[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 46 (Monday, March 10, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10863-10867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-5789]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
[Announcement 725]


National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Childhood 
Agricultural Safety and Health Research, Notice of Availability of 
Funds for Fiscal Year 1997

Introduction

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces that 
applications are being accepted for research on childhood agricultural 
safety and health. Projects are sought to conduct research on etiology, 
outcomes, and intervention strategies, and to rigorously evaluate the 
effectiveness of commonly used educational materials and methods in 
preventing childhood agricultural injuries and illnesses. Findings from 
these projects are intended to advance the scientific base of knowledge 
needed to maximize the safety and health of children exposed to 
agricultural production hazards.
    CDC is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease 
prevention objectives of ``Healthy People 2000,'' a national activity 
to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of life. This 
announcement is related to the priority areas of ``Occupational Safety 
and Health'' and ``Unintentional Injuries.'' (For ordering a copy of 
``Healthy People 2000,'' see the section Where to Obtain Additional 
Information.)

Authority

    This program is authorized under the Public Health Service Act, as 
amended, Section 301(a) (42 U.S.C. 241(a)) and the Occupational Safety 
and Health Act of 1970, Section 20(a) (29 U.S.C. 669(a)). The 
applicable program regulation is 42 CFR Part 52.

Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants include non-profit and for-profit 
organizations, universities, colleges, research institutions, and other 
public and private organizations, including State and local 
governments, and small, minority and/or woman-owned businesses.

    Note: An organization described in Section 501(c)(4) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which engages in lobbying activities 
shall not be eligible to receive Federal funds constituting an 
award, grant, contract, loan, or any other form.

Smoke-Free Workplace

    CDC strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-
free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products, and 
Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in 
certain facilities that receive Federal funds in which education, 
library, day care, health care, and early childhood development 
services are provided to children.

Availability of Funds

    About $2,500,000 is available in fiscal year (FY) 1997 to fund 
approximately 11 to 15 project grants in four priority research areas: 
(1) etiology (3-4 awards); (2) outcomes (3-4 awards); (3) intervention 
strategies (3-4 awards); and (4) rigorous evaluations of commonly 
available and used childhood educational or training programs to 
determine effectiveness in influencing safety and health behaviors and 
consequently preventing agricultural injuries and illnesses among 
children and adolescents (2-3 awards).
    Awards for the first three areas are anticipated to range from 
$150,000 to $200,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) per year. 
Awards for the fourth priority area are anticipated to range from 
$200,000 to $300,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) per year.

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    The amount of funding available may vary and is subject to change. 
Awards are expected to begin on or about September 30, 1997. Awards 
will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period not 
to exceed 3 years. Continuation awards within the project period will 
be made on the basis of satisfactory progress and availability of 
funds.

Background

    Agricultural production, which consistently ranks among the 
industries with the highest rates of work-related injuries and deaths 
in the United States, is unique with respect to children and 
adolescents. Compared to nonagricultural industries, coverage and 
protections of Federal child labor laws are limited, work by youth 
under 14 years of age is common, and childhood exposures to work 
hazards are not confined to working youths. Research is needed to 
facilitate the appropriate prioritization of efforts to prevent 
childhood injuries and illnesses associated with agricultural 
production, and expand the knowledge base for the development and 
implementation of effective and appropriate intervention strategies.
    Federal child labor laws are organized by agricultural and 
nonagricultural work. Whereas the minimum age for employment in 
nonagricultural industries is 14 years, there are provisions which 
allow for agricultural employment of children as young as 10 years of 
age. Although work declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor is 
prohibited for youths less than 18 years of age in nonagricultural 
industries, in agriculture, it is prohibited for youths less than 16 
years of age, and only then for youths formally employed off the family 
farm. Federal child labor regulations contain a statutory exemption 
which permits the children of farmers to perform any job at any age on 
a family farm.
    Data on employment of youths less than 15 years of age are not 
routinely collected or reported. Children less than 15 years of age are 
known to work, especially in agriculture. In 1995, an estimated 275,000 
youths 16-19 years of age were employed in agriculture, accounting for 
4% of working youths in this age group. It is reported that 72% of 
these agricultural youth workers were wage and salary workers, 24% were 
self-employed, and 5% were unpaid family workers. The Bureau of Labor 
Statistics (BLS) reports 89 agricultural work-related deaths of youths 
16-19 years of age for the years 1992-1995, accounting for a 
disproportionate 15% of work-related deaths among this age group during 
this period. Further, BLS reports 66 agricultural work-related deaths 
of youth less than 16 years of age during this period, a group for 
which employment data are not available.
    An estimated 2,100 injuries serious enough to require time away 
from work occurred among working youth l4-19 years of age on farms with 
at least 11 employees in 1994. Estimates of serious injuries on farms 
with fewer than 11 employees are not available. A couple of studies 
have suggested that among youth, work-related injuries in agriculture 
tend to be more serious than injuries in other industries. Farm 
machinery, stored grain, power lines, manure pits, ponds, and livestock 
are among injury hazards in agricultural workplaces.
    Children and adolescents may be exposed to agricultural production 
hazards not only through work activities, but by virtue of living on a 
farm or ranch, accompanying their parents to work, or visiting farms or 
ranches. In 1991, an estimated 1.3 million youth less than 20 years of 
age resided on farms or ranches. Another 800,000 children lived in 
households of hired farm workers. Data from the early 1980s suggested 
that 300 children and adolescents die annually from farm injuries, with 
about 35% of the deaths occurring among youth less than 9 years of age. 
Recent data suggest that about 100,000 children suffer a nonfatal 
injury associated with agricultural production each year. The monetary 
and social costs of these injuries are unknown, but they are needed to 
form and evaluate prevention efforts.
    In April 1996, the National Committee for Childhood Agricultural 
Injury Prevention (NCCAIP) published a National Action Plan towards 
maximizing the safety and health of all children and adolescents who 
may be exposed to agricultural hazards. This National Action Plan, 
which includes 13 objectives and 43 recommended action steps, was based 
on input from 42 members representing the public and private sector. 
The National Action Plan calls for funding of research and safety 
programs by the Federal government, foundations, agribusiness, and 
other private-sector groups.
    Congress allocated FY 1997 funds to NIOSH to facilitate the 
implementation of this National Action Plan. This announcement and 
expected awards are one component in the process of NIOSH 
implementation of the National Action Plan. Research studies which 
result from this announcement are intended to advance the following 
objectives in the proposed National Action Plan: establish guidelines 
for children's and adolescents' work in the industry of agriculture; 
conduct research on costs, risk factors, and consequences associated 
with children and adolescents who participate in agricultural work; use 
systematic evaluation to ensure that educational materials and methods 
targeted toward childhood agricultural safety and health have 
demonstrated positive results; influence adult behaviors which affect 
protection of children and adolescents through the use of incentives 
and adoption of voluntary safety guidelines; and, provide a protective 
and supportive environment for children exposed as bystanders to 
agricultural hazards.

Purpose

    NIOSH seeks to maximize the safety and health of children and 
adolescents exposed to agricultural production hazards by expanding the 
knowledge base regarding etiology, outcomes, intervention strategies, 
and the effectiveness of commonly utilized educational materials and 
methods. Research may address children directly involved in work tasks 
and/or other children exposed to agricultural production hazards. The 
funded research projects should cover a variety of types of 
agricultural production in different geographical regions (e.g. tomato 
harvesting in California, dairy farms in Wisconsin, and blueberry 
picking in Maine).

Programmatic Interest

    The focus of these grants should facilitate progress in maximizing 
the safety and health of children and adolescents exposed to 
agricultural hazards. The rationale for the significance of the 
research and application to the prioritization, development, or 
implementation of intervention efforts must be developed in the 
proposal. Proposals are being accepted which focus on one of three 
research areas (etiology, outcomes, intervention strategies), or that 
involve rigorous evaluations of commonly used childhood educational 
materials or methods. Applications should identify the focus or foci of 
the research proposal (etiology, outcomes, intervention strategies, 
evaluation of commonly used childhood educational materials or 
methods); types and geographical distribution of agricultural 
production which will be addressed, and size and characteristics of 
child and adolescent populations which can potentially be impacted by 
research findings.

[[Page 10865]]

1. Etiology Research

    Etiologic research into contributors to injury and illness among 
children in agricultural production settings, with specific attention 
to risk factors unique to child and adolescent development e.g. 
physical, cognitive and behavioral. Research which can form the 
development of age-and developmentally-appropriate guidelines for work 
and protection of non-working children are of particular interest. 
Potential research areas follow for illustrative purposes only, and 
should not be considered boundaries for proposed research questions. 
Youths who are still maturing may not meet the anthropometric and 
strength requirements of various agricultural machines, tools, personal 
protective equipment, and work tasks. Physical maturation and growth 
may result in unique susceptibilities to physical and chemical work 
exposures. Cognitive requirements of tasks and safe negotiation of 
agricultural hazards may exceed cognitive capabilities of children and 
adolescents. Feelings of invulnerability, lack of perception of risk, 
and a desire to demonstrate competence and independence may contribute 
to childhood exposures to agricultural hazards. Fatigue resulting from 
balancing demands of school and work, the need for intensive work 
during harvest periods, and inadequate sleep may contribute to injury. 
Safety awareness and adequate supervision of children and adolescents 
may protect children from agricultural injury and illness. Both 
laboratory-and field-based research are appropriate for this priority 
area of research.

2. Outcomes Research

    Research into the consequences, both positive and negative, of 
children's and adolescents' involvement in agriculture. Outcomes of 
interest include: physical outcomes related to exposure to health 
hazards; impact of agricultural injuries on youth's lives and futures; 
positive and negative psychosocial outcomes for children; and societal 
and economic costs and consequences associated with childhood 
agricultural injury. Examples of research efforts which are appropriate 
under this priority area include, but are not limited to: studies to 
estimate the societal and economic costs and consequences associated 
with childhood agricultural injury; assessments of short-and long-term 
disability from injuries; assessment of short-and long-term 
psychosocial outcomes related to children's and adolescents' 
participation in different types of agricultural work; physical 
assessments of children and adolescents who have been exposed to 
agricultural hazards such as agricultural chemicals, organic dusts, 
toxic gases, nitrates, volatile organic compounds, oils and solvents; 
and, studies of the impact of noise, vibration, cumulative trauma, and 
other work-induced health hazards on children and adolescents 
participating in agricultural work.

3. Intervention Strategies Research

    Research to form the development and implementation of 
interventions to protect children and adolescents from agricultural 
injury. This research may include studies into aids and barriers for 
implementing a variety of forms of intervention, from control 
technology to regulations to behavioral change; the development, 
implementation, and evaluation of new and innovative intervention 
strategies; and, the relative effectiveness of different intervention 
strategies. Examples of research efforts which are appropriate under 
this priority area include, but are not limited to: identification of 
barriers to implementing prevention measures; identification of 
innovative methods for removing barriers; identification of effective 
methods to influence positive safety behaviors of farm and ranch owners 
and operators, farm workers, parents, caregivers, and manufacturers, 
children and adolescents; identification of the types and levels of 
incentives that are most likely to influence protection of children; 
planning, implementation, and evaluation of structural and machinery 
design options to provide a protective environment for children at the 
farm work site; design, implementation and evaluation of community-
based programs to enhance the safety and well-being of children who may 
be exposed as bystanders to agricultural hazards; studies to determine 
the relative effectiveness of education, engineering, voluntary 
incentives, and mandatory standards on childhood agricultural injury 
reduction.

4. Evaluation of Commonly Used Childhood Educational Materials or 
Methods

    Rigorous evaluations of commonly available and used education or 
training programs to determine effectiveness in influencing safety and 
health behaviors and consequently preventing agricultural injuries 
among children and adolescents. Existing childhood education or 
training programs which require evaluation include, but are not limited 
to, school curricula, farm safety day camps, and tractor and/or machine 
operator safety certification programs. Research projects need to 
include process and outcome evaluations. The process evaluation will 
document the implementation of the intervention using the educational 
materials and methods, including identification of key activities, and 
monitoring delivery of the educational materials and methods to the 
target population. Outcomes of interest are exposure to injury hazards, 
knowledge about safety hazards, safety and health behaviors, and the 
incidence of childhood agricultural injuries. Outcome evaluations 
should be based on pre-and post-intervention data. The sustainability 
of intervention effects should be assessed over time, and should not be 
limited to assessments directly after the delivery of the educational 
intervention. The research proposals need to demonstrate that the study 
design and size is sufficient to detect intervention effects, and to 
evaluate the association of changes in outcome variables with the 
intervention versus natural change, extraneous events, etc.
    The research needs identified in this announcement are consistent 
with the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) developed by 
NIOSH and partners in the public and private sectors to provide a 
framework to guide occupational safety and health research in the next 
decade towards topics which are most pressing and most likely to yield 
gains to the worker and the nation. The agenda identifies 21 research 
priorities. Research priorities with specific relevance to this 
announcement are: traumatic injuries; special populations at risk; 
control technology and personal protective equipment; intervention 
effectiveness research; and social and economic consequences of 
workplace illness and injury. The NORA document is available through 
the NIOSH Home Page; http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora.html.
    Potential applicants with questions concerning the acceptability of 
their proposed work are strongly encouraged to contact the technical 
information contact listed in this announcement in the section Where to 
Obtain Additional Information.

Reporting Requirements

    Progress reports are required annually as part of the continuation 
application (75 days prior to the start of the next budget period). The 
annual progress reports must contain information on accomplishments 
during the previous budget period and plans for each remaining year of 
the project. Financial status reports (FSR) are required no later than 
90 days after the end of the budget period.

[[Page 10866]]

    The final performance and financial status reports are required 90 
days after the end of the project period. The final performance report 
should include, at a minimum, a statement of original objectives, a 
summary of research methodology, a summary of positive and negative 
findings, and a list of publications resulting from the project. 
Research papers, project reports, or theses are acceptable items to 
include in the final report. The final report should stand alone rather 
than citing the original application. Three copies of reprints of 
publications prepared under the grant should accompany the report.

Evaluation Criteria

    Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by CDC for completeness 
and responsiveness. Applications determined to be incomplete or 
unresponsive to this announcement will be returned to the applicant 
without further consideration. If the proposed project involves 
organizations or persons other than those affiliated with the applicant 
organization, letters of support and/or cooperation must be included.
    Applications that are complete and responsive to the announcement 
will be reviewed by an initial review group in which applications will 
be determined to be competitive or non-competitive, based on the review 
criteria relative to other applications received. Applications 
determined to be non-competitive will be withdrawn from further 
consideration and the principal investigator/program director and the 
official signing for the applicant organization will be promptly 
notified. Applications judged to be competitive will be discussed and 
assigned a priority score.
    Review criteria for technical merit are as follows:
    1. Technical significance and originality of proposed project.
    2. Appropriateness and adequacy of the study design and methodology 
proposed to carry out the project.
    3. Qualifications and research experience of the Principal 
Investigator and staff, particularly but not exclusively in the area of 
the proposed project.
    4. Availability of resources necessary to perform the project.
    5. Documentation of cooperation from collaborators in the project, 
where applicable.
    6. Adequacy of plans to include both sexes and minorities and their 
subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the project. 
(Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be 
evaluated.)
    7. Appropriateness of budget and period of support.
    8. Human Subjects--Procedures adequate for the protection of human 
subjects must be documented. Recommendations on the adequacy of 
protections include: (1) protections appear adequate and there are no 
comments to make or concerns to raise, (2) protections appear adequate, 
but there are comments regarding the protocol, (3) protections appear 
inadequate and the Initial Review Group has concerns related to human 
subjects, or (4) disapproval of the application is recommended because 
the research risks are sufficiently serious and protection against the 
risks are inadequate as to make the entire application unacceptable.
    Secondary review criteria for programmatic importance are as 
follows:
    1. Results of the initial review.
    2. Magnitude of the problem in terms of numbers of workers 
affected.
    3. Severity of the disease or injury in the worker population.
    4. Usefulness to applied technical knowledge in the evaluation, or 
control of agricultural safety and health hazards.
    5. Degree to which the project can be expected to yield or 
demonstrate results that will be useful on a national or regional 
basis.
    The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
    1. Quality of the proposed project as determined by peer review.
    2. Availability of funds.
    3. Program balance among priority areas of the announcement.
    4. Program balance among types and geographical distribution of 
agriculture.

Executive Order 12372 Review

    Applications are not subject to the review requirements of 
Executive Order 12372.

Public Health System Reporting Requirement

    This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting 
Requirements.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.262.

Other Requirements

Human Subjects

    The applicant must comply with the Department of Health and Human 
Services Regulations, 45 CFR Part 46, regarding the protection of human 
subjects. Assurances must be provided to demonstrate that the project 
will be subject to initial and continuing review by an appropriate 
institutional review committee. The applicant will be responsible for 
providing assurance in accordance with the appropriate guidelines and 
form provided in the application kit.

Women and Racial and Ethnic Minorities

    It is the policy of the CDC to ensure that women and racial and 
ethnic groups will be included in CDC-supported research projects 
involving human subjects, whenever feasible and appropriate. Racial and 
ethnic groups are those defined in OMB Directive No. 15 and include 
American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Black and 
Hispanic. Applicants shall ensure that women and racial and ethnic 
minority populations are appropriately represented in applications for 
research involving human subjects. Where clear and compelling rationale 
exist that inclusion is not feasible, this situation must be explained 
as part of the application. In conducting the review of applications 
for scientific merit, review groups will evaluate proposed plans for 
inclusion of minorities and both sexes as part of the scientific 
assessment and assigned score. This policy does not apply to research 
studies when the investigator cannot control the race, ethnicity and/or 
sex of subjects. Further guidance to this policy is contained in the 
Federal Register, Vol. 60, No. 179, Friday, September 15, 1995, pages 
47947-47951.

Application Submission and Deadlines

A. Preapplication Letter of Intent

    Although not a prerequisite of application, a non-binding letter of 
intent-to-apply is requested from potential applicants. The letter 
should be submitted to the Grants Management Officer (whose address is 
reflected in section B, ``Applications''). It should be postmarked no 
later than April 10, 1997. The letter should identify the announcement 
number, name of principal investigator, and specify the priority area 
to be addressed by the proposed project. The letter of intent does not 
influence review or funding decisions, but it will enable CDC to plan 
the review more efficiently, and will ensure that each applicant 
receives timely and relevant information prior to application 
submission.

B. Applications

    Applicants should use Form PHS-398 (OMB Number 0925-0001) and 
adhere

[[Page 10867]]

to the ERRATA Instruction Sheet for Form PHS-398 contained in the Grant 
Application Kit. Please submit an original and five copies on or before 
June 10, 1997 to: Ron Van Duyne, Grants Management Officer, Grants 
Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 321, 
MS-E13, Atlanta, GA 30305.

C. Deadlines

    1. Applications shall be considered as meeting a deadline if they 
are either:
    A. Received at the above address on or before the deadline date, or
    B. Sent on or before the deadline date to the above address, and 
received in time for the review process.
    Applicants should request a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service 
postmark or obtain a legibly dated receipt from a commercial carrier or 
the U.S. Postal Service. Private metered postmarks shall not be 
accepted as proof of timely mailings.
    2. Applications which do not meet the criteria above are considered 
late applications and will be returned to the applicant.

Where to Obtain Additional Information

    To receive additional written information call (404) 332-4561. You 
will be asked your name, address, and telephone number and will need to 
refer to Announcement 725. You will receive a complete program 
description, information on application procedures, and application 
forms. In addition, this announcement is also available through the CDC 
Home Page on the Internet. The address for the CDC Home Page is http://
www.cdc.gov.
    If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the 
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained 
from Georgia L. Jang, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management 
Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., MS-E13, Atlanta, GA 
30305, telephone (404) 842-6814; fax 404-842-6513; internet: 
[email protected].
    Programmatic technical assistance may be obtained from Roy M. 
Fleming, Sc.D., Associate Director for Grants, National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), 1600 Clifton Road, NE., Building 1, Room 3053, MS-
D30, Atlanta, GA 30333, telephone 404-639-3343; fax 404-639-4616; 
internet: [email protected].
    Please refer to announcement number 725 when requesting information 
and submitting an application.
    Potential applicants may obtain a copy of ``Healthy People 2000'' 
(Full Report, Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or ``Healthy People 2000'' 
(Summary Report, Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent 
of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325, 
telephone (202) 512-1800.

Useful References

    The following documents may also provide useful information:

National Committee for Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention. 
Children and Agriculture: Opportunities for Safety and Health. 
Marshfield, WI: Marshfield Clinic, 1996.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. National 
Occupational Research Agenda. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health 
and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 96-115.


    Dated: March 4, 1997.
Diane D. Porter,
Acting Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 97-5789 Filed 3-7-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P