Notice2024-01284
Proposed Extension of Information Collection: Performance Reports for MSHA Grants
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 24, 2024
Issuing agencies
Labor DepartmentMine Safety and Health Administration
Abstract
The Department of Labor (DOL), 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 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 Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is soliciting comments on the information collection regarding the extension of Performance Reports for MSHA Grants.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 16 (Wednesday, January 24, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4626-4628]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01284]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Mine Safety and Health Administration
[OMB Control No. 1219-0154]
Proposed Extension of Information Collection: Performance Reports
for MSHA Grants
AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration, Labor.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL), 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 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 Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is
soliciting comments on the information collection regarding the
extension of Performance Reports for MSHA Grants.
DATES: All comments must be received on or before March 25, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Comments concerning the information collection requirements
of this notice may be sent by any of the methods listed below. Please
note that late, comments received after the deadline will not be
considered.
<bullet> Federal E-Rulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments for docket
number MSHA-2023-0021.
<bullet> Mail/Hand Delivery: DOL-MSHA, Office of Standards,
Regulations, and Variances, 201 12th Street South, Suite 4E401,
Arlington, VA 22202-5452. Before visiting MSHA in person, call 202-693-
9455 to make an appointment, in keeping with the Department of Labor's
COVID-19 policy. Special health precautions may be required.
<bullet> MSHA will post all comments as well as any attachments,
except for information submitted and marked as confidential, in the
docket at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: S. Aromie Noe, Director, Office of
Standards, Regulations, and Variances, MSHA, at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b2ffe1faf39cdbdcd4ddc0dfd3c6dbdddc9cd1dddeded7d1c6dbdddcc1f2d6ddde9cd5ddc4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6528362d244b0c0b030a170804110c0a0b4b060a09090006110c0a0b1625010a094b020a13">[email protected]</span></a> (email); (202) 693-9440 (voice);
or (202) 693-9441 (facsimile). These are not toll-free numbers.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 103(h) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977,
as amended (Mine Act), 30 U.S.C. 813(h), authorizes MSHA to collect
information necessary to carry out its duty in protecting the safety
and health of miners. Further, section 101(a) of the Mine Act, 30
U.S.C. 811(a), authorizes the Secretary of Labor (Secretary) to
develop, promulgate, and revise as may be appropriate, improved
mandatory health or safety standards for the protection of life and
prevention of injuries in coal and metal and nonmetal mines.
MSHA works to prevent death, illness, and injury from mining and to
promote safe and healthful workplaces for U.S. miners. Section 115 of
the Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. 825, requires MSHA to approve mine operators'
health and safety training programs for miners. MSHA administers two
grant programs: State Grants and Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants. The
grant programs provide training for individuals, miners, employers, and
contractors in the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe and
unhealthful working conditions in accordance with section 503 of the
Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. 953, and section 14 of the Mine Improvement and New
Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act), 30 U.S.C. 965.
State Grants
Under section 503 of the Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. 953, the Secretary may
award grants to States to assist in developing and enforcing State mine
health and safety laws and regulations, to improve State workers'
compensation and mining occupational disease laws and programs, and to
improve health and safety conditions in the Nation's mines through
Federal-State coordination and cooperation. Any State in which mining
takes place may apply for the State Grants. 30 U.S.C. 953(g) requires
that MSHA may fund up to 80 percent of the State Grants activities and
a Grant recipient must provide matching funds of no less than 20
percent of the total costs. This Grant program supports federally
mandated training of miners and mine operators working at surface and
underground coal, metal, and nonmetal mines. 30 U.S.C. 953(e) of the
Mine Act also allows the program to train State inspectors.
MSHA recognizes that State training programs are a key source of
mine safety and health training and education for individuals who work
or will work at mines. MSHA encourages State training programs to
prioritize health and safety training for small mining operations and
underserved mines and miners within the mining industry, and to
prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. MSHA has
recently expanded the priority to include underserved operators and
miners including limited English proficient (LEP) and low literacy
individuals.
MSHA supports programs that emphasize training on miners' statutory
rights, including the right to be provided a safe working environment,
to refuse an unsafe task, and to have a voice in the safety and health
conditions at the mine. In particular, MSHA encourages grant recipients
to address, in their training and education programs, occupational
health hazards caused by exposures to respirable coal mine dust and
respirable crystalline silica, powered haulage and mobile equipment
safety, mine emergency preparedness, mine rescue, electrical safety,
contract and customer truck drivers, improving training for new and
inexperienced miners, managers and supervisors performing mining tasks,
pillar safety for underground mines, and preventing falls from heights.
Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants
Section 14 of the MINER Act, 30 U.S.C. 965, established the
Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants. This competitive grant program
provides funding for education and training programs to better
identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around
mines. Grantees can use these funds to establish and implement
education and training programs or to create training materials and
programs on MSHA-identified safety priorities. Funds can also be used
to develop and implement training and related materials for mine
emergency preparedness as well as for the prevention of accidents in
underground mines.
MSHA expects Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety grantees to develop
training or educational materials and/or provide mine safety training
or educational programs, to recruit mine operators and miners to
participate in training, and to conduct and evaluate the training
program. 30 U.S.C. 965 mandates that
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the Secretary must emphasize programs and materials that target smaller
mines, including training mine operators and miners about new MSHA
standards, high risk activities, or hazards. The Brookwood-Sago Mine
Safety Grants give priority to the funding of pilot and demonstration
projects that will provide opportunities for broad applicability for
mine safety. Special attention will also be given to programs and
materials that serve underserved mines and miners within the mining
industry, and that prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and
accessibility.
30 U.S.C. 965 also requires the Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants
to conduct follow-up evaluations with the people who received the
provided training to measure how the training promotes the DOL's
strategic goal to ``Ensure Safe Jobs, Essential Protections, and Fair
Workplaces,'' and MSHA's goal to ``prevent fatalities, disease, and
injury from mining, and secure safe and healthful working conditions
for America's miners.'' Evaluations will focus on determining how
effective the subject training was in either reducing hazards,
improving miners' skills, or in improving safety and health conditions
in mines. Grantees must also fully cooperate with MSHA evaluators,
which may include providing MSHA evaluators relevant data, educational
or training materials, or information on training methods and
equipment.
Under both State Grants and Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants
programs, each grantee is required by U.S. DOL regulations to submit
quarterly performance reports for the preceding 3-month period; and a
final report no later than 90 days after the end of the grant period.
Grantees of State Grants program have an additional requirement of
submitting MSHA Form 5000-50, State Grants Progress Report, on a
quarterly basis.
The required content of each report is specified in the funding
opportunity announcement (FOA) of each grant program.
(1) Performance Project Reports: A grantee submits a quarterly
performance project report to MSHA no later than 30 days after the
deadlines. The performance report needs to contain a narrative
assessment of performance under the grants and to include both
quantitative and qualitative information. The narrative assessment
includes the summary of progress over the previous 3 months, submitted
in an open free format of the grantee's choice. Specifically, the
narrative reports contain the following information:
(a) A comparison of actual accomplishments to the objectives
established for the period.
(b) Reasons for any objectives that are not met.
(c) A description of any significant developments or problems
affecting the grantee's ability to accomplish the work.
(d) An evaluation of the impact or results of the program's
activities.
(e) An explanation of current grant progress against the overall
grant goals.
In addition, the grantees are required to submit quarterly
financial reports on the status of all funds awarded, matching funds,
and, if applicable, program income received and expended, during the
funding period.
Between reporting dates, the grantee also needs to provide interim
reports to inform MSHA of significant developments or problems
affecting the organization's ability to accomplish the work specified
in the FOA.
(2) Final Reports: At the end of the grant period, each grantee is
required to provide a final close-out financial report, a final
performance report, and an evaluation report. The final report is due
no later than 90 days after the end of the 12-month performance period.
(3) MSHA Form 5000-50, State Grants Progress Report (State Grants
Only): State Grants recipients are also required to submit MSHA Form
5000-50 in their quarterly reports to MSHA. This form is used only by
the State Grants program. This form consists of a technical progress
report with quantitative performance information. Recipients of the
State Grants are required to submit a final MSHA 5000-50 form at the
end of the 12-month performance period.
II. Desired Focus of Comments
MSHA is soliciting comments concerning the information collection
related to Performance Reports for MSHA Grants. MSHA is particularly
interested in comments that:
<bullet> Evaluate whether the collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency,
including whether the information has practical utility;
<bullet> Evaluate the accuracy of MSHA's estimate of the burden of
the collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
<bullet> Suggest methods to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be collected; and
<bullet> 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 submission of responses.
The information collection request will be available on <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. MSHA cautions the commenter against providing any
information in the submission that should not be publicly disclosed.
Full comments, including personal information provided, will be made
available on <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a>.
The public may also examine publicly available documents at DOL-
MSHA, 201 12th Street South, Suite 4E401, Arlington, VA 22202-5452.
Sign in at the receptionist's desk on the 4th floor via the East
elevator. Before visiting MSHA in person, call 202-693-9455 to make an
appointment, in keeping with the Department of Labor's COVID-19 policy.
Special health precautions may be required.
Questions about the information collection requirements may be
directed to the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION section of
this notice.
III. Current Actions
This information collection request concerns provisions for
Performance Reports for MSHA Grants, specifically, including an
extension of Performance Project Reports and Final Reports submitted by
the recipients of both State and Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants, and
MSHA Form 5000-50 used for the State Grants. MSHA has updated the data
with respect to the number of respondents, responses, burden hours, and
burden costs supporting this information collection request from the
previous information collection request.
Type of Review: Extension, without change, of a currently approved
collection.
Agency: Mine Safety and Health Administration.
OMB Number: 1219-0154.
Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.
Number of Annual Respondents: 76.
Frequency: Quarterly and annually.
Number of Annual Responses: 380.
Annual Burden Hours: 850 hours.
Annual Respondent or Recordkeeper Cost: $0.
MSHA Forms: MSHA Performance Report Narratives; MSHA Form 5000-50,
MSHA State Grants Progress Report.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the proposed information collection request; they will
become a matter of
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public record and will be available at <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov">https://www.reginfo.gov</a>.
Song-ae Aromie Noe,
Certifying Officer, Mine Safety and Health Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-01284 Filed 1-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4520-43-P
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