Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Plain Writing Act Compliance Report
April 11, 2025
I.Senior Agency Official for Plain Writing:
Nathan Kupka, Supervisory Attorney-Advisor, Office of the General Counsel
Plain Writing Contact:
John X. Cerveny, Executive Secretary
Contact Information:
II.Explain what specific types of agency communications you have released by making them available in a format that is consistent with the Plain Writing guidelines.
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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 |
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Preamble to Revisions of Review Commission Procedural Rules
Published in the Federal Register (84 Fed. Reg. 14,554 (April 10, 2019)
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Anyone who is interested in the reasons for the revision of the procedural rules |
The documents are clearer and more self-explanatory
|
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Guide to Review Commission Procedures
Available on OSHRC Website
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Employers who may or may not be represented by legal counsel | |
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Employee Guide to Review Commission Procedures
Available on OSHRC Website
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Employees who wish to participate in a Commission proceeding or who are contesting a proposed abatement period
| |
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Guide to Simplified Proceedings
Available on OSHRC Website
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Employers who may or may not be represented by legal counsel | |
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The Freedom of Information Act Reference Guide
Available on OSHRC Website |
Anyone who is interested in submitting a FOIA request to the Commission | |
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Press Releases
Available on OSHRC Website
|
Anyone who is interested in Commission news and events | |
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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
|
|
Commission Subpoenas
Issued as necessary by Commission Administrative Law Judges |
Anyone who is requested to testify or provide evidence at Commission hearings | |
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E-Filer User Guide
Available on OSHRC Website |
Parties intending to file OSHRC case documents electronically | |
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E-filer User Guide OSHA Area Offices
Available on OSHRC Website
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OSHA Area Offices intending to file OSHRC case documents electronically | |
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@OSHRC_Chairman X (formerly known as Twitter) account
Available at: https://x.com/OSHRC_Chairman
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Anyone who is interested in Commission news and events | |
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E-Alert Service
Available by subscription through the OSHRC Website
|
Anyone who is interested in Commission news and events |
III.Inform agency staff of Plain Writing Act’s requirements:
On April 8, 2025, the Senior Agency Official for Plain Writing informed all Commission personnel by email of the Plain Writing Act and its requirements. The email included a link to material posted on the Plain Language and Information Network (PLAIN) webpage.
IV.Training
Since the last Plain Writing Act Compliance Report was published on April 12, 2024, the Review Commission approved the following training:
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Type of Training |
Employees trained |
Date |
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Webinars and online training provided by plainlanguage.gov and hosted on the Commission’s network. |
Available to all Commission employees |
Ongoing |
|
Why Bother Writing? |
One employee |
On demand |
|
Mistake-Free Grammar and Proofreading |
One employee |
5/8/2024 |
|
Judicial Writing |
Two employees |
9/16/2024 to 9/19/2024 |
|
Writing for Results |
One employee |
9/23/2024 to 9/24/2024 |
|
Advanced Legal Writing |
Two employees |
9/24/2024 |
|
Writing ECQ Statements |
One employee |
10/15/2024 to 10/16/2024 |
V.Ongoing compliance/sustaining change
The Commission will stay in compliance with the Act by using plain language in all documents that the Commission issues to the public.
VI.Agency’s plain writing website
a. Website address: https://www.oshrc.gov/plain-writing/
b. Implementation of the Act:
The Commission will use plain writing in any updates to documents most often read by the 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, and Commission announcements and notices.
c.Link to Compliance Reports: Compliance reports are available on the Commission’s Plain Writing website: (https://www.oshrc.gov/plain-writing/).
d.More information on Plain Writing may be accessed at the Plain Language website (http://www.plainlanguage.gov).
VII.Customer Satisfaction Evaluation after Experiencing Plain Writing Communications
The Commission maintains an email address ([email protected]) 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 Senior Agency Official for Plain Writing and Plain Writing Contact monitor that email address and take appropriate action on all correspondence received.