[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70274-70276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28948]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of
Authority
Part C (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) of the
Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority of
the Department of Health and Human Services (45 FR 67772-76, dated
October 14, 1980, and corrected at 45 FR 69296, October 20, 1980, as
amended most recently at 75 FR 62554-62559, dated October 12, 2010) is
amended to reflect the reorganization of the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (CC), Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (C).
Section C-B, Organization and Functions, is hereby amended as
follows:
Delete in its entirety the titles and functional statements for the
Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (CCM) and insert the
following:
Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (CCM). The Office of Mine
Safety and Health Research (OMSHR): (1) Provides national and
international leadership for the prevention of work-related illness,
injury, and fatalities of mine workers through research and prevention
activities at the Pittsburgh, Spokane, and Lake Lynn Laboratories; (2)
conducts field studies to identify emerging hazards, to understand the
underlying causes of mine safety and health problems, and to evaluate
the effectiveness of interventions; (3) develops engineering and
behavioral-based interventions, including training programs, to improve
safety and health in the mines; trains mine safety and health trainers,
and for evaluation purposes, conducts mine rescue and escape training
for miners and mine rescue teams; (4) performs research, development,
and testing of new technologies, equipment, and practices to enhance
mine safety and health; (5) awards competitive grants and contracts to
encourage the development, testing, demonstration, adoption, and
manufacture of mine safety equipment and technologies; (6) develops
best practices guidance for interventions; (7) transfers mining
research and prevention products into practice; (8) coordinates NIOSH
research and prevention activities for the mining sector; (9) provides
policy guidance to the NIOSH Director on mining safety and health
issues; and (10) provides for planning, oversight, and resource
management of OMSHR's activities related to the conduct of programs,
including: human capital and budget management, procurement, policy-
setting and interpretation, and special initiatives.
Division of Mining Science and Technology (CCMD). The Division of
Mining Science and Technology: (1) Studies global technology
developments in areas of potential benefit to mining safety and health;
(2) devises research or evaluation protocols to assess the efficacy of
candidate technologies; (3) develops and implements work plans to adapt
promising technologies for a mining application; (4) leads research-to-
practice activities to facilitate adoption of key safety and health
technologies; (5) utilizes contracts and grants to facilitate the goals
of the MINER Act; (6) coordinates with the Division of Mining Research
Operations for effective utilization of laboratory and human resources
to accomplish the mission of the OMSHR; (7) provides vision and
leadership, and coordinates the processes, to ensure an environment
thriving with scientific excellence, integrity, and innovation; and (8)
provides for the surveillance, health communications, and computational
support needs of the OMSHR.
Health Communications, Surveillance and Research Support Branch
(CCMDB). (1) Collects and analyzes health and safety data related to
mining occupations in order to report on the overall incidence,
prevalence and significance of occupational safety and health problems
in mining; (2) describes trends in incidence of mining-related
fatalities, morbidity, and traumatic injury; (3) conducts surveillance
on the
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use of new technology, the use of engineering controls, and the use of
protective equipment in the mining sector; (4) coordinates surveillance
activities with other NIOSH surveillance initiatives; (5) provides
statistical support for surveillance and research activities of the
laboratory; (6) analyzes and assists in the development of research
protocols for developing studies; (7) coordinates planning, analysis,
and evaluation of the OMSHR research program for achieving
organizational goals; (8) collaborates with research staff to translate
findings from laboratory research to produce compelling products that
motivate the mining sector to engage in improved injury control and
disease prevention activities; (9) coordinates with other health
communication, health education, and information dissemination
activities within NIOSH and CDC to ensure that mining research
information is effectively integrated into the CDC dissemination and
intervention strategies; and (10) supports mining research through the
development and application of computational tools and techniques that
advance the understanding and mitigation of mining health and safety
problems.
Division of Mining Research Operations (CCME). The Division of
Mining Research Operations: (1) Develops new knowledge, engineering and
behavioral interventions, and new technologies to improve mining safety
and health; (2) implements and manages the mining research portfolio to
accomplish the functional goals of the OMSHR; (3) develops, manages,
and operates the laboratory science programs at the Pittsburgh and
Spokane facilities and the experimental programs at mines, including
the experimental mines at Lake Lynn and Pittsburgh; (4) conducts
research-to-practice activities; and (5) coordinates with the Division
of Mining Science and Technology for effective utilization of
laboratory and human resources to accomplish the mission of the OMSHR.
Ground Control Branch (CCMEB). (1) Conducts laboratory and field
investigations of catastrophic events such as catastrophic structural
or ground failures to better understand cause and effect relationships
that initiate such events; (2) designs, evaluates, and implements
appropriate intervention strategies and engineering controls to prevent
ground failures; (3) develops, tests, and promotes the use of rock
safety engineering prediction and risk evaluation systems for control
or reduction of risk; (4) conducts laboratory and field investigations
of surface mining operations to ensure appropriate engineering designs
to prevent slope and highwall failures; (5) conducts research using a
variety of techniques including numerical modeling and laboratory
testing and experiments to ensure a full understanding of rock behavior
and performance during rock excavation and mining operations; (6)
develops, tests, and demonstrates sensors, predictive models, and
engineering control technologies to reduce miners' risk for injury or
death; and (7) conducts research investigations using a wide-variety of
measurement and sensor technologies including in-mine and surface
systems and technologies to ensure the structural stability of mining
operations.
Dust, Ventilation and Toxic Substances Branch (CCMEC). (1)
Develops, plans, and implements a program of research to develop or
improve personal and area direct reading instruments for measuring
mining contaminants including, but not limited to, respirable dust,
silica, diesel particulates and exhaust and a variety of toxic and
other potentially harmful exposures; (2) conducts field tests,
experiments, and demonstrations of new technology for monitoring and
assessing mine air quality; (3) designs, plans, and implements
laboratory and field research to develop airborne hazard reduction
control technologies; (4) carries out field surveys in mines to
identify work organization strategies that could result in reduced dust
exposures, diesel particulate exposures, toxic substance exposures and
exposures to other potentially harmful exposures; (5) evaluates the
performance, economics, and technical feasibility of engineering
control strategies, novel approaches, and the application of new or
emerging technologies for underground and surface mine dust and
respiratory hazard control systems; (6) develops and evaluates
implementation strategies for using newly developed monitors and
control technology for exposure reduction or prevention; and (7)
conducts field and laboratory experiments on mine ventilation systems
to develop improved technologies and strategies for applications to
dust control, gas control, diesel exhaust control to ensure safe and
healthy conditions for underground miners.
Human Factors Branch (CCMED). (1) Conducts laboratory, field, and
computer modeling research to focus on human physiological capabilities
and limitations and their interactions with mining jobs, tasks,
equipment, and the mine work environment; (2) designs and conducts
epidemiological research studies to identify and classify risk factors
that cause, or may cause, traumatic and cumulative/repetitive injuries
to miners; (3) designs, builds, and tests proposed interventions,
including demonstrations of proposed technologies using laboratory
mock-ups, full-scale demonstrations at the laboratory's experimental
mines, or through field evaluation in operating mines; (4) evaluates
and recommends implementation strategies for injury prevention and
control technologies developed by the laboratory; and (5) conducts
human factors research and provides effective training and work
organization techniques for mining.
Electrical and Mechanical Systems Safety Branch (CCMEE). (1)
Conducts laboratory, field, and computer modeling research to assess
the health and safety relevance of mining equipment design features;
(2) using scientific and engineering techniques, analyzes case-studies
of injuries and fatalities resulting from mining equipment and develops
interventions and strategies for reducing or eliminating the hazards;
(3) conducts laboratory and field research to assess the safety hazards
of electrical systems used in mining operations and develops
interventions and strategies to reduce or eliminate the hazards; (4)
develops novel approaches for improving the operational safety of
working around, and on, mining machinery; and (5) conducts laboratory
and field research on communication systems, tracking systems and
monitoring systems as needed to ensure their viability and safety
during routine mining operations as well as post-disaster conditions.
Fires and Explosions Branch (CCMEG). (1) Conducts experiments and
studies at the Lake Lynn Laboratory and the Bruceton Experimental Mine
as well as field experiments at operating mines to prevent catastrophic
events such as mine explosions, mine fires, and gas and water
inundations to better understand cause and effect relationships which
initiate such events; (2) develops new or improved strategies and
technologies for mine fire prevention, detection, control, and
suppression; (3) investigates and develops an understanding of the
critical parameters and their interrelationships governing the
mitigation and propagation of explosions, and develops and facilitates
the implementation of interventions to prevent mine explosions; (4)
develops new controls and strategies for eliminating explosions or
fires or minimizing the impact of explosions on the safety of mine
workers by improving
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suppression systems, improving detection of sentinel events, and
improving much needed escape and rescue approaches; (5) works with the
mining industry and other government agencies to ensure research gaps
and technology needs are met for mine rescue teams, and provides a test
bed in the experimental mines to develop and evaluate rescue
technologies and training methods; and (6) identifies and evaluates
emerging health and safety issues as mining operations move into more
challenging and dangerous geologic conditions.
Hearing Loss Prevention Branch (CCMEH). (1) Plans and conducts
laboratory and field research on noise-induced hearing loss in miners;
(2) conducts field dosimetric and audiometric surveys to assess the
extent and severity of the problem, to identify those mining segments
in greatest need of attention, and to objectively track progress in
meeting hearing loss prevention goals; (3) conducts field and
laboratory research to identify noise generation sources and to
identify those areas most amenable to intervention activities; (4)
develops, tests, and demonstrates new control technologies for noise
reduction; (5) evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of
controls; (6) develops, evaluates, recommends and empowers workers with
implementation strategies to promote the adoption and use of noise
reduction technology; and (7) improves the reliability of communication
in noisy workplaces.
Dated: November 5, 2010.
William P. Nichols,
Chief Operating Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2010-28948 Filed 11-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-18-M