Notice2025-15209

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

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
August 11, 2025

Issuing agencies

Labor DepartmentOccupational Safety and Health Administration

Abstract

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements specified in the Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 152 (Monday, August 11, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 152 (Monday, August 11, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38668-38670]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-15209]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. OSHA-2009-0042]


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 proposal to 
extend the Office of Management and

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Budget (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements 
specified in the Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form.

DATES: Comments must be submitted (postmarked, sent, or received) by 
October 10, 2025.

ADDRESSES: 
    Electronically: You may submit comments and attachments 
electronically at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, which is 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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Documents in the docket are 
listed in the <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> index; however, some 
information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to 
read or download through the websites. 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 OSHA 
docket number (OSHA-2009-0042) for the Information Collection Request 
(ICR). OSHA will place all comments, including any personal 
information, in the public docket, which may be made 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: Belinda Cannon, 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 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program ensures that 
information is in the desired format, the reporting burden (in terms of 
time and costs) is minimal, 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 a minimum 
burden upon employers, especially those operating small businesses, and 
to reduce to the maximum extent feasible unnecessary duplication of 
efforts in obtaining said 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.
    The following sections describe who uses the information collected 
under each requirement, as well as how they use it.

II. Special Issues for Comment

    OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:
    <bullet> Whether the proposed information collection requirements 
are necessary for the proper performance of the agency's functions to 
protect workers, including whether the information is useful;
    <bullet> 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;
    <bullet> The quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
collected; and
    <bullet> Ways to minimize the burden on employers who must comply; 
for example, by using automated or other technological information, and 
transmission techniques.

III. Proposed Actions

    OSHA is requesting that OMB extend the approval of the information 
collection requirements contained in the Conflict of Interest (COI) and 
Disclosure Form. The agency is requesting to maintain the burden hours 
estimate of 27 hours.
    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 data collection.
    Title: Conflict of Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1218-0255.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Number of Respondents: 36.
    Number of Responses: 36.
    Frequency of Responses: 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 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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, which is the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal; or (2) by facsimile (fax), if your comments, 
including attachments, are not longer than 10 pages you may fax them to 
the OSHA Docket Office at 202-693-1648. All comments, attachments, and 
other material must identify the agency name and the OSHA docket number 
for the ICR (OSHA-2009-0042). You may supplement electronic submission 
by uploading document files electronically.
    Comments and submissions are posted without change at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about 
submitting personal information such as social security numbers and 
dates of birth. Although all submissions are listed in

[[Page 38670]]

the <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> 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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> website to submit 
comments and access the docket is available at the website's ``User 
Tips'' link. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350, (TTY 
(877) 889-5627) for information about materials not available from the 
website, and for assistance in using the internet to locate docket 
submissions.

V. Authority and Signature

    Amanda Laihow, Acting 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. 8-2020 (85 FR 
58393).

    Signed at Washington, DC, on August 6, 2025.
Amanda Laihow,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 2025-15209 Filed 8-8-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on August 11, 2025.

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