[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 2, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 17983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6763]
[[Page 17983]]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Docket Number NIOSH-135]
Notice of Public Meeting and Availability for Public Comment
AGENCY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and availability for public comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
announces the following meeting and request for public comment on the
proposed national survey of healthcare workers' safety and health and a
proposed national survey of employer safety and health practices.
Public Comment Period: April 2, 2008 through July 1, 2008.
Public Meeting Time and Date: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EDT, April 30, 2008.
Place: Sheraton Cincinnati Airport Hotel, 2826 Terminal Drive,
Hebron, Kentucky 41048, (859) 371-6166.
Purpose of the Meeting: To obtain public comment on the content and
conduct of a survey of healthcare workers' safety and health practices
and a separate survey of healthcare establishment's safety and health
practices. Special emphasis will be placed on discussion of the
following:
(1) Content of the survey questionnaires;
(2) Appropriate methods of conducting the surveys.
Status: The forum will include scientists and representatives from
industry, labor, and other stakeholders, and is open to the public.
Attendance is limited only by the space available. The meeting room
will accommodate approximately 60 people. Interested parties should
make hotel reservations directly with the Sheraton Cincinnati Airport
Hotel by calling toll free (888) 627-8418 before the cut-off date of 5
p.m. EDT April 8, 2008. A special group rate of $95 per night plus tax
for meeting guests has been negotiated for this meeting. In order to
receive the special room rate, you will need to indicate that you will
be attending the NIOSH meeting.
Interested parties should confirm their attendance to this meeting
by contacting Ms. Kim Collins, meeting coordinator, at 513-841-4211 or
[email protected] by April 15, 2008. Oral comments given at the meeting
will be recorded and included in the NIOSH docket number 135. Written
comments, including prepared oral comments, will also be accepted at
the meeting or by submitting to the NIOSH Docket Office (see address
below).
Background: The goal of the healthcare worker survey is to collect
information describing hazards, exposures, safety and health practices,
and use of exposure controls by occupation and type and size of
establishment. The goal of the management survey is to collect
information describing facility-based health and safety resources,
safety and health management programs, policies and practices for the
same health and safety hazards covered in the worker survey, by type
and size of establishment.
Preliminary work on this effort included a feasibility study which
was completed in 2006. The study assessed the feasibility of collecting
self-reported information on health and safety practices from
healthcare workers at their workplace. Worker and management
questionnaires were developed (based on healthcare stakeholder input)
and refined using focus groups/cognitive interviews, and pilot-tested
at two large medical centers. Based on the pilot test findings, NIOSH
decided that it would be more cost-effective to implement the worker
survey as a web-based survey through various professional and labor
organizations, rather than through employer establishments. The
management questionnaire will be targeted to individuals responsible
for facility health and safety, based on a representative sample of
healthcare establishments. Although the content of the questionnaires
has been fairly well-defined, information will be sought from meeting
participants on other important or emerging healthcare safety and
health issues for possible inclusion in the questionnaires, as well as
other information (see below). The proposed worker and management
questionnaires may be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/135.
Contact Person for Technical Information: Jim Boiano (513) 841-
4246, or Karl Sieber (513) 841-4231. Comments on the topics presented
in this notice and at the meeting should be mailed to the NIOSH Docket
Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, MS-C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway,
Cincinnati, Ohio, 45226, (513) 533-8611 or fax (513) 533-8285. Comments
may also be submitted by e-mail to [email protected] or at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/135. All electronic comments should be
formatted in Microsoft Word. All material submitted to the Agency
should reference the NIOSH Docket number 135 and be submitted by July
1, 2008.
After the comment period has closed, comments will be able to be
accessed electronically at http://www.cdc.gov/NIOSH under the link to
the NIOSH docket. As appropriate, NIOSH will post comments with the
commenters' names, affiliations and other information, on the Internet.
Reference: The proposed worker and management questionnaires may be
found at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/135.
Dated: March 25, 2008.
James D. Seligman,
Chief Information Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. E8-6763 Filed 4-1-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P