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REINVENTION EXPRESS

OSHA's Marthe Kent Gets the First Plain Language Award
Vice President Gore gave the first No Gobbledygook plain language award to Marthe Kent of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on June 30 in the White House. Kent, Director of Regulatory Analysis, received the award for an upcoming OSHA regulation on dip tanks.

"Reviewing and rewriting government language is another step toward reinventing our government so that it better communicates with the American people," the Vice President said. Here's the section of the old and new regulation the Vice President read as part of the ceremony.

BEFORE:
1910(94(d) (1) General.
(i) This paragraph applies to all operations involving the immersion of materials in liquids, or in the vapors of such liquids, for the purpose of cleaning or altering the surface or adding to or imparting a finish thereto or changing the character of the materials, and their subsequent removal form the liquid or vapor, draining, and drying. These operations include washing, electroplating, anodizing, pickling, quenching, dyeing, dipping, tanning, dressing, bleaching, degreasing, alkaline cleaning, striping, rinsing, digesting, and other similar operations.

AFTER:
1910.122
(a) When does this rule apply?
(1) This rule applies to operations using a dip tank containing any liquid other than water:
(i) To clean an object;
(ii) To coat an object;
(iii) To alter the surface of an object; or
(iv) To change the character of an object.
(2) This rule also applies to drying or draining an object after dipping.

We Want Your Plain Language Nominations Now
Send us your nominations for the new No Gobbledygook Award right away. Vice President Gore set up the award on June 1 when he announced that the President had signed a Presidential Memorandum requiring federal agencies to write clearly to their customers. The directive includes regulations, notices, letters, and other communications with the public. You may see the memorandum at www.npr.gov/library/direct/memos/memoeng.html

The award goes to federal employees, not agencies. The criteria include using personal pronouns, active voice, and short sentences. Nominations must include before and after samples and must be tested with people who need to read and use the information. See the criteria at www.plainlanguage.gov/awards/page1.htm

FAX your nomination to No Gobbledygook Award, 202-632-0390, or mail to:

No Gobbledygook Award
National Partnership for Reinventing Government
750 17th Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20006

For More Information
For more information on the plain language initiative, including award criteria, visit www.plainlanguage.gov or contact annetta.cheek@npr.gov. Calls to (202) 694-0075 will be returned within 24 hours.

National Partnership for Reinventing Government, 750-17th St., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006. The Express is on the Internet at www.npr.gov. Click on News Room. To subscribe by e-mail, send a message to Listproc@lucky.fed.gov . Put this message: SUBSCRIBE EXPRESS-L FIRSTNAME LASTNAME. For fax, send fax number to pat.wood@npr.gov or fax to (202) 632-0390.