[Federal Register: August 25, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 164)]
[Notices]
[Page 49927-49928]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25au05-50]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[30Day-05-05AF]
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 371-5983 or send an e-mail
to omb@cdc.gov. Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Office of
Management and Budget, Washington, DC or by fax to (202) 395-6974.
Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.
Proposed Project
How Miners Modify Their Behavior In Response To Personal Dust
Monitor Information--New--National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
The Federal Mine Safety & Health Act of 1977, Section 501, and the
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Public Law 91-256 enables
CDC/NIOSH to carry out research relevant to the health and safety of
workers in the mining industry. The objective of this project is to
document how coal miners can use real-time information from their
personal dust monitors (PDM) to reduce their exposure to respirable
dust. The specific aims are to (1) identify several specific examples
of how miners use PDM information to discover which parts of their jobs
and/or which aspects of their work environment may be causing them to
be overexposed to respirable dust, and (2) identify the types of
changes that miners could make in order to try to reduce their
exposure. Although the most recent data on the prevalence of Coal
Workers' Pneumoconiosis (CWP) in the United States indicates that it is
declining, substantial numbers of CWP cases continue to be diagnosed.
In recent years, CWP has contributed to the deaths of approximately
1,000 people in the U.S. each year.
A personal dust monitor (PDM) has recently been developed through a
collaboration involving NIOSH, the Bituminous Coal Operators'
Association, the United Mine Workers of America, the National Mining
Association, and Rupprecht & Patashnick Co., Inc. This new device
represents a major advance in the tools available for assessing coal
miners' exposure to respirable dust levels. It will soon be field
tested with coal miners throughout the U.S. As with the introduction of
any new technology, it is very important to systematically document how
workers react to it and make use of it. If miners know how to properly
use the information PDMs are capable of providing, they should be able
to make adjustments to their work place or work procedures that will
reduce their exposure to respirable coal dust.
Various parties have speculated about the processes by which miners
will use the information to reduce their exposure to respirable dust.
There appears to be great potential. However, no one knows precisely
how miners performing a wide variety of tasks and jobs are actually
going to use this new information to reduce their exposure to dust. It
is assumed that, once PDMs are introduced, miners will eventually find
new ways to reduce their exposure to
[[Page 49928]]
dust. Once these discoveries are made, they need to be documented and
shared throughout the industry.
The diffusion of this innovation will occur much more rapidly and
efficiently if this proposed study takes place. Effective strategies
for using PDM information will be well documented and quickly shared
throughout the coal industry. The alternative is to wait for the miners
at each of the 482 actively producing coal mines in the U.S. to go
through their own trial and error process of discovering how PDMs can
and cannot be used to reduce dust exposure. The proposed study will
help to significantly reduce the incidence of lung disease among coal
miners, leading to improvements in their longevity and quality of life.
The information for this study will be collected by conducting one-
on-one structured interviews with approximately 20 miners at each of 5
mines located throughout the major coal producing regions of the U.S.
This survey will last 2 years. There will be no cost to respondents
except their time to participate. The total estimated annualized burden
hours are 25.
Estimate of Annualized Burden Table
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Number of Average burden
Respondents Number of responses per per response
respondents respondent (in hours)
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Coal Miners..................................................... 50 1 30/60
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Dated: August 18, 2005.
Joan F. Karr,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 05-16895 Filed 8-24-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P