[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 89 (Friday, May 8, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 25488-25490] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-12212] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [Program Announcement 98056] Mining Occupational Safety and Health Research Grants; Availability of Funds for FY 1998 A. Purpose The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 1998 funds for a research grant program for Mining Occupational Safety and Health Research Grants. This program addresses the ``Healthy People 2000'' priority area of Occupational Safety and Health. The purpose of the 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. B. Eligible Applicants Applications may be submitted by public and private nonprofit and for-profit organizations and by governments and their agencies; that is, universities, colleges, research institutions, hospitals, other public and private nonprofit and for-profit organizations, State and local governments or their bona fide agents, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Indian tribes, or Indian tribal organizations. Note: Pub. L. 104-65 states that an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive Federal funds constituting an award, grant, cooperative agreement, contract, loan, or any other form. C. Availability of Funds Approximately $700,000 is expected to be available in FY 1998 to fund 4-8 research project grants. This money is in addition to the funds available for the previous RFA 807 announced in August 1997. Organizations that submitted applications for RFA 807 may revise and resubmit under this announcement. 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. It is expected that the awards will begin on or about September 30, 1998, and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up to 3 years. Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports and the availability of funds. D. Programmatic Interest The Mine Safety and Health Research Program has been fully coordinated with the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) plans and recommendations. The NORA document is available through the NIOSH homepage at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora.html. 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, slips and falls, and materials handling injuries 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; Research to improve response to mine emergencies, and to enhance the effectiveness of mine rescue teams; Identify and evaluate research opportunities using a systems approach for intervention and prevention; and Develop cost analysis methodologies to evaluate performance and engineering control strategies. (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 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 [[Page 25489]] 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. E. Submission and Deadline Letter of Intent (LOI) Your letter of intent 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. The Letter of Intent must be submitted on or before June 1, 1998, to: Joanne Wojcik, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Announcement 98056, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Room 300, 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., M/S E-13, Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2209. Application Submit the original and five copies of PHS-398 (OMB Number 0925- 0001) (adhere to the instructions on the Errata Instruction Sheet for PHS 398). Forms are in the application kit. On or before June 25, 1998, submit the application to: Joanne Wojcik, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Announcement 98056, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Room 300, 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., M/S E-13, Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2209. If your application does not arrive in time for submission to the independent review group, it will not be considered in the current competition unless you can provide proof that you mailed it on or before the deadline (i.e., receipt from U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier; private metered postmarks are not acceptable). F. 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 for scientific and technical merit by an initial review group and 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. Following initial review for technical merit, the applications will receive a secondary review for programmatic importance. Review Criteria for Technical Merit Are as Follows 1. Significance--Does this study address an important problem related to the topical research issues outlined in this solicitation? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field? 2. Approach--Are the conceptual framework, design (including composition of study population), methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative approaches? 3. Innovation--Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies. 4. Principal Investigator--Is the investigator appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work (particularly but not exclusively) in the area of the proposed project? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other researchers, if any? 5. Environment--Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed experiments take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there documentation of cooperation from industry, unions, or other participants in the project, where applicable? Is there evidence of institutional support and availability of resources necessary to perform the project? 6. Gender and minority issues--Are plans to include both sexes and minorities and their subgroups adequately developed (as appropriate for the scientific goals of the project)? Are strategies included for the recruitment and retention of human subjects? 7. Human Subjects--Are the procedures proposed adequate for the protection of human subjects and are they fully documented? Are all procedures in compliance with applicable published regulations (see ``Other Requirements''). 8. Vertebrate animals--Are the procedures proposed adequate for the welfare of vertebrate animals and are they fully documented? Are all procedures in compliance with applicable published regulations? 9. Budget--Is the budget reasonable and appropriate for all direct costs and period/s of requested support and are all entries adequately justified? 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. Technical 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. G. Other Requirements Technical Reporting Requirements Provide CDC with original plus two copies of-- 1. Progress reports (annual); [[Page 25490]] 2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of the budget period; and 3. Final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days after the end of the project period. Send all reports to: Joanne Wojcik, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Room 300, 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., M/S E-13, Atlanta, GA 30305-2209. The following additional requirements are applicable to this program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I (in the application kit). AR98-1--Human Subjects Requirements AR98-2--Requirements for Inclusion of Women and Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Research AR98-3--Animal Subjects Requirements AR98-10--Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements AR98-11--Healthy People 2000 AR98-12--Lobbying Restrictions H. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number This program is authorized under the Public Health Service Act, section 301(a) (42 U.S.C. 241(a)), as amended and the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, section 501 (30 U.S.C. 951) as amended. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.262. I. Where To Obtain Additional Information Please refer to Program Announcement 98056 when you request information. For a complete program description, information on application procedures, an application package, and business management technical assistance, contact: Joanne Wojcik, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Announcement 98056, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Room 300, 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., M/S E-13, Atlanta, GA 30305- 2209, telephone (404) 842-6535, Email address: [email protected]. For program technical assistance, contact: Roy M. Fleming, Sc.D., Research Grants Program, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1600 Clifton Road, NE., Building 1, Room 3053, M/S D-30, Atlanta, GA 30333, Telephone: (404) 639-3343, FAX: (404) 639-4616, Internet: [email protected]. To receive additional written information and to request an application kit, call 1-888-GRANTS4 (1-888 472-6874). You will be asked to leave your name and address and will be instructed to identify the Announcement number of interest. Also, this and other CDC Announcements can be found on the CDC homepage on the Internet,(http://www.cdc.gov) under the ``Funding'' section, as well as on the NIOSH homepage (http:/ /www.cdc.gov/niosh under ``Extramural Program.'' For your convenience, you may be able to retrieve a copy of the PHS Form 398 from (http:// www.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html). Please Refer to Announcement Number 98056 when Requesting Information and Submitting an Application. Dated: May 1, 1998. Diane D. Porter, Acting Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [FR Doc. 98-12212 Filed 5-7-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4163-19-P