[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 15, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50097-50098]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24004]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[30 DAY-26-99]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 639-7090. Send written 
comments to CDC, Desk Officer; Human Resources and Housing Branch, New 
Executive Office Building, Room 10235; Washington, DC 20503. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    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. Further-more, 
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

[[Page 50098]]

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 annual burden hours 
are 2,964.

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                                                                                      No. of
                           Respondents                                No. of        responses/      Avg. burden
                                                                    respondents     respondent     per response
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electrical teachers.............................................              80               1            1.00
Electrical students:
    Baseline data...............................................            1600               1             .50
    Early video.................................................             800               4             .25
    Late video..................................................             800               4             .25
Cosmetology teachers............................................              80               1            1.00
Baseline data:
    All discussion groups.......................................            1600  ..............             .50
                                                                            1600                             .33
                                                                                               1
                                                                                               3
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    Dated: September 9, 1999.
Nancy Cheal,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 99-24004 Filed 9-14-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P