Justification for Solicitation for Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grant Applications

Generic Solicitation for Grant Applications

Control Number 1225-0086

Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants Justification

Abstract:

The U.S. Department of Labor ( DOL), Mine Safety and Health Administration(MSHA), is making $1,250,000 available in grant funds for educational and training programs to help identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around mines. The focus of these grants for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 will be on training and training materials for mine emergency preparedness and mine emergency prevention for all underground mines. Applicants for the grants may be States and nonprofit (private or public) entities. The number of grants awarded will be determined by a MSHA evaluation of grant applications. The amount of each individual grant will be at least $50,000.00. The maximum amount for a 12-month period of performance is $250,000. MSHA may award both annual and renewal (two-year) grants.

Electronic availability:

This grant solicitation is available on the grants.gov Web site. Based on past DOL experience, the Department anticipates 90 percent of responses will be submitted electronically.

Small Entities:

This information collection will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities.

Assurances of confidentiality:

These grant solicitations do not offer applicants assurances of confidentiality.

Special circumstances:

This information collection complies with 5 CFR 1320.5

Burden:

Based on the past number of applications received under the Brookwood-Sago program, the DOL would normally expect to receive approximately 15 applications. Due to an increase in funding over prior years, the DOL estimates it will receive 25 applications. Public reporting burden for each grant application is estimated to average 20 hours per response for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Each recipient who receives a grant award notice will be required to submit nine progress reports to MSHA. Each report will take approximately two and half hours to prepare.

25 responses (1 per application) x 20 hours = 500 burden hours

180 responses (20 awards x 9 reports per award) x 2.5 hours = 450 burden hours.

TOTAL BURDEN HOURS: 500 hours + 450 hours = 950 Hours.

The DOL has increased the April 2012 average hourly earnings in the professional and business services industry of $28.08 by 40 percent (total $39.20) to monetize this burden. See The Employment Situation—July 2011, DOL, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_07062012.pdf at 32.

950 total burden hours x $39.20 per hour = $37,240.

The DOL associates no other burden costs with this information collection.

Total burden: 25 respondents (unduplicated), 205 responses, 950 hours, $0 other cost burden.

Supporting Statement B; Statistical Methods

This information collection does not employ statistical methods.

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