[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 1, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52846-52847]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21611]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[Docket Number: RITA-2008-0002]
Agency Information Collection Activity; Notice of Request for
Approval To Collect New Information: Confidential Close Call Reporting
for Transit Rail System
AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Research 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 the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the
intention of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to request the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the following
information collection: Confidential Close Call Reporting for Transit
Rail System. This data collection effort supports a multi-year program
focused on improving transit rail safety by collecting and analyzing
data and information on close calls and other unsafe occurrences in the
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) rail system. The
program is co-sponsored by WMATA's Office of the Deputy General Manager
Operations (DGMO) and the President/Business Agent of the Amalgamated
Transit Union (ATU) Local 689. It is designed to identify safety issues
and propose corrective actions based on voluntary reports of close
calls submitted confidentially to the Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS), U.S. Department of Transportation. This information
collection is necessary to aid WMATA/ATU in systematically collecting
and analyzing data to identify root causes of potentially unsafe
events.
DATES: Comments must be received by November 2, 2015.
ADDRESSES: To ensure that your comments are not entered more than once
into the docket, submit comments by only one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your
comments electronically. Docket Number: RITA-2008-2002.
Mail: Docket Management Facility (DMF), U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Ground
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery: Deliver to mail address above between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Identify all transmission with ``Docket Number RITA-2008-0002'' 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 DMF 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 RITA-2008-
0002.'' 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 available to Internet users, without change, at www.regulations.gov.
[[Page 52847]]
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
www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Demetra V. Collia, Bureau of
Transportation Statistics, Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S. Department of Transportation,
Office of Statistical and Economic Analysis (OSEA), RTS-31, E36-302,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001; Phone No. (202)
366-1610; Fax No. (202) 366-3383; email: [email protected]. 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 Close Calls
data is protected under the BTS confidentiality statute (49 U.S.C. 111
(k)) and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical
Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2002 (Public Law 107-347, Title V). In
accordance with these confidentiality statutes, only statistical and
non-identifying data will be made publicly available through reports.
Further, BTS will not release to FRA or any other public or private
entity any information that might reveal the identity of individuals or
organizations mentioned in close call reports.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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 continue an information collection activity. BTS is seeking
OMB approval for the following BTS information collection activity:
Title: Confidential Close Call Reporting System.
OMB Control Number: 2139-0010.
Type of Review: Approval to continue to collect data. Confidential
Close Call Reporting for WMATA.
Respondents: WMATA Rail Employees.
Number of Respondents: 100 (per annum).
Estimated Time per Response: 60 minutes.
Frequency: Intermittent for approximately five (5) years. (Reports
are submitted when there is a qualifying event, i.e. a close call
occurs within WMATAs rail system. The frequency of such an event is
estimated to be two per day.)
Total Annual Burden: 100 hours.
Abstract: Collecting transportation safety data, including data on
precursors to adverse events, is an important component of BTS's
responsibility to the transportation community and is authorized in
BTS' authorizing statute (49 U.S.C. 6302). BTS and WMATA/the
Amalgamated Transit Union, (ATU) share a common interest in promoting
transit rail safety based on accurate information. To that end, WMATAs
Office of the Deputy General Manager Operations (DGMO) and ATU's
President/Business Agent are sponsoring the Confidential Close Call
reporting for Transit Safety Rail System (C3RTSRS) project to
investigate the effectiveness of the system in improving transit rail
safety. A close call is a situation or circumstance that had the
potential for safety consequences, but did not result in an adverse
safety event. Knowledge about a close call presents an opportunity to
address unsafe work conditions and improve safety in the workplace. It
is estimated that the time for an individual respondent to complete a
near miss report and if needed, participate in a brief confidential
interview will be no more than 60 minutes for an estimated 100
respondents and maximum total burden of hours (100 reports * 60
minutes/60 = 100 hours). Reports may be voluntarily submitted to BTS
when there is a qualifying event, i.e., when a close call occurs within
WMATA's rail system.
II. Background
Collecting data on the nation's transportation system is an
important component of BTS' mission and responsibility to the
transportation community as stated in its authorizing statute (49
U.S.C. Sec. 6302). BTS and WMATA/ATU share a common interest in
promoting rail transit safety through the use of timely, accurate, and
relevant data. WMATA/ATU is sponsoring the Confidential Close Call
Reporting for Transit Rail System (C\3\RTRS) project to improve transit
rail safety by studying the effectiveness of its own rail system
through data and information collected from reported close calls.
A close call is a situation or circumstance that had the potential
for safety consequences, but did not result in an adverse safety event.
Knowledge about a close call presents an opportunity to address unsafe
work conditions, prevent accidents, and improve safety in the
workplace.
BTS will collect close call reports submitted by WMATA rail
employees, conduct employee interviews, as needed, develop an
analytical database containing the reported data and other pertinent
information, provide statistical analysis to WMATA, and protect the
confidentiality of these data through its own statute (49 U.S.C. Sec.
6302) and CIPSEA. Accordingly, only statistical and non-sensitive
information will be made available through publications and reports.
Voluntary reporting of close calls to a confidential system can
provide a tool to identify and correct weaknesses in WMATA's transit
rail system and help prevent accidents. The C\3\RTRS project will
foster a voluntary, cooperative, non-punitive environment to
communicate safety concerns. Through the analysis of close calls the
WMATA/ATU will receive information about factors that may contribute to
unsafe events and use that information to develop new training programs
and identify root causes of potentially adverse events. The database
will also potentially provide researchers with valuable information
regarding precursors to safety risks and contribute to research and
development of intervention programs aimed at preventing accidents and
fatalities.
Employees involved in reporting a close call incident will be asked
to fill out a report and participate in a brief, confidential
interview. Employees will have the option to mail or submit the report
electronically to BTS. Participants will be asked to provide
information such as: (1) Name and contact information; (2) time and
location of the event; (3) a short description of the event; (4)
contributing factors to the close call; and (5) any other information
that might be useful in determining a root cause of such event.
III. Request for Comments
BTS requests comments on any aspects of these information
collections, including: (1) The accuracy of the estimated burden of 100
hours detailed in Section I; (2) ways to enhance the quality,
usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (3) 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.
Issued in Washington, DC, on August 25, 2015.
Patricia Hu,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Research and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2015-21611 Filed 8-31-15; 8:45 am]
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