[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 89 (Thursday, May 8, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24745-24746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11419]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60 Day-03-65]


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) 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: Pilot Study for the National Survey of the Mining 
Population--NEW--National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
    Surveillance of occupational injuries, illnesses, and exposures has 
been an integral part of the work of the National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) since its creation by the 
Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970. To improve its surveillance 
capability related to the occupational risks in mining, NIOSH is 
planning to conduct a national survey of mines and mine employees. No 
national surveys have specifically targeted the mining labor force 
since the 1986 Mining Industry Population Survey (MIPS). The mining 
industry has experienced many changes in the last 17 years; 
consequently, the MIPS data are no

[[Page 24746]]

longer representative of the current mining industry labor force.
    The proposed survey will be based upon a probability sample of 
mining operations and their employees. The major objectives of the 
survey will be: (1) To collect basic information about the mining 
operation; (2) to establish the demographic and occupational 
characteristics of mine operator employees within each major mining 
sector (coal, metal, nonmetal, stone, and sand and gravel); and (3) to 
determine the number and occupational characteristics of independent 
contractor employees within mines. The sampled mining operations will 
provide all survey data; individual operator and independent contractor 
employees will not be directly surveyed. As a result of this survey, 
surveillance researchers and government agencies such as the Mine 
Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will be able to identify groups 
of miners with a disproportionately high risk of injury or illness. By 
capturing demographic (e.g., age, gender, race/ethnicity, education 
level) and occupational characteristics (e.g., job, title, work 
location, experience in this job title, total mining experience) of the 
mining workforce, these data will be of use in the customization of 
interventions such as safety training programs.
    Prior to implementing the full-scale survey, NIOSH is planning to 
conduct a Pilot Study to evaluate the effectiveness of the survey 
recruitment materials, questionnaires, and procedures in the 
acquisition of complete and high quality data from a sample of mining 
operations. Data captured in the Pilot Study will guide improvements to 
optimize the performance of the various components of the full-scale 
national survey. Approximately 40 randomly selected mining operations 
spanning the five major mining commodities will be chosen for the Pilot 
Study. A survey packet will be sent to each sampled mining operation. 
It is expected that approximately 30 mining operations will be eligible 
to participate in and will respond to the Pilot Study. A portion of the 
survey responders and all non-responders will be asked a short number 
of debriefing questions by telephone. There will be no cost to 
respondents.

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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                   Respondents                       Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      (in hours)
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Mining Operations Participating in Pilot Study..              30               1           90/60              45
Mining Operations Responding to Debriefing                    23               1            5/60               2
 Questions......................................
                                                 -----------------
      Total.....................................  ..............  ..............  ..............              47
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    Dated: May 1, 2003.
Thomas Bartenfeld,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-11419 Filed 5-7-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P