[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 170 (Thursday, September 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48183-48184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-22866]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[INFO-99-27]


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

    Evaluation of NIOSH Fire Fighter Alert (Structural Collapse)--New--
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). An 
Alert documents the scientific research about an occupational health 
and safety hazard and provides recommendations for assessing, avoiding, 
or reducing the hazard. The Alert is probably the National Institute 
for Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) best tool for addressing 
risks of great immediate danger involving hazards to life and health. 
Even though the Alert can be termed an important tool, prior to 1999 no 
rigorous test of Alert efficacy had ever been conducted. During the 
past year, NIOSH began the first rigorous test of one NIOSH Alert on 
the dangers of structural collapse among fire fighters. This testing 
was done with a sample of fire fighters, and on the basis of this 
sample, a national distribution strategy for the Alert will follow.
    This Alert contains recommendations with important safety and 
health implications for more than one million fire fighters in over 
36,000 fire fighter units. Morbidity and mortality rates are relatively 
high for this occupation, which increases the need for effective 
communication strategies when reporting safety and health 
recommendations.
    The formative research phase done this year by NIOSH's Health 
Communication Research Branch and Division for Safety Research will 
produce data with strong levels of internal and external validity. 
However, the formative phase is only aimed at designing effective 
messages and not aimed at understanding the impact of those messages in 
the final distribution of the Alert. NIOSH believes that it is 
reasonable to: (1) Conduct an evaluation of the national distribution 
of the Alert to determine its final impact and (2) identify the 
characteristics of those fire fighter units that may not have met 
optimal levels of communication effect (receiver awareness, 
comprehension, acceptance, and use).
    The specific goals of this investigation are to: (1) Assess the 
communication effect of NIOSH recommendations contained within the 
Alert on structural collapse and (2) identify the characteristics 
(behavioral, normative, and control beliefs, and demographics) of 
receivers who fail to meet minimum levels of communication effect.
    A standardized questionnaire developed and approved for the 
formative research phase will be used to assess communication effect. 
Items will identify the extent of receiver awareness, comprehension, 
acceptance, and use of the Alert. The Theory of Planned Behavior will 
be used to help identify the factors that mediate this communication 
effect, and relevant questions will be added to the existing 
questionnaire.
    The data collected in this study will be used to assess the 
communication effect of the national distribution of the Alert by 
comparing the means between the respondents in the formative evaluation 
and the respondents in the national distribution. This data also will 
be used to identify the characteristics of those fire fighter units 
that may not have met optimal levels of communication effects. The 
total cost to respondents is estimated at $4,500.00.

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                                                                     Number of      Avg. burden
                   Respondents                       Number of      responses/     response  (in   Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent         hrs.)         (in hrs.)
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Fire Fighters...................................            1000               1             .25             250
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
        Total...................................  ..............  ..............  ..............             250
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[[Page 48184]]

    Dated: August 27, 1999.
Nancy Cheal,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 99-22866 Filed 9-1-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P