[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 217 (Friday, November 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66246-66247]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-26644]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-09-09AC]
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects.
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call 404-639-5960
and send comments to Maryam I. Daneshvar, CDC Acting Reports Clearance
Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail
to [email protected].
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents,
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology. Written comments should be received
within 60 days of this notice.
Proposed Project
Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Among Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) Workers: A NEISS-Work Telephone Interview Survey--New--
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
Studies have reported that EMS workers have higher rates of non-
fatal injuries and illnesses as compared to the general worker
population. As EMS professionals are tasked with protecting the health
of the public and treating urgent medical needs, it follows that
understanding and preventing injuries and illnesses among EMS workers
will have a benefit reaching beyond the workers to the general public.
As mandated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Pub.
L. 91-596), the mission of NIOSH is to conduct research and
investigations on occupational safety and health. Related to this
mission, the purpose of this project is to conduct research that will
provide a detailed description of non-fatal occupational injuries and
illnesses incurred by EMS workers. This project will bridge a gap of
limited existing EMS worker injury and illness surveillance identified
in a 2007 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA)
report. The project will use two related data sources. The first source
is data abstracted from medical records of EMS workers treated in a
nationally stratified sample of emergency departments. These data are
routinely collected by the occupational supplement to the National
Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS-Work). The second data
source, for which NIOSH is seeking OMB approval, is responses to
telephone interview surveys of the injured and ill EMS workers
identified within NEISS-Work.
The proposed telephone interview surveys will supplement NEISS-Work
data with an extensive description of EMS worker injuries and
illnesses, including worker characteristics, injury types, injury
circumstances, injury outcomes, and use of personal protective
equipment. Previous reports describing occupational injuries and
illnesses to EMS workers provide limited details on specific regions or
sub-segments of the population and many are outdated. As compared to
these earlier studies, the scope of the telephone interview data will
be broader as it includes sampled cases nationwide and has no
limitations in regards to type of employment (i.e., volunteer versus
career). Results from the telephone interviews will be weighted and
reported as national estimates.
The sample size for the telephone interview survey is estimated to
be approximately 175 EMS workers annually for the proposed four year
duration of the study. This estimate is based on the number of EMS
workers identified in previous years of NEISS-Work data and a 50%
response rate that is comparable to the rate of previously conducted
National Electronic Injury
[[Page 66247]]
Surveillance System telephone interview studies. Each telephone
interview will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, resulting in
an annualized burden estimate of 58 hours. Using the routine NEISS-Work
data, an analysis of all identified EMS workers will be performed to
determine if there are any differences between the telephone interview
responder and non-responder groups.
This project is a collaborative effort between the Division of
Safety Research in the NIOSH and the Office of Emergency Medical
Services in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Both
agencies have a strong interest in improving surveillance of EMS worker
injuries and illnesses to provide the information necessary for
effectively targeting and implementing prevention efforts and,
consequently, reducing occupational injuries and illnesses among EMS
workers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will also
contribute to this project as they are responsible for coordinating the
collection of all NEISS-Work data and for overseeing the collection of
all telephone interview data.
There is no cost to respondents other than their time.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Average burden
Respondents Number of responses per per response Total burden
respondents respondent (in hours) (in hours)
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EMS workers................................. 175 1 20/60 58
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Dated: November 3, 2008.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. E8-26644 Filed 11-6-08; 8:45 am]
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