Notice2023-16865
Agency Information Collection Activity; Notice of Request for Approval To Collect New Information: Safe Maritime Transportation System (SafeMTS)-Voluntary Near-Miss Incident Reporting and Analysis System
Primary source
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Published
August 8, 2023
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentTransportation Statistics Bureau
Abstract
In accordance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of Title 44 of the U.S. Code (Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995), this notice announces the intention of BTS to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a new data collection: SafeMTS-- Voluntary Near-Miss Reporting and Analysis System.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 151 (Tuesday, August 8, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53594-53595]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16865]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
[Docket Number OST-2023-0115]
Agency Information Collection Activity; Notice of Request for
Approval To Collect New Information: Safe Maritime Transportation
System (SafeMTS)--Voluntary Near-Miss Incident Reporting and Analysis
System
AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S.
Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A)
of Title 44 of the U.S. Code (Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995), this
notice announces the intention of BTS to request the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a new data collection: SafeMTS--
Voluntary Near-Miss Reporting and Analysis System.
DATES: Written comments should be submitted by October 10, 2023.
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="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and follow the instructions for sending your
comments electronically. Docket Number: OST-2023-0115.
<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.
Instructions: All submissions must include the Agency name and
docket number. Note that all comments received will be posted without
change to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal
information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading below.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, and follow the
online instructions for accessing the docket, or go to the street
address listed above.
Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits
comments from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT
posts these comments, without edit, including any personal information
the commenter provides, to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, as described in the
system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at
<a href="http://www.dot.gov/privacy">www.dot.gov/privacy</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allison Fischman, Office of Safety
Data and Analysis, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of
Transportation, RTS-35, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590-0001, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a8c9c4c4c1dbc7c686cec1dbcbc0c5c9c6e8ccc7dc86cfc7de"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="92f3fefefbe1fdfcbcf4fbe1f1fafff3fcd2f6fde6bcf5fde4">[email protected]</span></a>, (202)-748-0546.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
In August 2022, the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Office of
Safety and BTS signed an Interagency Agreement (IAA) to develop and
implement SafeMTS, a voluntary program for confidential reporting of
`near-misses' occurring on vessels within the Maritime Transportation
System (MTS). The SafeMTS program provides a trusted, proactive means
for the maritime 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 SafeMTS are voluntarily submitting safety
data. There is no regulatory requirement to submit such data.
The scope of SafeMTS includes a broad range of data categories to
promote safe operations and appropriate risk management, which adds a
learning component to assist the maritime industry in achieving
improved safety performance. BTS will be the repository for the data
and will analyze and aggregate information proffered under this
program. BTS will publish aggregated analyses providing information on
potential causal factors and trends or patterns before safety is
compromised and affording continuous improvement opportunities by
focusing on repairing impediments to safety. This information
collection is necessary to aid MARAD, the maritime industry, and other
stakeholders in identifying safety trends and causes of near-miss
incidents.
Title: SafeMTS--Near-Miss Reporting and Analysis Program for the
Maritime Transportation System.
OMB Control Number: Not yet known.
Type of Request: New collection.
Affected Public: Businesses in the maritime industry that involve
ownership or operation of vessels.
Number of Potential Responses: One hundred, submitted on a
quarterly basis.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 400 hours.
Abstract: The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical
Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), 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 (MARAD) that wishes to acquire information with CIPSEA
protection may consider entering into an agreement with a Federal
statistical agency or unit (BTS). BTS and MARAD have determined that it
is in the public interest to collect and process near-miss incident
related data under a pledge of confidentiality 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 nondisclosure
requirements mandated by CIPSEA. The results of these aggregated
analyses will be distributed by BTS through publications, meetings, and
other forms. Periodic industry meetings may be scheduled by MARAD or
industry to discuss the data analysis and trend results, as well as
share ideas and process improvements for preventing recurrence.
In August 2022, BTS and MARAD signed an IAA to develop and
implement SafeMTS, a voluntary program for confidential reporting of
`near-misses' occurring on vessels. The goal of the voluntary near-miss
reporting system is to provide BTS with essential information about
accident precursors and other hazards. Under the program, BTS will
develop and publish aggregate analyses that the industry and all MTS
stakeholders can use--in conjunction with incident reports and other
sources of information--to reduce safety and environmental risks and
continue building a more robust safety culture within the maritime
industry.
BTS, within the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), is an
objective supplier of statistically sound baseline, contextual, and
trend information used to shape
[[Page 53595]]
transportation policy and investment decisions across the United
States. BTS is responsible for providing timely, accurate, and reliable
information on U.S. passenger and freight transportation systems and
the impact on the economy, society, and the environment. Further, BTS
has experience developing and administering near-miss safety data
collection programs for transportation and offshore energy sectors. As
a federal statistical agency, BTS has the authority to collect data
confidentially for statistical purposes under CIPSEA, which allows the
program to overcome legal concerns among companies about sharing
sensitive near-miss and safety data.
There is currently no reporting regime in place for maritime
industry near-miss or safety incidents and other non-casualty/
reportable safety matters. Marine casualties and many other incidents
are reportable via separate regulations under either OSHA (Occupational
Safety and Health Administration) or USCG (U.S. Coast Guard)
jurisdiction. However, near-miss reporting is not required under
current regulations, and no industrywide database of near-miss events
exists for the maritime industry. A consolidated database of near-miss
incident data would allow for analysis and dissemination of key
findings to the industry for use in advancing maritime transportation
safety.
The SafeMTS program, established by MARAD and BTS as a joint
program, aims to fill this gap by establishing a confidential safety
data system to collect and analyze voluntarily reported, safety-related
data from the maritime industry to advance marine transportation
safety. A broad set of existing data will be captured from industry
partners and analyzed to identify critical safety-related trends that
could prevent incidents or identify otherwise non-correlated events.
With a broad set of data that includes protection from discovery as
mandated by industry and robust data analytics, potential hazards of
maritime operations can be identified and shared across the industry so
corrective actions can be taken to improve safety. The benefit of data
analytics in this area has been discussed in numerous studies, National
Academies publications, reports, and articles for over two decades.
This program will provide MARAD, in partnership with industry, with the
ability to identify critical safety issues and concerns and leverage
this information to advance maritime safety.
Respondents who report near-miss incidents will be asked to submit
their data and pertinent supplemental information. Respondents will
submit the report electronically to BTS. Respondents will be asked to
provide information such as: time and location of the event; a short
description of the event and operating conditions that existed at the
time of the event; contributing factors to the event; results of an
investigation or safety analysis report; any corrective actions taken
as a result of the event; and any other information that might be
useful in determining ways to prevents such events from occurring.
Data Confidentiality Provisions: The confidentiality of near miss
and safety event 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) of 2018
(Pub. L. 115-435, Title III of the Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018). In accordance with these confidentiality
statutes, only aggregated and non-identifying data will be made
publicly available by BTS through its reports for statistical purposes
only. BTS will not release to information that might reveal the
identity of individuals or organizations mentioned in event notices or
reports without explicit consent of the respondent and any other
affected entities.
Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of
this information collection, including: (1) whether the proposed
collection is necessary for the performance of BTS's functions; (2) the
accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways for BTS to enhance the
quality, usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4)
ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of
the collected information. Comments received after the comment closing
date will be included in the docket and will be considered to the
extent practicable.
Allison Fischman,
Acting Office Director.
[FR Doc. 2023-16865 Filed 8-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
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