Notice2021-22280
Agency Information Collection Activity: Notice of Request for Approval To Continue To Collect Information: Oil and Gas Industry Safety Data Program
Primary source
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Published
October 21, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentTransportation Statistics Bureau
Abstract
In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of BTS to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the data collection for: Oil and Gas Industry Safety Data. In August 2013, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and BTS signed an Interagency Agreement to develop and implement SafeOCS, a voluntary program for confidential reporting of `near misses' occurring on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The Oil and Gas Industry Safety Data (ISD) program, is a component of BTS's SafeOCS data sharing framework, that provides a trusted, proactive means for the oil and gas industry to report sensitive and proprietary safety information, and to identify early warnings of safety problems and potential safety issues by uncovering hidden, at-risk conditions not previously exposed from analysis of reportable accidents and incidents. Companies participating in the ISD are voluntarily submitting safety data, there is no regulatory requirement to submit such data.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 201 (Thursday, October 21, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 201 (Thursday, October 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58391-58393]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-22280]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
[Docket Number DOT-OST-XXX-XXXX]
Agency Information Collection Activity: Notice of Request for
Approval To Continue To Collect Information: Oil and Gas Industry
Safety Data Program
AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S.
Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of request to continue to collect.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of BTS to request the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the data collection
for: Oil and Gas Industry Safety Data. In August 2013, the Bureau of
Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and BTS signed an
Interagency Agreement to develop and implement SafeOCS, a voluntary
program for confidential reporting of `near misses' occurring on the
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The Oil and Gas Industry Safety Data
(ISD) program, is a component of BTS's SafeOCS data sharing framework,
that provides a trusted, proactive means for the oil and gas industry
to report sensitive and proprietary safety information, and to identify
early warnings of safety problems and potential safety issues by
uncovering hidden, at-risk conditions not previously exposed from
analysis of reportable accidents and incidents. Companies participating
in the ISD are voluntarily submitting safety data, there is no
regulatory requirement to submit such data.
DATES: Written comments should be submitted by December 20, 2021.
ADDRESSES: To ensure that your comments are not entered more than once
into the docket, submit comments by only one of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> and follow the instructions for sending your
comments electronically. Docket Number: DOT-OST-XXXX-XXXX.
<bullet> Mail: Docket Services, U.S. Department of Transportation,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140,
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
<bullet> Hand Delivery: Deliver to mail address above between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
<bullet> Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Identify all transmission with ``Docket Number DOT-OST-XXXX-XXXX''
at the beginning of each page of the document.
Instructions: All comments must include the agency name and docket
number for this notice. Paper comments should be submitted in
duplicate. The Docket Management Facility is open for examination and
copying, at the above address from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. If you wish to receive confirmation of
receipt of your written comments, please include a self-addressed,
stamped postcard with the following statement: ``Comments on Docket
Number DOT-OST-XXXX-XXXX.'' The Docket Clerk will date stamp the
postcard prior to returning it to you via the U.S. mail. Please note
that all comments received, including any personal information, will be
posted and will be publicly viewable, without change, at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act
Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume
65, Number 70; pages 19477-78) or you may review the Privacy Act
Statement at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Demetra V. Collia, Bureau of
Transportation Statistics, Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of
Statistical and Economic Analysis, RTS-31, E36-302, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001; Phone No. (202) 366-1610; Fax No.
(202) 366-3383; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#99fdfcf4fcedebf8b7faf6f5f5f0f8d9fdf6edb7fef6ef"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6206070f071610034c010d0e0e0b0322060d164c050d14">[email protected]</span></a>. Office hours are from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
Data Confidentiality Provisions: The confidentiality of oil and gas
industry safety data information submitted to BTS is protected under
the BTS confidentiality statute (49 U.S.C. 6307) and the Confidential
Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA), Public
Law 115-435, Title III, Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act
of 2018.
In accordance with these confidentiality statutes, only statistical
(aggregated) and non-identifying data will be made publicly available
by BTS through its reports. BTS will not release to BSEE or any other
public or private entity any information that might reveal the identity
of individuals or organizations mentioned in failure notices or reports
without explicit consent of the respondent and any other affected
entities.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ISD identifies a broader range of data
categories to ensure safe performance and appropriate risk management,
which adds a learning component to assist the oil and gas industry in
achieving improved safety performance. BTS will: Be the repository for
the data, analyze and aggregate information given under this program,
and publish reports providing identification of potential causal
factors and trends or patterns before safety is compromised, and
affording continuous improvement by focusing on repairing impediments
to safety.
I. The Data Collection
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35; as
amended) and 5 CFR part 1320 require each Federal agency to obtain OMB
approval to initiate an information collection activity. BTS is seeking
OMB approval to continue to collect the following new data:
Title: Oil and Gas Industry Safety Data (ISD) Program.
OMB Control Number: XXXX-XXXX.
Type of Review: Approval of data collection. This information
collection for oil and gas Industry Safety Data is to ensure the safe
performance and appropriate risk management within the oil and gas
industry, including but not limited to exploration and production.
Respondents: Oil and gas industry companies involved in the
exploration and/or production working in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).
Responsibility for establishing the actual scope and burden for this
collection resides with BTS.
Number of Potential Responses: 30.
Estimated Time per Response: 8 hours.
Frequency: Bi-annual.
Total Annual Burden: 480 hours.
Abstract: The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical
Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2018 (Pub. L.
[[Page 58392]]
115-435 Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, Title
III), can provide strong confidentiality protection for information
acquired for statistical purposes under a pledge of confidentiality.
CIPSEA Guidance from the Office of Management and Budget advises that a
non-statistical agency or unit (BSEE) that wishes to acquire
information with CIPSEA protection, may consider entering an agreement
with a Federal statistical agency or unit (BTS). BTS and BSEE have
determined that it is in the public interest to collect, and process
ISD reports and any other data deemed necessary to administer the Oil
and Gas Industry Safety Data Program under a pledge of confidentiality
to promote a culture of safety, and for statistical purposes only.
Working with subject matter experts, BTS will then aggregate and
further analyze these reports to identify potential causal factors and
trends. All data reviewers would be subject to non-disclosure
requirements and training mandated by CIPSEA. The results of these
aggregated analyses will be distributed by BTS through public reports,
workshops, and other forms. Periodic industry workshops may be
scheduled by BSEE/industry to discuss the data analysis and trend
results, as well as share ideas and process improvements for preventing
recurrence.
II. Background
The goal of the Oil and Gas Industry Safety Data program is to
provide BTS with essential information about accident precursors and
other hazards associated with the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and
gas operations including but not limited to exploration and production
(E&P.) This program collects voluntarily reported safety data.
A related goal of the ISD is to provide a mechanism whereby
participating companies can submit safety data in whatever format they
currently use to minimize incremental effort on the company's part. To
realize the optimum benefits from an industrywide framework, all
organizations associated with offshore E&P operations (operators,
contractors, subcontractors, suppliers/OEMs) and/or regulatory agencies
are encouraged to submit data voluntarily.
BTS conducted an Industry Safety Data (ISD) program pilot, in 2017-
2018 with data from 2014 through 2017 with representatives from nine
companies, which included seven operators, one drilling contractor and
one service company. Within this program, all companies working in the
Gulf of Mexico (GOM) joining the ISD would submit data for safety
events occurring after January 1, 2018. During the pilot, a Phase I
Planning Team, formed by BTS, consisted of representatives from the
pilot companies working in the GOM who expressed interest in
participating as early implementers for the suggesting enhancements to
the SafeOCS program. This team discussed the type of data that should
be submitted to ensure the data captured has appropriate learning
value. The scope of data reported includes incidents, near misses, stop
work events, and associated metadata for the period 2014 through 2017.
The aggregated data was reviewed and analyzed, and the results were
shared with the public in a report was released in 2019.
The value proposition of the ISD program is its focus on the
continual improvement in safety performance, and its implementation of
lessons learned from incidents and events that occur within the oil and
gas industry. This is particularly important for major hazards and
associated prevention/mitigation barriers. Several key aspects of this
effort include:
<bullet> Continue efforts to build and maintain a central
repository for collection, collaboration, and sharing of learnings of
safety-related data,
<bullet> Identifying the type of data that will provide valuable
information,
<bullet> Gaining alignment on incident and indicator definitions,
<bullet> Continuing to maintain a secure process for collection and
analysis of the data,
<bullet> Implementing a robust methodology for identifying systemic
issues,
<bullet> Disseminating the results to stakeholders who can then
take actions to reduce or eliminate the risk of recurrence through
greater barrier integrity,
<bullet> Providing opportunities for stakeholders to network and
benchmark performance, both individually and as an organization, and
<bullet> Setting up a framework wherein adverse actions cannot
legally be taken against data submitters nor can raw data be used for
regulatory development purposes.
One other related goal of the ISD program is to provide a mechanism
whereby participating companies can submit safety data in whatever
format they currently use to minimize incremental effort on the
company's part.
One of the key benefits associated with submitting safety data
directly to BTS for aggregation and review, is that it addresses
concerns related to protection of the data source. SafeOCS, including
the ISD, operates under a Federal law, the Confidential Information
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA), which
requires the program to protect the identity of the reporter and treat
reports confidentially. Information submitted under CIPSEA is also
protected from release to other government agencies, Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) requests, and subpoena. Even regulatory agencies
such as BSEE cannot have access to the identity of those submitting
reports under the program. In addition, the information from individual
records cannot be used for enforcement purposes. CIPSEA is subject to
strict criminal and civil penalties for noncompliance.
Once data are aggregated, BTS will analyze safety data reports
submitted by companies involved in OCS activities. BTS will also work
with subject matter experts to further analyze these reports to
identify potential causal factors and trends. The results of these
aggregated analyses will be distributed by BTS through public reports.
Industry workshops may then be scheduled to allow operators, service
companies, drilling contractors, regulators, and other stakeholders to
discuss the results and share lessons learned.
This data collection provides participating members within the oil
and gas industry, a trusted means to report sensitive proprietary and
safety information related to operations in the OCS, and to foster
trust in the confidential collection, handling, and storage of the raw
data. BTS uses the data collected to build a comprehensive source of
safety related data for statistical purposes. With input from subject
matter experts, information on incidents, near misses, stop work
events, and associated metadata are analyzed, and results of such
analyses are published. These reports provide the industry, all OCS
stakeholders, and BSEE with essential information about critical safety
issues for offshore operations and production.
BTS will also establish a Disclosure Review Board to review reports
and other data products produced by the Data Review Team in accordance
with CIPSEA disclosure requirements, with expected compliance
principles and practices of a statistical agency. A senior level review
of reports prior to publication will be conducted by a Senior Review
Board, that may include representatives from key government agencies,
wherein all members of this review board are designated as Agents under
CIPSEA. The BTS Director or Deputy Director will review all analyses
and reports, and issue approval for publication. While BTS's direct
[[Page 58393]]
involvement will end after the aggregated trends report is published,
the ISD program may form a committee to address the analytical
findings.
III. Request for Public Comment
BTS requests comments on any aspects of this information collection
request, including: (1) Ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and
clarity of the collected information; and (2) ways to minimize the
collection burden without reducing the quality of the information
collected, including additional use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information technology.
Demetra V. Collia,
Director, Office of Safety Data and Analysis, Bureau of Transportation
Statistics, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and
Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2021-22280 Filed 10-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
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