[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 89 (Thursday, May 8, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24744-24745]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11418]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60 Day-03-66]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the

[[Page 24745]]

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)498-1210.
    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 or other 
forms of information technology. Send comments to Anne O'Connor, 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: Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-
NET) Data Collection Methodology and Instrument--New--National Centers 
for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC).

Background

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requesting 
OMB approval for a data collection system that will assist public 
health officials to better identify and assess environmental factors 
contributing to foodborne outbreaks and the prevention efforts needed 
to reduce or ameliorate these events. This data collection, the 
Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) Information System, 
is a standardized survey instrument developed by CDC in collaboration 
with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the EHS-Net 
participating states, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, 
Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee. The instrument is for use 
in non-regulatory environmental evaluations.
    The Environmental Health Specialist Network Information System has 
been pilot tested in the EHS-Net states. The eight states in the pilot 
testing phase used the EHS-Net survey instrument to collect 
environmental information from two groups of restaurants: those that 
reported foodborne outbreaks and those that had not. The survey 
instrument collected information about the restaurant's food safety 
policies and procedures, and includes direct observations of food 
preparation and handling practices, and food worker behaviors.
    CDC will evaluate the data collected in these eight pilot states to 
further refine and improve the EHS-Net data collection instrument and 
methodology. Once this evaluation is completed, the EHS-Net data 
collection instrument and methodology will be made available to all 
public health officials in the United States who wish to use the system 
to identify and assess environmental factors in food establishments 
that contribute to foodborne illness and to evaluate the effectiveness 
of existing prevention measures including foodhandling practices, 
policies, and other control measures. There is no cost to respondents.

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                                                                           No. of        Average
                                                             No. of       responses    burden per   Total burden
                       Respondents                         respondents       per      response (in    (in hrs.)
                                                                         respondent       hrs.)
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One Public Health Official Per State....................           50            52             6        15,600
                                                         ---------------
      Total.............................................  ............  ............  ............       15,600
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    Dated: May 2, 2003.
Thomas Bartenfeld,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-11418 Filed 5-7-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P