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 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program ensures that information is in the desired format, reporting burden (time and costs) is minimal, the 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 minimum burden upon employers, especially those operating small businesses, and to reduce to the maximum extent feasible unnecessary duplication of effort in obtaining information (29 U.S.C. 657).

The following sections describe who uses the information collected under each requirement, as well as how they use it. The Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) ^[1] established the efficacy of cooperative action among government, industry, and labor to address employee safety and health ( printed page 22865) issues and to expand employee protection. To qualify, employers must meet OSHA's safety and health management criteria which focus on comprehensive management programs and active employee involvement to prevent or control worksite safety and health hazards. Employers who qualify generally view OSHA standards as a minimum level of safety and health performance, and set their own more stringent standards, wherever necessary, to improve employee protection. Prospective VPP worksites must submit an application that includes:

• General applicant information (e.g., site, corporate, and collective bargaining contact information).
• Injury and illness rate performance information (i.e., number of employees and/or applicable contractors on-site, type of work performed and products produced, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), and Recordable Injury and Illness Case Incidence Rate information.
• Safety and health management program information (i.e., description of the applicant's safety and health management programs including how the programs successfully address management leadership and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, and safety and health training.

OSHA uses this information to determine whether an applicant is ready for a VPP on-site evaluation and as a verification tool during VPP on-site evaluations. Without this information, OSHA would be unable to determine which sites are ready for VPP status.

Each current VPP applicant is also required to submit an annual evaluation which addresses how that applicant is continuing the adherence to programmatic requirements. In 2008, OSHA modified procedures for VPP applicants, OSHA on-site evaluation, and Annual participant self-evaluation for applicants/participants subject to OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard. Applicants that perform works that use or produce highly hazardous chemical exceeding specified limits covered under the PSM standard must submit responses to the PSM application supplement along with their VPP application.

Once in VPP, the participant is required to submit an annual evaluation detailing the continued adherence to programmatic requirements. Applicants covered under the PSM standard are required to submit a PSM questionnaire a supplemental document as part of their annual submission. OSHA needs this information to ensure that the participant remains qualified to participate in the VPP between the on-site evaluations. Without this information, OSHA would be unable to determine whether applicants are maintaining excellent safety and health management programs during this interim period.

In 2009, with the publication of Federal Register Notice (FRN) E9-165 (74 FR 927), VPP revised the traditional focus on individual fixed worksites (site-based) by adding two new ways to participate: mobile workforce and corporate. A significant reorganization of the program helps clarify the multiple participation options now available.

Employees of VPP participants may apply to participate in OSHA's Special Government Employee (SGE) Program as VPP SGEs. OSHA's SGE Program offers private and public sector safety and health professionals and other qualified participants the opportunity to exchange ideas, gain new perspectives, and grow professionally while serving as OSHA's SGEs. In 2026, OSHA expanded their SGE Program with the creation of Safety Champions Program (SCP) SGEs. This new designation allows for safety and health individuals from across the country not at VPP sites to apply to OSHA's SGE Program to assist Safety Champions Participants to improve their safety and health program. VPP SGEs may participate in qualifying activities, such as VPP on-site evaluations, mentoring VPP sites or applicants, review VPP applications and annual self-evaluations, and even assist Safety Champions Participants. SCP SGEs may assist SCP participants by performing document reviews, step tracker completion, and answer questions for the participants. Individuals applying to the SGE Program and SGEs renewing the term after three years must submit an application that includes:

• SGE Eligibility Information Sheet (i.e., applicant's name, professional credentials, site/corporate contact information, etc.);
• Current Resume or work history; and
• Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) (this revision removes the use of the Optional Application for Federal Employment OF-612 within the SGE application).

OSHA uses the SGE Eligibility Information Sheet to ensure that the potential SGE meets the minimum eligibility and qualification requirements. The resume is required to provide a detailed description of their current duties and responsibilities as they relate to safety and health, OSHA standards, and the knowledge of effective safety and health programs. The OGE Form 450 is used to ensure that SGEs do not participate in qualifying activities where they have a financial interest.

The OSHA Safety Champions Program (SCP), a rebranding and revitalization of OSHA Challenge, is designed to reach and guide employers and companies in all major industry groups who are strongly committed to improving their safety and health programs and possibly pursuing recognition in the VPP. The SCP Sign Up is used to register interested companies/worksites into the Safety Champions Program. The SCP coordinator will review each participant's registration and ensure that all necessary information is completed in order to progress participants through the program. A participant can use the SCP Tracker to (1) conduct a preliminary analysis of the participant's knowledge of safety and health programs; and (2) make a determination regarding where the participant's s believe they should start to progress through the steps.

II. Special Issues for Comment

OSHA has a particular interest in comments on the following issues:

• 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;
• 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;
• The quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and
• 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 Voluntary Protection Programs. The agency is seeking a program change in burden going from 69,657 to 53,289 hours, a difference of 16,368 hours. This program change is primarily due to rebranding the name of the OSHA Challenge Program to the OSHA Safety Champions Program and the removal of the OF-612 ( Optional Application for Federal Employment form). Also, there was a decrease in the number of estimated VPP applicants based on the trend in data. ( printed page 22866)

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: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Title: Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).

OMB Control Number: 1218-0239.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profits.

Number of Respondents: 3,000.

Number of Responses: 9,470.

Frequency of Responses: On occasion.

Average Time per Response: Varies.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 53,440.

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 https://www.regulations.gov, 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-2011-0056). You may supplement electronic submission by uploading document files electronically.

Comments and submissions are posted without change at https://www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about submitting personal information such as social security numbers and dates of birth. Although all submissions are listed in the https://www.regulations.gov index, some information ( e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download from this website. All submission, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection and copying at the OSHA Docket Office. Information on using the https://www.regulations.gov 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, Principal Deputy 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. 7-2025 (90 FR 27878).

91 FR 22864