[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