DOL has published a notice requesting
comment on its data collection methods for a survey that measures miners’ voice
in the workplace. The pilot study will determine how to measure workers’ voice
in mining workplaces under MSHA jurisdiction. The working definition for voice in the workplace is “workers’
ability to access information on their rights in the workplace, their
understanding of those rights, and their ability to exercise those rights
without fear of discrimination or retaliation.”
DOL is performing a
pilot study to investigate the efficacy of different data collection methods
and to develop a survey instrument that is appropriate for the mining
community. The primary research question is “What measures of voice and
perceived noncompliance, combined with what modes of data collection, could be
best used to track MSHA’s worker protection outreach activity?”
DOL is soliciting
comments concerning its data collection strategies:
1) Submission of
paper questionnaires to be filled out by individual mine workers during offsite
mining-related training sessions;
2) recruitment of
miners through use of radio and paper advertisements;
3) a mail or phone
survey.
Written comments must be received by March 19, 2012. For detailed information on submitting
comments, including the desired focus of comments, view the Federal Register notice.