[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 154 (Monday, August 11, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42994-42997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-21102]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Mining
Occupational Safety and Health Research Grants; Notice of Availability
of Funds for Fiscal Year 1998
[Announcement Number 807]
Introduction
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), announces that
grant applications are being accepted for research projects relating to
occupational safety and health concerns associated with mining.
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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 area of Occupational Safety and
Health. (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 (42 U.S.C. 241) and the Federal Mine Safety and
Health Act of 1977, Section 501 (30 U.S.C. 951). The applicable program
regulations are in 42 CFR part 52.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include domestic and foreign 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: Effective January 1, 1996, Public Law 104-65 states that
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
(cooperative agreement), 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 $500,000 is expected to be available in fiscal year (FY) 1998
to fund approximately 4 to 8 research project grants. The amount of
funding available may vary and is subject to change. Awards will range
from $50,000 to $200,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) per year.
Awards are expected to begin on or about July 1, 1998. 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
Under provisions of the FY 1996 Appropriations legislation, the
U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) was closed and certain functions were
maintained and reassigned to other agencies. These actions resulted in
the transfer of the health and safety research programs of the Bureau
of Mines to NIOSH in the Department of Health and Human Services. NIOSH
intends to maintain an extramural research program as part of the
research responsibilities transferred from the former USBM.
The Mine Safety and Health Research Program has been fully
coordinated with the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) plans
and recommendations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NORA category Priority research area
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disease and Injury..................... Allergic and Irritant
Dermatitis
Asthma and Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease
Fertility and Pregnancy
Abnormalities
Hearing Loss
Infectious Diseases
Low-Back Disorders
Musculoskeletal Disorders of
the Upper Extremities
Traumatic Injuries
Work Environment and Work Force........ Emerging Technologies
Indoor Environment
Mixed Exposures
Organization of Work
Special Populations at Risk
Research Tools and Approaches Cancer Research Methods
Control Technology and Personal
Protective Equipment
Exposure Assessment Methods
Health Services Research
Intervention Effectiveness
Research
Risk Assessment Methods
Social and Economic
Consequences of Workplace
Illness and Injury
Surveillance Research Methods
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
The purpose of this grant program is to develop knowledge that can
be used to prevent occupational diseases and injuries to miners. NIOSH
will support hypothesis-testing research projects to identify and
quantify occupational health and safety hazards to miners, develop
methods and technologies to measure and control these hazards, and
translate research findings so that they can be applied to solve health
and safety problems in mines.
Programmatic Interest
Emphasis will be given to the priority research areas identified by
NORA listed above. The focus of grants should emphasize research in the
following topical areas which are in priority order:
(1) Hearing Loss Prevention
Conduct laboratory and field research on noise-induced hearing loss
in miners; Conduct field dosimetric and audiometric surveys to assess
the extent and severity of the problem and to identify those mining
segments in greatest need of attention and to objectively track
progress in meeting loss prevention goals; Conduct field and laboratory
research to identify noise generation sources and to identify those
areas most amenable to intervention activities; Develop, test, and
demonstrate new control technologies for noise reduction; Develop
strategies and methods to improve the effectiveness of hearing
protectors for miners; Assess the effect of using hearing protectors on
miner safety; Evaluate technical and economic feasibility of controls;
Develop, evaluate, and recommend implementation strategies to promote
the adoption and use of noise reduction technology.
(2) Mining Injury Prevention
Conduct 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; Research on causes and prevention of low back disorders in
miners; Study effects of human behavior on mining injuries; Design and
conduct epidemiological research studies to identify and classify risk
factors that are causing or may be causing traumatic injuries to
miners; Evaluate and recommend implementation strategies for injury
prevention and control technologies.
(3) Dust and Toxic Substance Control
Research to develop or improve personal and area direct reading
instruments for measuring mining contaminants, including but not
limited to respirable dust, silica, diesel engine emissions, and other
toxic substances and mixtures; Conduct field tests, experiments, and
demonstrations of new technology for monitoring and assessing mine air
quality; Conduct laboratory and field research to develop airborne
hazard reduction control technologies; Carry out field surveys in
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mines to identify work organization strategies that could result in
reduced dust or toxic substance exposure; Evaluate 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 toxic substance control
systems; Develop and evaluate implementation strategies for using newly
developed monitors and control technology for exposure reduction or
prevention.
(4) Social and Economic Consequences of Mining Illness and Injury
Analyze all effects of mining illness and injury on miners, their
families, communities and States; Assess the effectiveness of health
services provided to miners for prevention and care of occupational
illness and injury; Assess the economic burden of mining illnesses and
injuries and potential economic benefits of their prevention.
(5) Surveillance
Develop and evaluate new surveillance methods for mining-related
illnesses and fatal and nonfatal injuries to improve collection and
analysis of health and safety data; Collect demographic information on
miners to analyze health and safety data; Develop improved methods to
describe trends in incidence of mining-related fatalities, morbidity,
and traumatic injury; Develop and evaluate methods to conduct
surveillance on the use of new and emerging technologies, the use of
engineering controls, and the use of protective equipment in the mining
sector; Analyze the effectiveness of prevention and control
interventions in mining; Conduct mining-relevant risk analyses.
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. The final performance and
FSRs 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 evaluated for scientific and technical merit by appropriate
peer reviewers in accordance with the review criteria stated below. As
part of the initial merit review, a process may be used by the peer
reviewers in which applications will be determined to be competitive or
non-competitive using the evaluation criteria below to determine their
scientific merit relative to other applications received in response to
this announcement. Applications judged to be competitive will be
discussed and assigned a priority score. 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.
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 industry, unions, or other
participants 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 Objective Review Group (ORG) 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.
Review criteria for programmatic importance are as follows:
1. Relevance to mine safety and health, by contributing to
achievement of research objectives specified in Section 501 of the
Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.
2. Magnitude of the problem in terms of numbers of miners affected.
3. Severity of the disease or injury in the mining population.
4. Usefulness to applied technical knowledge in the identification,
evaluation, or control of occupational safety and health hazards in
mines on a national or regional basis.
The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
1. Merit of the proposed project as determined by the initial peer
review.
2. Programmatic importance of the project as determined by
secondary review.
3. Availability of funds.
4. Program balance among priority areas of the announcement.
Executive Order 12372 Review
Applications are not subject to the review requirements of
Executive Order 12372, entitled Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs.
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
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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
provided in the application kit.
Animal Subjects
If the proposed project involves research on animal subjects, the
applicant must comply with the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of
Laboratory Animals by Awardee Institutions. An applicant organization
proposing to use vertebrate animals in CDC-supported activities must
file an Animal Welfare Assurance with the Office for Protection from
Research Risks at the National Institutes of Health.
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
1. 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 2., ``Applications''). It should be postmarked no
later than September 11, 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.
2. Applications
Applicants should use Form PHS-398 (OMB Number 0925-0001) and
adhere 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 November 11, 1997 to: Ron Van Duyne, Grants Management
Officer, ATTN: Joanne Wojcik, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and
Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 255
East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 300, MS E-13, Atlanta, GA 30305.
3. Deadlines
a. Applications shall be considered as meeting a deadline if they
are either:
(1) Received at the above address on or before the deadline date, or
(2) 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.
b. 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 to leave your name, address, and telephone number and
will need to refer to announcement 807. You will receive a complete
program description, information on application procedures, and
application.
If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the
documents, business management information may be obtained from Joanne
Wojcik, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch,
Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., MS E-13, Atlanta, GA
30305, telephone (404) 842-6535; 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 D-
30, Atlanta, GA 30333, telephone: 404-639-3343; fax: 404-639-4616;
Internet: [email protected].
Please refer to announcement number 807 when requesting information
and submitting an application.
This and other CDC Announcements can be found on the CDC home page
(http://www.cdc.gov) under the Funding section.
CDC will not send application kits by facsimile or express mail.
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.
Dated: August 5, 1997.
Diane D. Porter,
Acting Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 97-21102 Filed 8-8-97; 8:45 am]
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