[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 233 (Monday, December 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64088-64089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29109]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-10-10AP]
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
Survey of Healthcare Workers' Health and Safety Practices--New--
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 and health at work for all people
through research and prevention. Under Public Law 91-596, Sections 20
and 22 (Section 20-22, Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970),
NIOSH has the responsibility to conduct research to advance the health
and safety of workers. In this capacity, NIOSH will conduct a survey of
healthcare workers.
Healthcare workers represent over 8% of the U.S. workforce with
many occupations projected to substantially grow in the next ten years.
Healthcare workers experience higher rates of illness and injury as
compared to workers in other industries and are at increased risk for
many of the types of adverse health effects potentially caused by
exposure to hazardous chemical agents. The proposed hazard surveillance
survey will provide important information on work practices associated
with the use of important classes of hazardous chemical agents
including aerosolized medications, antineoplastic agents, chemical
sterilants, high level disinfectants, surgical smoke, and anesthetic
gases. This survey is the first of its kind by the Federal government
or others. The data collected will describe the prevalence and
distribution of health and safety practices and the use of exposure
controls and barriers to their use for each of these chemical agents,
by occupation and by type and by size of work setting. The study
population for this survey includes members of professional
organizations who represent healthcare workers in many occupations
which use or are exposed to these chemical agents. NIOSH will use the
data to guide interventions and future research. The participating
professional organizations indicated that the data will be useful for
benchmarking, identifying areas for expanding guidelines and for health
and safety promotion.
The proposed survey is modular in design and will be available only
on-line. The survey includes separate chemical hazard modules
addressing the previously mentioned hazardous chemical agents, and a
core module which gathers information on a broad range of health and
safety issues affecting healthcare workers, in addition to demographic
information. Members of the participating professional organizations
will be recruited by email which will be sent by each professional
organization to their members. All respondents will complete a brief
screening questionnaire. If one or more of the chemical agents under
study was
[[Page 64089]]
used in the past week, the respondent would complete the appropriate
hazard module (e.g., oncology nurse would complete hazard module on
administration of antineoplastic agents) and the core module. A second
hazard module may also be completed depending on whether additional
chemical agents were used in the past week.
Depending on the size of the participating professional
organization, all members or a random sample of members will be sent an
e-mail by their organization which will contain a hyperlink to the
survey. The survey will reside on a secure Web site maintained by our
survey contractor. The major objectives of the survey will be to: (1)
Describe the prevalence and distribution of health and safety practices
by chemical hazard, occupation and type and size of work setting; (2)
describe the frequency and duration of use of hazardous chemicals by
occupation and type and size of work setting; and (3) describe the use
of exposure controls including the use of personal protective equipment
as well as the barriers to their use, by occupation and type and size
of work setting. The survey will provide important hazard and exposure
surveillance data that is currently unavailable for healthcare workers.
NIOSH will use the results to identify gaps relative to the use of best
practices, to guide interventions and to stimulate future research. The
participating professional organizations plan to use the data to
benchmark current practices, to identify areas for expanding guidelines
and to promote occupational health and safety.
The target population of healthcare workers for this survey will be
limited to members of the participating professional organizations who
have used or been exposed to one or more of the hazardous chemical
agents within the past week. Respondents will not be asked to report
names or any other identifying information.
The project supports the NIOSH surveillance strategic goal to
advance the usefulness of surveillance information for the prevention
of occupational illnesses, injuries and hazards, and actively promoting
the dissemination and use of NIOSH surveillance data and information.
This survey will allow NIOSH to characterize health and safety
practices of healthcare workers and their work environment; describe
the frequency and duration of use of the targeted hazardous chemical
agents by occupation and by type and size of work setting; and describe
the use of exposure controls including the use of personal protective
equipment as well as the barriers to their use, by occupation and type
and size of work setting.
Once the study is completed, results will be made available via
various means including the NIOSH internet site. NIOSH expects to
complete data collection no later than spring of 2011. There is no cost
to respondents other than their time.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Avg. burden
Type of respondent Form name Number of responses per per response Total burden
respondents respondent (in hours) (in hours)
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Healthcare Workers............ Screening Module 25,650 1 1/60 428
Primary Hazard 20,520 1 10/60 3,420
Module.
Core Module..... 20,520 1 17/60 5,814
Secondary Hazard 1,952 1 10/60 325
Module.
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Total..................... ................ .............. .............. .............. 9,987
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Dated: December 1, 2009.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. E9-29109 Filed 12-4-09; 8:45 am]
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