Notice of Request for Approval To Collect Survey Data To Evaluate Close Call Reporting System for Railroad Operations, 6808-6809 [E7-2448]

Download as PDF 6808 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 29 / Tuesday, February 13, 2007 / Notices the FTA Web site at https:// www.fta.dot.gov. Issued on February 7, 2007. James S. Simpson, Administrator. [FR Doc. E7–2410 Filed 2–12–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–57–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Research and Innovative Technology Administration [Docket Number: RITA–2007–27185] Notice of Request for Approval To Collect Survey Data To Evaluate Close Call Reporting System for Railroad Operations Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), Research and Innovative Technology Administration, DOT. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: OMB Control Number: New. This notice announces that the Volpe Center intends to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a data collection effort to help in the evaluation of a fiveyear demonstration project focused on improving rail safety by analyzing information on close calls and other unsafe occurrences in the rail industry. The study is conducted by the Office of Human Factors in the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and is designed to identify safety issues and propose corrective actions based on voluntary reports of close calls submitted to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Because of the innovative nature of this program, the FRA is implementing an evaluation to determine whether the program is succeeding, how it can be improved, and what is needed to expand the program throughout the railroad industry. This collection is necessary to obtain the data needed to carry out the evaluation. This notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. Data Confidentiality Provisions: The Volpe Center 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 the evaluation survey questionnaires. The respondents will not be asked to identify themselves. DATES: Comments must be received by April 16, 2007. ADDRESSES: You can mail or handdeliver comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:55 Feb 12, 2007 Jkt 211001 Dockets Management System (DMS). You may submit your comments by mail or in person to the Docket Clerk, Docket No. RITA–2007–27185, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–0001. Comments should identify the docket number; paper comments should be submitted in duplicate. The DMS is open for examination and copying, at the above address, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. If you wish to receive confirmation of receipt of your written comments, please include a selfaddressed, stamped postcard with the following statement: ‘‘Comments on Docket RITA–2007–27185.’’ The Docket Clerk will date stamp the postcard prior to returning it to you via the U.S. mail. Please note that due to delays in the delivery of U.S. mail to Federal offices in Washington, DC, we recommend that persons consider an alternative method (the Internet, fax, or professional delivery service) to submit comments to the docket and ensure their timely receipt at U.S. DOT. You may fax your comments to the DMS at (202) 493– 2251. If you wish to file comments using the Internet, you may use the DOT DMS Web site at https://dms.dot.gov. Please follow the online instructions for submitting an electronic comment. You can also review comments on-line at the DMS Web site at https://dms.dot.gov. Please note that anyone is able to electronically search all comments received into our docket management system by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). 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 https://dms.dot.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joyce Ranney, DTS 4G, Room 1–655A, Volpe Center; Kendall Square, 55 Broadway; Cambridge, MA 617–494– 2095; FAX NO. (617) 494–3622; e-mail: ranney@volpe.dot.gov. 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 initiate an information collection activity. The Volpe Center is seeking OMB approval for the following Volpe Center information collection activity: Title: Collect Close Call System Evaluation Survey Questionnaires. PO 00000 Frm 00101 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 OMB Control Number: New. Type of Review: Approval of data collection. Respondents: Employees of selected (pilot) railroad sites. Number of Respondents: 1200 (per annum). Estimated Time per Response: 0.33 hours. Frequency: Once at baseline. (Baseline includes three pilot sites with a total of 1200 respondents.) Total Annual Burden: 400 hours. Background In the U.S. railroad industry, injury rates have been declining over the last 25 years. Indeed, the industry incident rate fell from a high of 12.1 incidents per 100 workers per year in 1978 to 3.66 in 1996. As the number of incidents has decreased, the mix of causes has also changed toward a higher proportion of incidents that can be attributed to human and organizational factors. This combination of trends—decrease in overall rates but increasing proportion of human factors-related incidents—has forced safety managers to shift tactics in order to achieve further reductions in the overall injury rate. In recognition of the need for new approaches to improving safety, the FRA has instituted the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS). The operating assumption behind C3RS is that by assuring confidentiality, employees will report events, which, if dealt with, will decrease the likelihood of accidents. C3RS therefore has both a confidential reporting component, and a problem analysis/solution component. C3RS is expected to affect safety in two ways. First, it will lead to problem solving concerning specific safety conditions. Second, it will engender an organizational culture and climate that supports greater awareness of safety and a greater cooperative willingness to improve safety. If C3RS works as intended, it could have an important impact on improving safety and safety culture in the railroad industry. While C3RS has been developed and implemented with the participation of the FRA, railroad labor, and railroad management, there are legitimate questions about whether it is being implemented in the most powerful way, and whether it will have its intended effect. Further, even if C3RS is successful, it will be necessary to know if it is successful enough to implement on a wide scale. To address these important questions, the FRA is implementing a formative evaluation to guide program development, a summative evaluation to assess impact, and a sustainability evaluation to E:\FR\FM\13FEN1.SGM 13FEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 29 / Tuesday, February 13, 2007 / Notices determine how C3RS can continue after the test period is over. The evaluation is needed to provide the FRA with guidance as to how it can improve the program, and how it might be scaled up throughout the railroad industry. Program evaluation is an inherently data driven activity. Its basic tenet is that as change is implemented, data can be collected to track the course and consequences of the change. Because of the setting in which C3RS is being implemented, that data must come from the railroad employees (labor and management) who may be affected. Critical data include beliefs about safety and issues related to safety, and opinions/observations about the operation of C3RS. In order to collect the necessary data in a manner that protects confidentiality, the data collection process will be managed by the Volpe Center. The Volpe Center 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 the evaluation survey questionnaires. Also the respondents will not be asked to identify themselves. II. Request for Comments The Volpe Center requests comments on any aspects of these information collections, including: (1) The accuracy of the estimated burden; (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 Cambridge, Massachusetts, on February 6, 2007. Nelson H. Keeler, Director, Office of Aviation Programs. [FR Doc. E7–2448 Filed 2–12–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–HY–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Finance Docket No. 34988] jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES Williams Rail Service, LLC— Acquisition and Operation Exemption—Lines Owned by Duchess Investments V, LLC and G&G/ Cherokee Wood Products, Inc. Williams Rail Service, LLC (WRS), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire (by purchase and lease) and to operate two separate track segments, VerDate Aug<31>2005 16:55 Feb 12, 2007 Jkt 211001 totaling approximately 1,900 feet of track, in Cherokee County, SC, and Union County, NC. After consummation of the transaction, WRS expects to become and remain a Class III rail carrier. Pursuant to an agreement that will be executed before consummation, WRS will acquire: (1) By lease from Duchess Investments V, LLC, approximately 600 feet of track near the intersection of Orr Road and Wesley Chapel Stouts Road, in Monroe, Union County, NC, which was formerly used to serve an entity called HoltraChem, and connects with a CSX Transportation, Inc. line; and (2) by purchase from G&G/Cherokee Wood Products, Inc., approximately 1,300 feet of track near the intersection of Tribal Road and I–85 in Blacksburg, Cherokee County, SC, which was formerly used to serve a log home builder, and connects with a Norfolk Southern Railway Company line. WRS anticipates shipping primarily agricultural products off both track segments, and may enter into agreements with contract agents to perform some services solely for the benefit of WRS. WRS certifies that its projected annual revenues as a result of the transaction will not exceed $5 million and will not result in the creation of a Class II or Class I carrier. WRS intends to consummate the transaction and commence operations no sooner than March 1, 2007 (the effective date of the exemption). If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) may be filed at any time. The filing of a petition to revoke will not automatically stay the transaction. Petitions for stay must be filed no later than February 22, 2007 (at least 7 days before the exemption becomes effective). An original and 10 copies of all pleadings, referring to STB Finance Docket No. 34988, must be filed with the Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K Street, NW., Washington, DC 20423– 0001. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be served on Michael J. Barron, Jr., Fletcher & Sippel LLC, 29 North Wacker Drive, Suite 920, Chicago, IL 60606. Board decisions and notices are available on our Web site at https:// www.stb.dot.gov. Decided: February 5, 2007. PO 00000 Frm 00102 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 6809 By the Board, David M. Konschnik, Director, Office of Proceedings. Vernon A. Williams, Secretary. [FR Doc. E7–2195 Filed 2–12–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Genomic Medicine Program Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice under Public Law 92– 463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that the Genomic Medicine Program Advisory Committee will meet on March 16, 2007 in room 230, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. The meeting will convene at 8 a.m. and adjourn at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice and make recommendations to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on using genetic information to optimize medical care of veterans and to enhance development of tests and treatments for diseases particularly relevant to veterans. The Committee will receive an overview of the VA health care system and electronic medical record, and will be asked to provide insight into optimal ways for VA to incorporate genomic information into its health care program while applying appropriate ethical oversight and protecting the privacy of veterans. Members of the public may provide up to 5-minute statements during the period reserved for public comments. They may also submit, at the time of the meeting, a 1–2 page summary of their comments for inclusion in the official meeting record. Any member of the public seeking additional information should contact Dr. Timothy O’Leary at timothy.oleary@va.gov. Dated: February 5, 2007. By direction of the Secretary: E. Philip Riggin, Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 07–616 Filed 2–12–07: 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8320–01–M DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Voluntary Services National Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting The Department of Veterans Affairs gives notice under Public Law 92–463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that E:\FR\FM\13FEN1.SGM 13FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 29 (Tuesday, February 13, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6808-6809]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-2448]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Research and Innovative Technology Administration

[Docket Number: RITA-2007-27185]


Notice of Request for Approval To Collect Survey Data To Evaluate 
Close Call Reporting System for Railroad Operations

AGENCY: Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), 
Research and Innovative Technology Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

    OMB Control Number: New.

SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Volpe Center intends to request 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a data collection 
effort to help in the evaluation of a five-year demonstration project 
focused on improving rail safety by analyzing information on close 
calls and other unsafe occurrences in the rail industry. The study is 
conducted by the Office of Human Factors in the Federal Railroad 
Administration (FRA) and is designed to identify safety issues and 
propose corrective actions based on voluntary reports of close calls 
submitted to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Because of 
the innovative nature of this program, the FRA is implementing an 
evaluation to determine whether the program is succeeding, how it can 
be improved, and what is needed to expand the program throughout the 
railroad industry. This collection is necessary to obtain the data 
needed to carry out the evaluation. This notice is required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act.
    Data Confidentiality Provisions: The Volpe Center 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 the 
evaluation survey questionnaires. The respondents will not be asked to 
identify themselves.

DATES: Comments must be received by April 16, 2007.

ADDRESSES: You can mail or hand-deliver comments to the U.S. Department 
of Transportation (DOT), Dockets Management System (DMS). You may 
submit your comments by mail or in person to the Docket Clerk, Docket 
No. RITA-2007-27185, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590-0001. Comments should 
identify the docket number; paper comments should be submitted in 
duplicate. The DMS is open for examination and copying, at the above 
address, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 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-2007-27185.'' 
The Docket Clerk will date stamp the postcard prior to returning it to 
you via the U.S. mail. Please note that due to delays in the delivery 
of U.S. mail to Federal offices in Washington, DC, we recommend that 
persons consider an alternative method (the Internet, fax, or 
professional delivery service) to submit comments to the docket and 
ensure their timely receipt at U.S. DOT. You may fax your comments to 
the DMS at (202) 493-2251.
    If you wish to file comments using the Internet, you may use the 
DOT DMS Web site at https://dms.dot.gov. Please follow the online 
instructions for submitting an electronic comment. You can also review 
comments on-line at the DMS Web site at https://dms.dot.gov.
    Please note that anyone is able to electronically search all 
comments received into our docket management system by the name of the 
individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment if submitted 
on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). 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 https://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joyce Ranney, DTS 4G, Room 1-655A, 
Volpe Center; Kendall Square, 55 Broadway; Cambridge, MA 617-494-2095; 
FAX NO. (617) 494-3622; e-mail: ranney@volpe.dot.gov.

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 initiate an information collection activity. The Volpe 
Center is seeking OMB approval for the following Volpe Center 
information collection activity:
    Title: Collect Close Call System Evaluation Survey Questionnaires.
    OMB Control Number: New.
    Type of Review: Approval of data collection.
    Respondents: Employees of selected (pilot) railroad sites.
    Number of Respondents: 1200 (per annum).
    Estimated Time per Response: 0.33 hours.
    Frequency: Once at baseline. (Baseline includes three pilot sites 
with a total of 1200 respondents.)
    Total Annual Burden: 400 hours.

Background

    In the U.S. railroad industry, injury rates have been declining 
over the last 25 years. Indeed, the industry incident rate fell from a 
high of 12.1 incidents per 100 workers per year in 1978 to 3.66 in 
1996. As the number of incidents has decreased, the mix of causes has 
also changed toward a higher proportion of incidents that can be 
attributed to human and organizational factors. This combination of 
trends--decrease in overall rates but increasing proportion of human 
factors-related incidents--has forced safety managers to shift tactics 
in order to achieve further reductions in the overall injury rate.
    In recognition of the need for new approaches to improving safety, 
the FRA has instituted the Confidential Close Call Reporting System 
(C3RS). The operating assumption behind C3RS is 
that by assuring confidentiality, employees will report events, which, 
if dealt with, will decrease the likelihood of accidents. 
C3RS therefore has both a confidential reporting component, 
and a problem analysis/solution component. C3RS is expected 
to affect safety in two ways. First, it will lead to problem solving 
concerning specific safety conditions. Second, it will engender an 
organizational culture and climate that supports greater awareness of 
safety and a greater cooperative willingness to improve safety.
    If C3RS works as intended, it could have an important 
impact on improving safety and safety culture in the railroad industry. 
While C3RS has been developed and implemented with the 
participation of the FRA, railroad labor, and railroad management, 
there are legitimate questions about whether it is being implemented in 
the most powerful way, and whether it will have its intended effect. 
Further, even if C3RS is successful, it will be necessary to 
know if it is successful enough to implement on a wide scale. To 
address these important questions, the FRA is implementing a formative 
evaluation to guide program development, a summative evaluation to 
assess impact, and a sustainability evaluation to

[[Page 6809]]

determine how C3RS can continue after the test period is 
over. The evaluation is needed to provide the FRA with guidance as to 
how it can improve the program, and how it might be scaled up 
throughout the railroad industry.
    Program evaluation is an inherently data driven activity. Its basic 
tenet is that as change is implemented, data can be collected to track 
the course and consequences of the change. Because of the setting in 
which C3RS is being implemented, that data must come from 
the railroad employees (labor and management) who may be affected. 
Critical data include beliefs about safety and issues related to 
safety, and opinions/observations about the operation of 
C3RS.
    In order to collect the necessary data in a manner that protects 
confidentiality, the data collection process will be managed by the 
Volpe Center. The Volpe Center 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 the evaluation survey 
questionnaires. Also the respondents will not be asked to identify 
themselves.

II. Request for Comments

    The Volpe Center requests comments on any aspects of these 
information collections, including: (1) The accuracy of the estimated 
burden; (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 Cambridge, Massachusetts, on February 6, 2007.
Nelson H. Keeler,
Director, Office of Aviation Programs.
[FR Doc. E7-2448 Filed 2-12-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-HY-P
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