[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51817-51818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-24503]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Proposed Information Collection Request Submitted for Public
Comment and Recommendations; Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an
[[Page 51818]]
opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of
information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the
desired format, reporting burden is minimized, reporting forms are
clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on
respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed
extension of the ``Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.''
A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the address
section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before December 4,
1995.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Karin G. Kurz, BLS Clearance Officer,
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3255,
2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington D.C. 20212. For further
information contact Ms. Kurz on 202-606-7628 (this is not a toll free
number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
BLS was delegated responsibility by the Secretary of Labor for
implementing Section 24(a) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of
1970. This section states that ``the Secretary shall compile accurate
statistics on work injuries and illnesses which shall include all
disabling, serious, or significant injuries and illnesses. * * *''
Prior to the implementation of the Census of Fatal Occupational
Inquries (CFOI), BLS generated estimates of occupational fatalities for
private sector employers from a sample survey of about 280,000
establishments. Studies showed that occupational fatalities were
underreported in those estimates as well as those compiled by
regulatory, vital statistics, and workers' compensation systems.
Estimates varied widely between 3,000 and 10,000 annually. In addition,
information needed to develop prevention strategies was often missing
from these earlier systems.
In the late 1980s, the National Academy of Sciences study, Counting
Injuries and Illnesses in the Workplace, and the report, Keystone
National Policy Dialogue on Work-Related Illness and Injury
Recordkeeping, emphasized the need for BLS to compile a complete roster
of work-related fatalities because of concern over the accuracy of
using a sample survey to estimate the incidence of occupational
fatalities. These studies also recommended the use of all available
data sources to compile detailed information for fatality prevention
efforts. BLS tested the feasibility of collecting fatality data in this
manner in 1989 and 1990. The resulting CFOI was implemented in 32
States in 1991. National data covering all 50 States and the District
of Columbia were compiled and published for 1992-1994, approximately
eight months after each calendar year.
The CFOI compiles comprehensive, accurate, and timely information
on work-injury fatalities needed to develop effective prevention
strategies. The system collects information concerning the incident,
demographic information on the deceased, and characteristics of the
employer.
Data are used to:
--Develop employee safety training programs;
--Develop and assess the effectiveness of safety standards;
--Conduct research for developing prevention strategies; and
--Compare fatalities between States.
In addition, States use the data to publish State reports, to
identify State-specific hazards, to allocate resources for promoting
safety in the workplace, and to evaluate the quality of work life in
the States.
II. Current Actions
In 1994, more than 6,500 workers lost their lives as a result of
injuries received on the job. This official, systematic, verifiable
count mutes controversy over the various counts from different sources.
The CFOI count has been adopted by the National Safety Council and
other organizations as the sole source of a comprehensive count of
fatal work injuries for the United States. If this information were not
collected, the confusion over the number of, and patterns in, fatal
occupational injuries would continue, thus hampering prevention
efforts. By providing timely occupational fatality data, the CFOI
program provides safety and health managers the information necessary
to respond to emerging workplace hazards.
In 1994, BLS Washington staff responded to over 2,000 requests for
CFOI data from various organizations. (This figure excludes requests
received by the States for State-specific data.) The CFOI research
file, made available to safety and health groups, is being used by 30
organizations to conduct studies on specific topics such as protective
equipment use, forklift injuries, tractor-trailer tipovers, powerline
electrocutions, homicides, construction industry falls, highway
construction fatalities, and logging and forestry fatalities. (A
current list of research articles and reports that include CFOI data
can be found in BLS Report 891, dated June 1995, Appendix F. Copies of
this report are available upon request.)
Type of Review: Extension.
Agency: Bureau of Labor statistics.
Title: Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.
OMB Number: 1220-0133.
Frequency: On Occasion.
Affected Public: Individuals or households, Business or other for-
profit, Not-for-profit institutions, Farms, Federal Government, State,
Local or Tribal Government.
Number of Respondents: 2,665.
Estimated Time Per Response: 11 Minutes.
Total Burden Hours: 5,000 Hours.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget
approval of the ICR; they also will become a matter of public record.
Signed at Washington, D.C., this 26th day of September, 1995.
Peter T. Spolarich,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 95-24503 Filed 10-2-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M