. Proposed Actions

    There are no changes in burden hours from the previous Information 
Collection Request for obtaining the necessary background information 
and disclosure of conflict-of-interest information to ensure that 
invited experts are not compromised.
    OSHA will summarize the comments submitted in response to this 
notice and will include this summary in the request to OMB to extend 
the approval of the information collection requirements.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Title: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Conflict of 
Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0255.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Number of Respondents: 36.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Average Time per Response: OSHA estimates it will take thirty 
minutes (30/60 hour) to complete the short version of the COI form, and 
one (1) hour to complete the long version of the COI form.
    Estimated Total Number of Responses: 36.

[[Page 37582]]

    Estimated Total Burden Hours: 27.
    Estimated Cost (Operation and Maintenance): $0.

IV. Public Participation--Submission of Comments on This Notice and 
Internet Access to Comments and Submissions

    You may submit comments in response to this document as follows: 
(1) electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, which is 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 the OSHA Docket Number for this ICR (Docket No. OSHA-2009-0042). 
You may supplement electronic submissions by uploading document files 
electronically.
    Comments and submissions are posted without change at http://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about 
submitting personal information, such as their social security number 
and date 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 from this 
website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available 
for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on 
using the http://www.regulations.gov website to submit comments and 
access the docket is available at the website's ``User Tips'' link. 
Contact the OSHA Docket Office for information about materials not 
available from the website and for assistance in using the internet to 
locate docket submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    James S. Frederick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Occupational Safety and Health, directed the preparation of this 
notice. The authority for this notice is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506, et seq.) and Secretary of Labor's Order No. 1-
2012 (77 FR 3912).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on May 25, 2023.
James S. Frederick,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2023-12208 Filed 6-7-23; 8:45 am]
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