Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations, 10313-10314 [2019-05187]

Agencies

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10313-10314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05187]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-19-1125; Docket No. CDC-2019-0017]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or 
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
information collection project titled ``Ingress/egress and work boot 
outsole wear investigation at surface mines.'' The goal of this work is 
to investigate how ingress/egress systems on mobile equipment and 
personal protective footwear (work boots) used by miners may lead to 
slips, trips and falls by interviewing and surveying mine workers and 
examining work boot outsole characteristics.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before May 20, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2019-
0017 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to Regulations.gov.

    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed 
above.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffery M. Zirger, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: 
omb@cdc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    Ingress/egress and work boot outsole wear investigation at surface 
mines (OMB Control No. 0920-1125, Expiration Date 9/30/2019)--
Extension--National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The mission of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health (NIOSH) is to promote safety & health at work for all people 
through research and prevention. NIOSH, under Public Law 91-173 as 
amended by Public Law 95-164 (Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 
1977) has the responsibility to conduct research to improve working 
conditions and to prevent accidents and occupational diseases in the 
U.S. mining sector. The goal of the proposed project is to investigate 
how ingress/egress systems on mobile equipment, and personal protective 
footwear (boots) used by miners may lead to slips, trips and falls at 
stone, sand and gravel surface mining facilities. NIOSH is requesting a 
2-year extension for this data collection. The extension is requested 
to help complete data collection for the boot outsole wear study. The 
results of the boot outsole wear study will be used to inform mine 
policy and practices by providing miners and mine managers with the 
knowledge to determine when to replace footwear based on measurable 
features of the boot outsoles.
    The project objective will be achieved through two studies. The 
first study aims to: Identify elements of ingress/egress systems on 
haulage trucks and front end loaders that pose a risk of slips, trips, 
and falls (STFs) and could lead to STF related injuries; to determine 
worker behavior associated with STF incidents; and to learn how 
purchasing/maintenance decisions are made for ingress/egress systems. 
In the surface mining industry, it is still unclear which component of 
the ingress/egress system poses the greatest risk for STF. Hence, there 
is a need to understand where, how, and why STF incidents occur during 
ingress/egress on mobile equipment.
    NIOSH will conduct semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 
mobile equipment operators, and interviews will be conducted with mine 
management to explore the issues identified above. Focus groups will be 
conducted in a private setting with 4-6 participants using a predefined 
list of questions to help guide the discussion. Semi-structured 
interviews will be

[[Page 10314]]

conducted either in person or over the telephone. Two separate 
interview guides will be used for mobile equipment operators and mine 
management to guide the discussion.
    For the focus groups and semi-structured interviews, NIOSH will 
collect basic demographic information including years of mining 
experience, years of experience with haul trucks/front end loaders, and 
models of haul trucks/front end loaders operated most often in the past 
year. The semi-structured interviews and focus groups will be audio 
recorded for further analysis of the discussion. The semi-structured 
interviews will last no longer than 60 minutes and the focus groups 
will last no longer than 90 minutes.
    The second study aims to identify changes in tread (wear) on the 
work boot outsoles and other outsole characteristics of the boot 
outsole which that will be used in further analysis to develop 
guidelines for work boot replacement based on measureable features of 
boot outsoles. This information will also be used in further analysis 
to and to determine desirable and undesirable features of work boots 
based on mine characteristics or job activities. Most mining companies 
replace footwear at a pre-determined interval, or based on appearance 
and comfort with little knowledge of the actual condition of the boot 
outsole and its influence on the likelihood of a STF incident. Although 
there have been attempts to quantify shoe outsole wear in industrial 
work when the shoe was ready for disposal, there is a lack of knowledge 
in the mining industry on how quickly the outsoles of work boots wear, 
what sorts of wear occur, and how wear patterns influence the 
likelihood of a STF. This study aims to address this concern through 
two parts: A longitudinal study of boot outsole wear characteristics 
and a cross-sectional evaluation of boot outsoles characteristics.
    For the longitudinal study, NIOSH will provide participants with a 
pair of new work boots of their choice, in accordance with their 
respective mine requirements and policies. Afterwards, participants 
will complete a preliminary survey and provide some basic demographic 
information, details of their current work boots, and details of STF 
incidents in the past 3 months. Participants will be requested to wear 
the supplied boots at work and treat the boots as they would any pair 
of work boots they would commonly wear at work.
    NIOSH researchers will scan the boot outsoles longitudinally, at 2-
3 month intervals for the length of the study. To better understand 
wear patterns and risks, participants will complete a recurring survey 
that records hours worked, locations commonly visited, and tasks 
performed along with details of any near miss or STF events. These 
self-reports will be collected via survey on a bi-weekly basis. 
Participants will be offered multiple modalities to respond to the 
survey (in-person, on paper, over the telephone, via email or using an 
online survey) to increase response rates. When a participant feels 
their boots need to be replaced (or when the end of the two-year 
tracking period has been reached), at the end of the study, the 
participant will complete a final survey assessing why the boots were 
at the end of their life, and will return their boots to NIOSH 
researchers for further analysis.
    For the cross cross-sectional study, participants' current work 
boots will be scanned and participants will complete the preliminary 
survey that includes basic demographic information, details of current 
work boots, and details of STF slip, trip or fall events in the past 
three months.
    The results of these research studies will have very different 
applications, but one goal: Reducing the risks of STF accidents at 
surface mining facilities. The total estimated burden hours are 643. 
There is no cost to the respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of      Avg. burden
      Type of respondents           Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)       (in hrs.)
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Mobile equipment Operators....  Mobile equipment              25               1           75/60              31
                                 operators focus
                                 group guide.
Mobile equipment Operators....  Mobile equipment              10               1           45/60               8
                                 operator
                                 interview guide.
Mine Management...............  Mine Management               15               1           45/60              11
                                 Interview Guide.
Mine Worker...................  Screening                     50               1            6/60               5
                                 Questionnaire.
Mine Worker...................  Informed consent              50               1           12/60              10
                                 form
                                 (Longitudinal
                                 boot outsole
                                 study).
Mine Worker...................  Preliminary                  150               1           15/60              38
                                 survey.
Mine Worker...................  Recurring survey              50              52           12/60             520
Mine Worker...................  Final Survey....              50               1            6/60               5
Mine Worker...................  Talent and                   150               1            6/60              15
                                 consent waiver.
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             643
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2019-05187 Filed 3-19-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P