Agency Information Collection Activity; Notice To Continue To Collect: Confidential Close Call Transit Data for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), 2997-2999 [2023-00852]
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<![CDATA[
2997
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 18, 2023 / Notices
permit request and may be submitted in
the following ways:
• E-Gov Website: https://
www.Regulations.gov. This site allows
the public to enter comments on any
Federal Register notice issued by any
agency.
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
• Mail: Docket Management System:
U.S. Department of Transportation,
Docket Operations, M–30, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: Docket Management
System: U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, M–
30, West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9:00
a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
Instructions: You should identify the
docket number for the special permit
request you are commenting on at the
beginning of your comments. If you
submit your comments by mail, please
submit two (2) copies. To receive
confirmation that PHMSA has received
your comments, please include a selfaddressed stamped postcard. Internet
users may submit comments at https://
www.Regulations.gov.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Note: There is a privacy statement
published on https://www.Regulations.gov.
Comments, including any personal
Special permit
segment No.
County, state
1 (KM 725) .....
Douglas, Colorado .....
17:41 Jan 17, 2023
Jkt 259001
Confidential Business Information:
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
is commercial or financial information
that is both customarily and actually
treated as private by its owner. Under
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
(5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from
public disclosure. If your comments
responsive to this notice contain
commercial or financial information
that is customarily treated as private,
that you actually treat as private, and
that is relevant or responsive to this
notice, it is important that you clearly
designate the submitted comments as
CBI. Pursuant to 49 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) 190.343, you may ask
PHMSA to give confidential treatment
to information you give to the agency by
taking the following steps: (1) mark each
page of the original document
submission containing CBI as
‘‘Confidential’’; (2) send PHMSA, along
with the original document, a second
copy of the original document with the
CBI deleted; and (3) explain why the
information you are submitting is CBI.
Unless you are notified otherwise,
PHMSA will treat such marked
submissions as confidential under the
FOIA, and they will not be placed in the
public docket of this notice.
Outside
diameter
(inches)
Submissions containing CBI should be
sent to Kay McIver, DOT, PHMSA–
PHP–80, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590–0001. Any
commentary PHMSA receives that is not
specifically designated as CBI will be
placed in the public docket for this
matter.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
General: Ms. Kay McIver by telephone
at 202–366–0113, or by email at
kay.mciver@dot.gov.
Technical: Mr. Steve Nanney by
telephone at 713–272–2855, or by email
at steve.nanney@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PHMSA
received a special permit request from
CIG, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan,
Inc., on December 29, 2022, seeking a
waiver from the requirements of 49 CFR
192.611(a) and (d): Change in class
location: Confirmation or revision of
maximum allowable operating pressure
and 49 CFR 192.619(a): Maximum
allowable operating pressure: Steel or
plastic pipelines.
This special permit is being requested
in lieu of pipe replacement, pressure
reduction, or new pressure tests for a
Class 1 to 3 location change on one (1)
gas transmission special permit segment
totaling 1,022.62 feet (approximately
0.194 miles). This pipeline segment,
which has changed from a Class 1 to
Class 3 location, is as follows:
Length
(feet)
Line name
20
The special permit request, proposed
special permit with conditions, and
draft environmental assessment (DEA)
for the above listed CIG pipeline
segment is available for review and
public comments in Docket Number
PHMSA–2023–0002. PHMSA invites
interested persons to review and submit
comments on the special permit request
and DEA in the docket. Please submit
comments on any potential safety,
environmental, and other relevant
considerations implicated by the special
permit request. Comments may include
relevant data.
Before issuing a decision on the
special permit request, PHMSA will
evaluate all comments received on or
before the comments closing date.
Comments received after the closing
date will be evaluated, if it is possible
to do so without incurring additional
expense or delay. PHMSA will consider
VerDate Sep<11>2014
information provided, are posted without
changes or edits to https://
www.Regulations.gov.
0009–A Pueblo-Watkins Mainline
1,022.62
Year
installed
Maximum
allowable
operating
pressure
(psig)
1966
820
each relevant comment it receives in
making its decision to grant or deny this
special permit request.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Issued in Washington, DC, on January 9,
2023, under authority delegated in 49 CFR
1.97.
Alan K. Mayberry,
Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety.
[Docket Number RITA–2008–0002]
[FR Doc. 2023–00839 Filed 1–17–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–60–P
PO 00000
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Agency Information Collection
Activity; Notice To Continue To
Collect: Confidential Close Call Transit
Data for the Washington Metropolitan
Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS), Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Research and Technology
(OST–R), U.S. Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice to continue to collect
confidential close call transit data.
AGENCY:
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
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 18, 2023 / Notices
(BTS) to request the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to use
the approved OMB Number 2138–0044,
and continue to collect the following
information: Confidential Close Call
Transit Data for the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
(WMATA or the Authority), which
includes but is not limited to the
collection of data from Rail, Bus,
Information Technology, and Command
Center personnel. This data collection
effort supports a multi-year program
focused on improving the Authority in
its entirety, by collecting and analyzing
data and information on close calls and
other unsafe occurrences within
WMATA. The program is co-sponsored
by WMATA and labor leadership
including: the President/Business Agent
of the Amalgamated Transit Union
(ATU) Local 689, the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local
922 and Office & Professional
Employees International Union (OPEIU)
Local 2. The Close Call program is
designed to identify safety issues and
propose preventive actions based on
voluntary reports of a close call
submitted confidentially to BTS, an
Agency within the U.S. Department of
Transportation. This information
collection is necessary for
systematically analyzing data to identify
root causes of potentially unsafe events.
DATES: Written comments should be
submitted by March 20, 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:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and follow
the instructions for sending your
comments electronically. Docket
Number: DOT–OST–2017–0043.
• Mail: Docket Services, 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 transmissions 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
Docket Management Facility is open for
examination and copying, at the above
address from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:41 Jan 17, 2023
Jkt 259001
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 Number 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 publicly viewable, without
change, at www.regulations.gov. You
may review DOT’s complete Privacy Act
Statement in the Federal Register
published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR
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, U.S. Department of
Transportation, Office of Safety Data
and Analysis, RTS–31, E36–302, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590–0001; Phone No. (202) 366–1610;
Fax No. (202) 366–3383; email:
demetra.collia@dot.gov. Office hours are
from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., EST, Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Data Confidentiality Provisions:
Under this data collection, the
confidentiality of the 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
Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018, title III). In
accordance with these confidentiality
statutes, only statistical (aggregated) and
non-identifying data will be made
publicly available by BTS through its
reports. BTS will not release to WMATA
or any other public or private entity any
information that might reveal the
identity of individuals who have
submitted a report.
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. BTS is seeking OMB approval
to continue the following BTS
information collection activity:
Title: Confidential Close Call Transit
Data.
OMB Control Number: 2138–0044.
Type of Review: Continue to collect.
Respondents: WMATA employees.
Number of Potential Responses:150
(per annum).
PO 00000
Frm 00122
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Estimated Time per Response: 60
minutes.
Frequency: Intermittent for 3 years.
Reports are submitted when there is a
qualifying event.
Total Annual Burden: 150 hours.
Abstract: Collecting safety data on the
nation’s transportation system is an
important component of BTS’s mission
and responsibility to the transportation
community and is authorized in BTS
statute (49 U.S.C. 6302). BTS and
WMATA share a common interest in
promoting safety based on accurate
information. To that end, WMATA and
the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)
Local 689, the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local
922 and Office & Professional
Employees International Union (OPEIU)
Local 2 have supported the Confidential
Close Call Program at WMATA as a
means of fostering an environment of
ongoing advancements in their safety
culture.
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
of a close call presents an opportunity
to address unsafe work conditions and
encourage a culture of safety in the
workplace. It is estimated that the time
to complete a close call report and
participate in a brief confidential
interview will be no than 60 minutes for
a maximum total burden of 150 hours
(150 reports*60 minutes/60 = 150
hours). Reports are submitted when
there is a qualifying event, i.e., when a
close call occurs within any office of the
Authority.
II. Background
WMATA deployed the Close Call
program in April 2013, and in May 2016
the program expanded to include bus
employees. The Confidential Close Call
Program is a Cooperative Agreement
between BTS, WMATA management,
the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)
Local 689, the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local
922 and Office & Professional
Employees International Union (OPEIU)
Local 2. This program provides a
confidential platform to facilitate the
voluntary reporting of close call events
without fear of discipline. 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. 6302).
BTS and WMATA/ATU, IBT Local 922
and OPEIU Local 2, share a common
interest in promoting rail transit and bus
safety using timely, accurate, and
relevant data. WMATA/ATU, IBT Local
E:\FR\FM\18JAN1.SGM
18JAN1
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 18, 2023 / Notices
922 and OPEIU Local 2, is sponsoring
the Confidential Close Call Program for
Transit Rail and Bus System to improve
transit rail and bus safety by studying
the effectiveness of its own systems
through the data and information
collected from reported close call
events.
Any situation or circumstance that
has the potential for safety
consequences, but did not result in an
adverse safety event is defined as a close
call. Knowledge about a close call
presents an opportunity to address
unsafe work conditions and practices,
prevent accidents, contribute to policy
making decisions and improve overall
safety in the workplace.
BTS collects close call reports
submitted by WMATA employees,
conducts employee interviews, develop
and maintain an analytical database
containing reported data and other
pertinent information, provides
statistical analysis to WMATA, and
protects the confidentiality of these data
through its own statute (49 U.S.C. 6302)
and CIPSEA. Only statistical and nonsensitive information will be made
available through publications and
reports.
Voluntary reporting of close calls to a
confidential system provides a tool to
identify and correct weaknesses within
WMATA and prevents accidents. Close
Call reporting fosters a voluntary,
cooperative, non-punitive environment
to communicate safety concerns for the
greater good. Through the analysis of
the data that is reported, WMATA
receives information about factors that
contribute to unsafe events, which
becomes the catalyst to develop new
training programs and identify root
causes of adverse events. The database
also provides researchers with valuable
information regarding precursors to
safety risks and contributes to research
and development of intervention
programs aimed at averting accidents
and fatalities.
Employees involved in reporting a
close call incident are asked to fill out
a report and participate in a brief,
confidential interview. Employees
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 for such
events.
III. Request for Public Comment
BTS requests comments on any
aspects of this information collection
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:41 Jan 17, 2023
Jkt 259001
request, including: (1) the accuracy of
the estimated burden of 150 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.
Demetra V. Collia,
Director, Office of Safety Data and Analysis,
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS),
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research
and Technology, U.S. Department of
Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2023–00852 Filed 1–17–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–HY–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Information Collection
Renewal; Comment Request;
Securities Offering Disclosure Rules
Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency (OCC), Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for comment.
AGENCY:
The OCC, as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork
and respondent burden, invites
comment on a continuing information
collection as required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). An agency
may not conduct or sponsor, and the
respondent is not required to respond
to, an information collection unless it
displays a currently valid Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) control
number. The OCC is soliciting comment
concerning the renewal of an
information collection titled ‘‘Securities
Offering Disclosure Rules.’’
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before March 20, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Commenters are encouraged
to submit comments by email, if
possible. You may submit comments by
any of the following methods:
• Email: prainfo@occ.treas.gov.
• Mail: Chief Counsel’s Office,
Attention: Comment Processing, Office
of the Comptroller of the Currency,
Attention: 1557–0120, 400 7th Street
SW, Suite 3E–218, Washington, DC
20219.
• Hand Delivery/Courier: 400 7th
Street SW, Suite 3E–218, Washington,
DC 20219.
• Fax: (571) 465–4326.
Instructions: You must include
‘‘OCC’’ as the agency name and ‘‘1557–
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00123
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
2999
0120’’ in your comment. In general, the
OCC will publish comments on
www.reginfo.gov without change,
including any business or personal
information provided, such as name and
address information, email addresses, or
phone numbers. Comments received,
including attachments and other
supporting materials, are part of the
public record and subject to public
disclosure. Do not include any
information in your comment or
supporting materials that you consider
confidential or inappropriate for public
disclosure.
Following the close of this notice’s
60-day comment period, the OCC will
publish a second notice with a 30-day
comment period. You may review
comments and other related materials
that pertain to this information
collection beginning on the date of
publication of the second notice for this
collection by the method set forth in the
next bullet.
• Viewing Comments Electronically:
Go to www.reginfo.gov. Hover over the
‘‘Information Collection Review’’ drop
down menu and click on ‘‘Information
Collection Review.’’ From the
‘‘Currently under Review’’ drop-down
menu, select ‘‘Department of Treasury’’
and then click ‘‘submit.’’ This
information collection can be located by
searching by OMB control number
‘‘1557–0120’’ or ‘‘Securities Offering
Disclosure Rules.’’ Upon finding the
appropriate information collection, click
on the related ‘‘ICR Reference Number.’’
On the next screen, select ‘‘View
Supporting Statement and Other
Documents’’ and then click on the link
to any comment listed at the bottom of
the screen.
• For assistance in navigating
www.reginfo.gov, please contact the
Regulatory Information Service Center
at (202) 482–7340.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shaquita Merritt, OCC Clearance
Officer, (202) 649–5490, Chief Counsel’s
Office, Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency, 400 7th Street SW,
Washington, DC 20219. If you are deaf,
hard of hearing, or have a speech
disability, please dial 7–1–1 to access
telecommunications relay services.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the
PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), Federal
agencies must obtain approval from the
OMB for each collection of information
that they conduct or sponsor.
‘‘Collection of information’’ is defined
in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR
1320.3(c) to include agency requests or
requirements that members of the public
submit reports, keep records, and/or
provide information to a third party.
E:\FR\FM\18JAN1.SGM
18JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2997-2999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00852]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
[Docket Number RITA-2008-0002]
Agency Information Collection Activity; Notice To Continue To
Collect: Confidential Close Call Transit Data for the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)
AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S.
Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice to continue to collect confidential close call transit
data.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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
[[Page 2998]]
(BTS) to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to use the
approved OMB Number 2138-0044, and continue to collect the following
information: Confidential Close Call Transit Data for the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA or the Authority), which
includes but is not limited to the collection of data from Rail, Bus,
Information Technology, and Command Center personnel. This data
collection effort supports a multi-year program focused on improving
the Authority in its entirety, by collecting and analyzing data and
information on close calls and other unsafe occurrences within WMATA.
The program is co-sponsored by WMATA and labor leadership including:
the President/Business Agent of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)
Local 689, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local 922
and Office & Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local
2. The Close Call program is designed to identify safety issues and
propose preventive actions based on voluntary reports of a close call
submitted confidentially to BTS, an Agency within the U.S. Department
of Transportation. This information collection is necessary for
systematically analyzing data to identify root causes of potentially
unsafe events.
DATES: Written comments should be submitted by March 20, 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:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your
comments electronically. Docket Number: DOT-OST-2017-0043.
Mail: Docket Services, 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 transmissions 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 Docket Management Facility 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
Number 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 publicly viewable, without change, at www.regulations.gov.
You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal
Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 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, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of
Safety Data and Analysis, 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: Under this data collection, the
confidentiality of the 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 Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of
2018, title III). In accordance with these confidentiality statutes,
only statistical (aggregated) and non-identifying data will be made
publicly available by BTS through its reports. BTS will not release to
WMATA or any other public or private entity any information that might
reveal the identity of individuals who have submitted a report.
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. BTS is seeking
OMB approval to continue the following BTS information collection
activity:
Title: Confidential Close Call Transit Data.
OMB Control Number: 2138-0044.
Type of Review: Continue to collect.
Respondents: WMATA employees.
Number of Potential Responses:150 (per annum).
Estimated Time per Response: 60 minutes.
Frequency: Intermittent for 3 years. Reports are submitted when
there is a qualifying event.
Total Annual Burden: 150 hours.
Abstract: Collecting safety data on the nation's transportation
system is an important component of BTS's mission and responsibility to
the transportation community and is authorized in BTS statute (49
U.S.C. 6302). BTS and WMATA share a common interest in promoting safety
based on accurate information. To that end, WMATA and the Amalgamated
Transit Union (ATU) Local 689, the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters (IBT) Local 922 and Office & Professional Employees
International Union (OPEIU) Local 2 have supported the Confidential
Close Call Program at WMATA as a means of fostering an environment of
ongoing advancements in their safety culture.
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 of a close call presents an opportunity to address unsafe
work conditions and encourage a culture of safety in the workplace. It
is estimated that the time to complete a close call report and
participate in a brief confidential interview will be no than 60
minutes for a maximum total burden of 150 hours (150 reports*60
minutes/60 = 150 hours). Reports are submitted when there is a
qualifying event, i.e., when a close call occurs within any office of
the Authority.
II. Background
WMATA deployed the Close Call program in April 2013, and in May
2016 the program expanded to include bus employees. The Confidential
Close Call Program is a Cooperative Agreement between BTS, WMATA
management, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689, the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local 922 and Office &
Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 2. This
program provides a confidential platform to facilitate the voluntary
reporting of close call events without fear of discipline. 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. 6302). BTS and WMATA/ATU,
IBT Local 922 and OPEIU Local 2, share a common interest in promoting
rail transit and bus safety using timely, accurate, and relevant data.
WMATA/ATU, IBT Local
[[Page 2999]]
922 and OPEIU Local 2, is sponsoring the Confidential Close Call
Program for Transit Rail and Bus System to improve transit rail and bus
safety by studying the effectiveness of its own systems through the
data and information collected from reported close call events.
Any situation or circumstance that has the potential for safety
consequences, but did not result in an adverse safety event is defined
as a close call. Knowledge about a close call presents an opportunity
to address unsafe work conditions and practices, prevent accidents,
contribute to policy making decisions and improve overall safety in the
workplace.
BTS collects close call reports submitted by WMATA employees,
conducts employee interviews, develop and maintain an analytical
database containing reported data and other pertinent information,
provides statistical analysis to WMATA, and protects the
confidentiality of these data through its own statute (49 U.S.C. 6302)
and CIPSEA. Only statistical and non-sensitive information will be made
available through publications and reports.
Voluntary reporting of close calls to a confidential system
provides a tool to identify and correct weaknesses within WMATA and
prevents accidents. Close Call reporting fosters a voluntary,
cooperative, non-punitive environment to communicate safety concerns
for the greater good. Through the analysis of the data that is
reported, WMATA receives information about factors that contribute to
unsafe events, which becomes the catalyst to develop new training
programs and identify root causes of adverse events. The database also
provides researchers with valuable information regarding precursors to
safety risks and contributes to research and development of
intervention programs aimed at averting accidents and fatalities.
Employees involved in reporting a close call incident are asked to
fill out a report and participate in a brief, confidential interview.
Employees 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 for such
events.
III. Request for Public Comment
BTS requests comments on any aspects of this information collection
request, including: (1) the accuracy of the estimated burden of 150
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.
Demetra V. Collia,
Director, Office of Safety Data and Analysis, Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and
Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2023-00852 Filed 1-17-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-HY-P
