Attachment A - Contact Script

Attachment A – Contact Script

<CONTACT SCRIPT FOR PRE-PRODUCTION RESPONDENT>

Hello, my name is ___________________. I am an (economist/statistician) with the Bureau of Labor Statistics working on the Occupational Requirements Survey. _____________________ (You/name of contact person) provided data for this study to my colleague__________________ (name of collecting FE) on __________________ (date). Thank you for that participation.

My call today is a follow-up to that interview. As _________ (original FE) described, the data in this survey are being gathered at the request of the Social Security Administration, and they expect to use the outputs in their disability determination process. The BLS has a responsibility to ensure that the collection methods used are appropriate and permit us to issue information of the highest quality.

_________ collected information about ____________ (SOC occupation) from you via an interview. As part of our continuing efforts to improve our collection procedures, we are investigating how direct observation of the work could increase data quality. I’m hoping you can help BLS understand whether such observations are likely to provide significant value. We would like to schedule a time where it would be possible for our staff to observe _______________ (company job title) work.

The purpose of the observation is for internal research only, to ensure we are using effective and efficient collection procedures. Information related to the study is confidential and would not be released to the public in any way that would allow identification of individuals or establishments.

We estimate that it will take an average of 85 minutes to participate in this observation. The OMB clearance number for this voluntary collection is 1220-0188. BLS could not conduct this survey without a currently valid OMB control number.

BLS is interested in determining what information can be collected through direct observation of the work. You can select which ___________ (co. job titles) workers are observed at the ______________ (sample location). A pair of observers would observe the worker for an hour and note what ORS physical demands they see the worker perform during that time. We would also record three environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, and noise level. We are only observing the work, not interviewing or collecting any data from employees.

I would greatly appreciate if you would participate in this ORS collection method study. Would it be possible to arrange an observation on ____________________ (date) or is there at better time/date that would work for seeing the typical work of the job?

<CONTACT SCRIPT FOR NEW OBSERVATION RESPONDENT WHERE THE SITUATION REQUIRES FULL SURVEY BACKGROUND AND CONFIDENTIALITY INFORMATION BE PROVIDED>

Hello, my name is ___________________ and I am an (economist/statistician) with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I work on the Occupational Requirements Survey. This is a national survey about the physical demands and environmental conditions of jobs in today’s economy. The data in this survey are being gathered at the request of the Social Security Administration, and they expect to use the outputs in their disability determination process.

_________________(name of contact person) provided some data for this study to my colleague__________________ (name of collecting FE) on __________________ (date).

My call today is a follow-up to that interview. The BLS has a responsibility to ensure that the collection methods used are appropriate and permit us to issue information of the highest quality.

_________ collected information about ____________ (SOC occupation) from _______________ (respondent) via an interview. As part of our continuing efforts to improve our collection procedures, we are investigating how direct observation of the work could increase data quality. This work is being conducted under OMB Control Number xxxx-xxxx.  Without this approval number, we could not conduct this survey.

I’m requesting your company’s continued cooperation to help BLS understand whether such observations are likely to provide significant value. We would like to schedule a time where it would be possible for our staff to observe _______________ (company job title) work.

The purpose of the observation is for internal research only, to ensure we are using effective and efficient collection procedures. The BLS will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent.

We estimate that it will take an average of 85 minutes to participate in this observation. The OMB clearance number for this voluntary collection is 1220-0188. BLS could not conduct this survey without a currently valid OMB control number.

BLS is interested in determining what information can be collected through direct observation of the work. You can select which ___________ (co. job titles) workers are observed at the ______________ (sample location). A pair of observers would observe the worker for an hour and note what ORS physical demands they see the worker perform during that time. We would also record three environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, and noise level. We are only observing the work, not interviewing or collecting any data from employees.

I would greatly appreciate if you would participate in this ORS collection method study. Would it be possible to arrange an observation on ____________________ (date) or is there at better time/date that would work for seeing the typical work of the job?

<ADDITIONAL REPLY FOR ANY RESPONDENT RAISING CONCERNS THIS IS RELATED TO OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTIONS>

This study is not part of any type of enforcement action and we are not conducting an OSHA inspection or audit. By federal law, we cannot and will not share any information with OSHA or release it in any way that would allow for identification of individuals or establishments.