The information collected is used -- and will be used -- by FRA to ensure that each employer--railroad or contractor -- conducting operations subject to Part 243 develops, adopts, submits, and complies with a training program for each category and subcategory of safety-related railroad employee. FRA reviews the required training programs to ensure that they include initial, ongoing, and on-the-job criteria; testing and skills evaluation measures designed to foster continual compliance with Federal standards; and the identification of critical safety defects and plans for immediate remedial actions to correct them. Responses to this information collection are mandatory. The respondent universe for this information collection comprises the 7 Class I railroads, 44 Class II railroads, 704 Class III railroads, and 795 contractors/railroad associations/ learning institutions/learning organizations. The frequency of collection is ion occasion. Affected employers/respondents are required to develop, adopt, submit an comply with a training program for safety-related railroad employees, which must be submitted to FRA for approval. Railroads utilizing contractor employees to perform safety-related duties and that rely on contractor-provided training for those employees must retain a record or validation document indicating that the contractor's program was approved by FRA. Respondents must submit to FRA an informational filing when previously approved programs are modified. New portions or revisions to an approved program must be submitted to FRA for approval. Railroads, training organizations, and learning institutions must maintain records for each safety-related railroad employee trained in accordance with Part 243. The purpose of this information collection is to ensure that each employer -- railroad or contractor -- conducting operations subject to Part 243 develops, adopts, submits, and complies with a training program for each category and sub-category of safety-related railroad employee. Under this rule, each training program must cover Federal safety laws, regulations, and orders that safety-related employees are required to comply with or the railroad rules that cover them and which are, at a minimum, as stringent.
US Code:
49 USC 20162
Name of Law: Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2008
US Code: 49 USC 20162 Name of Law: Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008
This is a revision to the previously approved collection of information. The total burden has increased by 13,501 hours and decreased by 317 responses from the last submission. Overall, the main general adjustment was due to the estimated # of employer training programs increasing; thus increasing the estimated number of total hours under Parts 217 & Part 218. There is one (1) program change which is shown in the two tables provided in the answer to question 15 of the attached Supporting Justification. The program change depicted in the provided table decreased the burden by 122 hours and 486 responses. This program change pertains to section 243.201(a)(2), Railroad designation of safety-related employees by occupational category or subcategory. FRA extended the effective date of this provision of the regulation. This provision now does not go into effect until September 1, 2021, and thus is outside the scope of the normal review/approval period of an agency information collection submission. There is no burden for this requirement then until 2021, and FRA does not have to account for this burden until its next submission. Thus, the burden decreased by 122 hours and 486 responses.
Total adjustments shown in the table provided increased the burden by 13,623 hours and 169 responses.
The current inventory for this information collection exhibits a total of 269,323 hours and 78,464 responses, while the present submission shows a total 282,824 hours and 78,147 responses. Hence, there is a total burden increase of 13,501 hours and a total burden decrease of 317 responses.
There is no change in costs to respondents.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
49 CFR 214, 232, 243.doc
Dec. 11, 2017, FR Notice (30-Day).pdf
Training, Qualification, and Oversigiht for Safety-Related Railroad Employees