Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission

Plain Writing Act Compliance Report

April 13, 2015

 

I.                   Senior Agency Official for Plain Writing:

Richard Huberman, Chief of Staff and Legal Counsel to Chairman

                  Plain Writing Contact:

                        John Cerveny, Executive Secretary

                  Contact Information:

                        plain@oshrc.gov

II.                Explain what specific types of agency communications have you released by making them available in a format that is consistent with the Plain Writing guidelines.

Type of communications of document or posting. List how this is made available to the public

Who is the intended user and approximate number of potential users

What has changed by using Plain Writing

Guide to Review Commission Procedures

Available on OSHRC Website

Employers who may or may not be represented by legal counsel

The documents are clearer and more self-explanatory

Guide to Simplified Procedures

Available on OSHRC Website

Employers who may or may not be represented by legal counsel

Employee Guide to Review Commission Procedures

Available on OSHRC Website

Employees who wish to participate in a Commission proceeding or who are contesting a proposed abatement period

The Freedom of Information Act Reference Guide

Available on OSHRC Website

Anyone who is interested in submitting a FOIA request to the Commission

Press Releases

Available on OSHRC Website

Anyone who is interested in Commission news and events

Proposed Information Collection on the Settlement Part program

Published in the Federal Register

Anyone who is interested in commenting on the survey of Settlement Part program participants

Commission Briefing Notices

Available on OSHRC Website

Anyone who is interested in the issues in cases at the

Review Commission level

The documents are clearer and more self-explanatory

Request for Public Comment on a Review Level Alternative Dispute Resolution Program

Published in the Federal Register

Anyone who is interested in commenting on the creation of a review level alternative dispute resolution program

Commission Subpoenas

Issued as necessary by Commission Administrative Law Judges

Anyone who is requested to testify or provide evidence at Commission hearings

 

III.             Inform agency staff of Plain Writing Act’s requirements:

On June 24, 2011, the Senior Agency Official for Plain Writing informed all Commission personnel by e-mail of the Plain Writing Act and its requirements. The email included links to various plain writing resources, including material posted on the Commission’s intranet.

 

IV.             Training

   Since the last Plain Writing Act Compliance Report was published on April 11, 2014, the Review Commission provided the following training:

Type of Training

Employees trained

Date

Webinars and online training provided by plainlanguage.gov and hosted on the Commission’s intranet.

Available to all Commission employees

Ongoing

Legal Writing for Paralegals: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (online training)

One employee

Web-based on demand

The Value of Concise, Precise Organization in Writing: a Paralegal’s Guide (online training)

One employee

Web-based on demand

Power Editing for Lawyers (online training)

One employee

Web-based on demand

Effective Writing for Lawyers Workshop

One employee

April 29, 2014

Ethics Writing for Lawyers Workshop

One employee

May 16, 2014

EDIT7001D – Proofreading (Graduate School USA)

One employee

May 21-22, 2014

Drafting Final Agency Actions

One employee

August 6-8, 2014

Writing to Win

One employee

October 12, 2014

 

V.                Ongoing compliance/sustaining change

The Commission will stay in compliance with the Act by incorporating plain language considerations in all documents that the Commission issues to the public.

 

VI.             Agency’s plain writing website

a.        Website address: http://www.oshrc.gov/open/plain_writing.html

b.       Implementation of the Act: 

The Commission will be using plain writing in any updates to documents most often read by the general public, such as our Guide to Review Commission Procedures, Guide to Simplified Proceedings, Employee Guide to Review Commission Procedures, The Freedom of Information Act Reference Guide, Commission announcements and notices.

c.       Link to Compliance reports: Compliance reports will be available on the Commission’s Plain Writing website: (http://www.oshrc.gov/open/plain_writing.html).

d.      More information on Plain Writing may be obtained at the Plain Language website (http://www.plainlanguage.gov).

 

VII.          Customer Satisfaction Evaluation after Experiencing Plain Writing Communications

The Commission set up an e-mail address (plain@oshrc.gov) through which the public may contact us to let us know if they have trouble understanding our documents or the pages on our website.  The Commission will monitor that e-mail address and will take appropriate action on all correspondence received.