[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2223-2225]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-722]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[INFO-99-06]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. 
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a 
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call the CDC Reports 
Clearance Officer on (404) 639-7090.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques for other 
forms of information technology. Send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC 
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, 
Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days 
of this notice.

Proposed Project

    1. The Development and Implementation of a Theory-Based Health 
Communications Intervention to Decrease Silica Dust Exposure Among 
Masonry Workers--New--The National Institute for Occupational Safety 
and Health (NIOSH) Construction is the most frequently recorded 
industry on death certificates, and silicosis is the most frequently 
cause of death. Overexposure to crystalline silica is well documented 
in the construction industry, especially in brick laying and masonry. 
According to 1993 BLS data, there are 136,139 (at 24,362 
establishments) masonry and brick laying workers in the U.S. and 
according to a recent study, approximately 17,400 masonry and 
plastering workers are exposed to at least five times the NIOSH 
recommended exposure limit (REL for

[[Page 2224]]

crystalline silica) and of these workers, an estimated 80 percent of 
them are exposed to at least 10 times the NIOSH REL.
    To effectively prevent silicosis, not only must control measures be 
improved, but workers must be persuaded to protect themselves and 
employers must be motivated to provide workers with proper engineering 
controls and training. Previous research has too often focused on the 
behaviors and attitudes of workers and not on employers. Since 
employers have a tremendous influence on the health of workers and 
since their motivations may differ from workers', it is important to 
focus on them as well. Well-designed and theory-driven communication 
interventions have the capacity to promote protective health behaviors. 
To develop messages that will have the greatest success at motivating 
workers to protect themselves and employers to protect their workers 
from silicosis, information on workers' and employers' beliefs, 
attitudes, and behaviors regarding silicosis must be determined. A 
recently completed pilot-study indicated a need to motivate employers 
to provide appropriate engineering controls and respiratory protection 
and a need to persuade workers to protect themselves.
    The goal of this project is to develop a health communication 
intervention program targeting both masonry contractors and workers 
that will increase the use of engineering controls (specifically, wet-
sawing) and respiratory protection. The aforementioned pilot study will 
serve as a foundation upon which the intervention will be developed. 
The effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated using a pre-
post test questionnaire.
    The study results will provide a basis for intervention programs 
that masonry contractors can use to educate their workers regarding 
risk of exposure to silica dust on masonry work sites. The methodology 
could be applied to other construction procedures such as jack 
hammering, sand blasting, and similar dust producing procedures to 
produce similar intervention programs. Eventually we would hope, silica 
exposures among construction workers would decrease significantly. The 
total cost to respondents is $0.00.

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                                                                    Number of
                  Respondents                       Number of      responses/      Avg. burden     Total burden
                                                   respondents     respondent     per response
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Workers........................................             200               2            0.33            132
Contractors....................................              20               2            0.33             13.2
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      Total....................................  ..............  ..............  ..............            145.2
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    2. Training Intervention Effectiveness Research of Vocational 
Education Safety and Health Instructional Materials--New--The National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is proposing to 
study the effectiveness of safety and health curricula to be made 
available for secondary vocational schools. Studies conducted by NIOSH 
suggest that over half of all young workers injured on-the-job believe 
that they did not receive adequate safety and health training in school 
or from their employers. The National Safety Council estimates that 
nearly one-half (48.1%) of all occupational injuries are sustained by 
employees with less than one year of work experience. Furthermore, 
feedback from end-users of past NIOSH vocational education materials 
indicates that these materials do not adequately meet the needs of 
vocational teachers and students. Given these considerations, further 
training intervention effectiveness research is needed to identify 
those educational approaches that are most effective in shaping the 
attitudes and behaviors of new workers.
    Trade-specific safety and health materials will be tested for two 
vocations: electrical trades and cosmetology. Both sets of instruction 
are designed for vocational secondary school students enrolled in 
courses on either of these subjects. These curricula cover the 
following topics: hazard recognition and control, personal protection, 
safe work practices, and safe working environments. This instruction is 
expected to improve students' knowledge and attitudes in the area of 
occupational safety and health, thereby reducing the incidence of 
illness, injury, and death in tomorrow's workplace. Students will 
receive this instruction in a pedagogically conceived manner, within 
the classroom setting, as part of their overall vocational training. A 
variety of instructional approaches are available to convey information 
and affect attitudes. The purpose of this study is to identify 
approaches that readily and consistently produce desired outcomes among 
vocational students. The electrical safety curriculum, which contains a 
videotaped program, will be used to explore the effectiveness of 
television as a delivery mechanism. The cosmetology safety curriculum 
will be used to examine the effectiveness of problem solving exercises, 
especially with regard to group size.
    The time-line for this study is approximately one year. In May of 
the 1998-99 school year, a baseline assessment of safety knowledge and 
attitudes of vocational secondary school students will be performed. 
The NIOSH training materials will not be used with this group of 
students. For the Fall of 1999, participating schools will each be 
assigned one of the instructional approaches under investigation. At 
the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year, knowledge and attitude 
pretests for both trades will be administered to students. During the 
school year, as the prescribed safety topics are taught, knowledge and 
attitudes will be assessed. Teachers and students will be surveyed 
regarding their perceptions of the instructional materials and their 
cognitive and attitudinal impacts. During this phase of the study, the 
most effective approaches will emerge.
    A final assessment will be administered to all students in May 
2000, allowing comparison with the assessments taken the previous May 
of students who had not been exposed to any of the curricular elements 
under study.
    The identities and performances of individual students, teachers, 
and schools will be held in confidence. The total cost to respondents 
will be $0.00.

[[Page 2225]]



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of
                   Respondents                       Number of      responses/      Avg. burden    Total burden
                                                    respondent      respondent     per response
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electrical teachers.............................              80               1            1.00              80
Electrical students:
    Baseline data...............................            1600               1             .50             800
    Early video.................................             800               4             .25             800
    Late video..................................             800               4             .25             800
Cosmetology teachers............................              80               1            1.00              80
Baseline data...................................            1600               1             .50             800
All discussion groups...........................            1600               3             .33           1,584
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
      Total.....................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           4,944
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Nancy Cheal,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 99-722 Filed 1-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P