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Back to Part 1912
OSHA 1912.7

Committee reports requirements

15 Questions & Answers
Official OSHA text

Questions & Answers

Under 1912.7, who is responsible for preparing reports about advisory committees?

The Assistant Secretary is responsible for preparing or causing the preparation of reports about advisory committees. This duty is stated clearly in 1912.7.

  • This means the Assistant Secretary may prepare the reports personally or direct others (staff, contractors, or the committee) to prepare them on the Assistant Secretary's behalf.
  • If you need a copy of a specific report or want to know who prepared it, contact the Assistant Secretary's office or the Department of Labor's Committee Management Officer, who is the recipient named in the rule.

Under 1912.7, for whom must the advisory committee reports be prepared?

Reports must be prepared for the Department of Labor's Committee Management Officer. 1912.7 requires that the Assistant Secretary prepare, or cause to be prepared, reports describing the committee's membership, functions, and actions for that official.

  • The Committee Management Officer is the Department of Labor official identified in the regulation as the report recipient; if you need contact or submission details, coordinate with that officer's office.

Under 1912.7, what specific topics must the reports describe?

The reports must describe the committee's membership, functions, and actions. 1912.7 states those three categories as the required content elements.

  • "Membership" refers to who serves on the committee (names or roles).
  • "Functions" refers to the committee's purpose and duties.
  • "Actions" refers to what the committee has done (decisions, recommendations, meetings, outputs) as may be necessary for the Committee Management Officer's duties.

Under 1912.7, can the Assistant Secretary delegate preparation of the reports to others?

Yes. The phrase "shall prepare, or cause to be prepared" in 1912.7 authorizes the Assistant Secretary to delegate or assign the work of preparing the reports.

  • Delegation can include agency staff, committee staff, or contractors preparing the materials, provided the reports are ultimately provided to the Department of Labor's Committee Management Officer as required.

Under 1912.7, does the regulation specify a required format or form to use when preparing committee reports?

No, 1912.7 does not specify a particular form or format for the reports. The regulation only requires that reports "describe" the committee's membership, functions, and actions; it does not prescribe layout, templates, or file formats. See 1912.7.

  • If you need an acceptable format, coordinate with the Department of Labor's Committee Management Officer, who may provide templates or instructions for submitting the required information.

Under 1912.7, how often must advisory committee reports be prepared and submitted?

1912.7 does not set a specific schedule or frequency for preparing or submitting reports; it requires reports "as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the Committee Management Officer." See 1912.7.

  • Frequency therefore depends on what the Committee Management Officer needs (e.g., periodic updates, post-meeting reports, annual summaries). Contact that officer to determine timing requirements for a particular committee.

Under 1912.7, what is the purpose of preparing reports on advisory committees?

The purpose is to provide the Department of Labor's Committee Management Officer with descriptive information necessary to perform the officer's duties. 1912.7 requires reports describing committee membership, functions, and actions for that reason.

  • In short, the reports help the Committee Management Officer monitor and manage advisory committees across the Department of Labor.

Under 1912.7, does the regulation require individual committee members to prepare or submit their own biographical information?

No, 1912.7 does not require individual committee members to prepare or submit biographical information themselves; it assigns responsibility to the Assistant Secretary to prepare or cause the reports to be prepared. See 1912.7.

  • Practically, the Assistant Secretary or designee may request member bios or contact information from members to compile the "membership" portion of the report, but that procedural detail is not specified in the regulation.

Under 1912.7, does the regulation address confidentiality or restrictions on sensitive information included in the reports?

1912.7 does not address confidentiality, privacy, or restrictions on sensitive information; it only requires reports that describe the committee's membership, functions, and actions for the Committee Management Officer. See 1912.7.

  • If you need to include potentially sensitive material, coordinate with the Department of Labor's Committee Management Officer and follow applicable departmental privacy, security, and records policies to determine what may be redacted or handled specially.

Under 1912.7, who uses or oversees the reports once they are submitted?

The Department of Labor's Committee Management Officer is the intended recipient and overseer of the reports prepared under 1912.7. The regulation requires the Assistant Secretary to prepare or cause preparation of reports for that officer. See 1912.7.

  • For questions about how the reports are used internally or where they are filed, contact the Committee Management Officer's office.

Under 1912.7, if a committee's functions or membership change, does the regulation require that the reports be updated?

Yes, insofar as updates are necessary for the Committee Management Officer to perform the officer's duties; 1912.7 requires reports describing membership, functions, and actions "as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the Committee Management officer." See 1912.7.

  • Practically, significant changes in membership or functions should be reported so the Committee Management Officer has current information.

Under 1912.7, does the regulation specify how long advisory committee reports must be retained or archived?

No, 1912.7 does not specify retention or archiving periods for the reports; it only requires that the Assistant Secretary prepare or cause the reports to be prepared for the Committee Management Officer. See 1912.7.

  • Retention and archiving will be governed by Department of Labor or federal records policies; check with the Committee Management Officer or the agency records office for the applicable records schedule.

Under 1912.7, may these committee reports be used to satisfy other federal reporting obligations?

1912.7 does not address whether these reports can or cannot be used to satisfy other federal reporting obligations; it only requires reports describing membership, functions, and actions for the Committee Management Officer. See 1912.7.

  • If you want to reuse or repurpose the reports for other requirements, coordinate with the Committee Management Officer and the other program offices involved to confirm acceptability and any necessary modifications.

Under 1912.7, what kinds of committee "actions" should be described in the reports?

1912.7 requires reports to describe committee "actions" as may be necessary for the Committee Management Officer's duties, but it does not list specific action types. See 1912.7.

  • Common examples that would typically fit "actions" include meetings held, recommendations issued, advisories produced, votes or formal decisions, and major initiatives undertaken; however, whether any specific item must be reported depends on what the Committee Management Officer needs.

Under 1912.7, what should a committee or staff do if they need guidance on preparing the required reports?

If you need guidance, contact the Department of Labor's Committee Management Officer or the Assistant Secretary's office, since 1912.7 assigns responsibility for preparing the reports to the Assistant Secretary for submission to that officer. See 1912.7.

  • The Committee Management Officer can provide instructions on content, format, timing, and any departmental procedures that apply to these reports.