2434ss78 WPS Focus Group Justification

Request for Approval under the

“Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

(OMB Control Number: 2010-0042)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Focus Group Studies of Stakeholder and Regulated Community Reactions to Messages on the EPA’s agricultural Worker Protection Standard

PURPOSE:

In 2015, EPA revised the regulation that protects agricultural workers from pesticide exposure. States and EPA are responsible for implementing and enforcing the regulations while the agriculture community is required to comply. EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs is developing plain language messaging targeted toward the agricultural community to increase general awareness of the revisions. OPP is looking to communicate via the media outlets they already use and in a way that is positive and action-oriented.

EPA would like to use focus groups to get input from the regulated community on draft messages. It is important that messages get the attention of the targeted audience without unintentionally causing a negative reaction. The information gleaned from focus group testing will be a critical component of developing effective, positive messages. 

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Participants will be adult owner and operators of agriculture businesses and will be recruited to meet the following criteria:

• Currently involved in fruit or vegetable growing within the US

• Mix of ages

• Interest in agricultural worker health and safety and a desire to obtain additional information

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [ ] Small Discussion Group

[X] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to solicit opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Jeanne Kasai, OCSPP OPP, Kasai.Jeanne@epa.gov

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X ] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [X] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [X] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
Total Individuals	15 - 30	10 minutes	2.5 to 4.5 hrs

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is approximately $9,000. In order to solicit effective results, focus group studies require the expertise and management of experienced facilitators, and thus EPA will use a contractor to recruit participants and conduct the focus group sessions.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [X] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

Sampling Plan

Participants will be recruited from attendees at the Northeast Organic Farmers Association conference August 12 – 13, 2017 in Amherst, MA. The EPA contractor will sponsor an exhibition table. If a conference attendee expresses interest, the contractor will ask if they are interested in answering a few questions. All potential participants will be administered a screening questionnaire to assess demographic, geographic, behavioral and attitudinal characteristics that may qualify or disqualify them for participation.

Participation will be voluntary, one-on-one in person exchanges. Participants will be asked if they are interested in reviewing messages and answering questions. They will expend between 10 to 20 minutes and it will take minimal effort to verbally answer questions. There will be no compensation. Therefore, participation is likely to be limited to those with interest in the subject matter or who enjoy short, interactive sessions.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[X] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ X] Yes [ ] No