[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58515-58517]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24187]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[30Day-11-0260]
Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review
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) 639-5960 or send an e-mail
to [email protected]. Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Office of
Management and Budget, Washington, DC or by fax to (202) 395-5806.
Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.
Proposed Project
Health Hazard Evaluation/Technical Assistance and Emerging
Problems--Revision (OMB No. 0920-0260 Exp. 1/31/2012)--National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
In accordance with its mandates under the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of 1970 and the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977,
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
responds to requests for health hazard evaluations (HHE) to identify
chemical, biological or physical hazards in workplaces throughout the
United States. Each year, NIOSH receives approximately 320 such
requests. Most HHE requests come from the following types of companies:
service, manufacturing companies, health and social services,
transportation, construction, agriculture, mining, skilled trade and
construction.
A printed Health Hazard Evaluation request form is available in
English and in Spanish. The form is also available on the Internet and
differs from the printed version only in format and in the fact that it
uses an Internet address to submit the form to NIOSH. Both the printed
and Internet versions of the form provide the mechanism for employees,
employers, and other
[[Page 58516]]
authorized representatives to supply the information required by the
regulations governing the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation program (42
CFR 85.3-1). In general, if employees are submitting the form it must
contain the signatures of three or more current employees. However,
regulations allow a single signature if the requestor: is one of three
(3) or fewer employees in the process, operation, or job of concern; or
is any officer of a labor union representing the employees for
collective bargaining purposes. An individual management official may
request an evaluation on behalf of the employer. The information
provided is used by NIOSH to determine whether there is reasonable
cause to justify conducting an investigation and provides a mechanism
to respond to the requestor.
In the case of 25% to 50% of the health hazard evaluation requests
received, NIOSH determines an on-site evaluation is needed. The primary
purpose of an on-site evaluation is to help employers and employees
identify and eliminate occupational health hazards. In most on-site
evaluations employees are interviewed to help further define concerns,
and in approximately 50% these evaluations (presently estimated to be
about 80 facilities), questionnaires are distributed to the employees
(averaging about 40 employees per site for this last subgroup). The
interview and survey questions are specific to each workplace and its
suspected diseases and hazards, however, items are derived from
standard medical and epidemiologic techniques. The request forms take
an estimated 12 minutes to complete. The interview forms take 15-30
minutes to complete.
NIOSH distributes interim and final reports of health hazard
evaluations, excluding personal identifiers, to: requesters, employers,
employee representatives; the Department of Labor (Occupational Safety
and Health Administration or Mine Safety and Health Administration, as
appropriate); and, as needed, other federal, state, and local agencies.
NIOSH administers a follow-back program to assess the effectiveness
of its health hazard evaluation program in reducing workplace hazards.
This program entails the mailing of follow-back questionnaires to
employer and employee representatives at all the workplaces where NIOSH
conducted site visits. In a small number of instances, a follow-back
on-site evaluation may be conducted. The initial follow-back
questionnaire is administrated immediately following the site visits
and takes about 10 minutes. Another follow-back questionnaire is sent a
year later and requires about 15 minutes to complete. At 24 months, a
final follow-back questionnaire regarding the completed evaluation is
sent which takes about 15 minutes to complete.
For requests where NIOSH does not conduct an onsite evaluation, the
requester receives a follow-back questionnaire 12 months after our
response and a second one 24 months after our response. The first
questionnaire takes about 10 minutes to complete and the second
questionnaire takes about 15 minutes to complete. Because of the large
number of investigations conducted each year, the need to respond
quickly to requests for assistance, the diverse and unpredictable
nature of these investigations, and its follow-back program to assess
evaluation effectiveness; NIOSH requests a clearance of the revised
information collection package for data collections performed within
the domain of its health hazard evaluation program. There is no cost to
respondents other than their time. The total estimated annual burden
hours are 2874.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Average burden
Type of respondent Form Number of responses per per response
respondents resondent in hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Employees and Representatives;....... Health Hazard Evaluation 211 1 12/60
Request Form.
Employers............................ Health Hazard Evaluation 109 1 12/60
Request Form.
Employees............................ Health Hazard Evaluation 3200 1 15/60
specific interview
example.
Employees............................ Health Hazard Evaluation 3440 1 30/60
specific questionnaire
example.
Followback for onsite evaluations for Initial Site Visit survey 320 1 15/60
Management, Labor and Requester Year form.
1.
Year 1-Closeout for HHE 320 1 15/60
with an OnSite
Evaluation.
Year 2-1 year Later HHE 320 1 15/60
with an On Site
Evaluation.
Followback for evaluations for Year 1-Closeout Survey 120 1 10/60
Management, Labor and Requester cover letter and Forms.
without onsite evaluation.
Year 2-Closeout Survey 120 1 15/60
Cover Letter and Forms.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 58517]]
Dated: September 13, 2011.
Daniel Holcomb,
Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2011-24187 Filed 9-20-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P