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:
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.