[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 105 (Thursday, June 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32341-32342]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10952]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-05-05CB]


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 404-371-5983 
and send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC Assistant Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail 
to [email protected].
    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. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Reduce Injury & Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) Risk from Human-
Machine Interaction--New--National Institute for Occupational Safety 
and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The Federal Mine Safety & Health Act of 1977, Section 501, enables 
CDC/NIOSH to carry out research relevant to the health and safety of 
workers in the mining industry. The objective of this project is to 
investigate the hazards in underground mines associated with the work 
environment and mobile face equipment. Ultimately, this project will 
show miners how to reduce the likelihood of these hazards through human 
factors, design considerations and/or engineering interventions. The 
specific aims of this study are to (1) determine face equipment risk to 
the operator, (2) define the information cues operators need to perform 
their job tasks, (3) identify the types of changes operators could make 
to reduce their exposure from each of the environmental hazards that 
affect their safety.
    Operating large face equipment is one of the most basic yet 
dangerous elements of underground mining operations. A typical room-
and-pillar mining operation involves removal of a 10-ft section of coal 
and loading it onto haulage machines, backing the cutting equipment 
(continuous miner) out and re-entering the section to remove and load 
an additional 10-ft section of coal to produce a 20-ft wide entry. 
After removing a section of the coal seam, the continuous miner is 
moved to another location and roof support equipment is moved into the 
mined section to install roof supports to secure sections of 
unsupported roof. Every time the work sequence for a new entry is 
completed, moving (tramming) vehicles to the next work location pose 
hazards to the operator and their helpers. Tramming face equipment is 
usually done in restricted workspace with reduced visibility. The 
restricted mine work environment puts the operators and/or helpers in 
awkward postures for jobs that require fast reactions to avoid being 
struck by the moving machine. Restricted visibility due to the nature 
of underground mine environments and low lighting conditions further 
complicates the job. If not controlled from the machine cab, a machine 
operator typically walks in front of or behind their machine using a 
remote control. Unfortunately during the job, operators have the 
tendency to step beside their moving machine for a better view, placing 
them in a dangerous location. The Mine Safety and Health Administration 
accident data from 1999 to 2003 indicate that the coal industry 
averages 7,438 incidents per year. Of that total, 18% or an average of 
1,312 incidents per year involved mobile face equipment that includes 
continuous miners, roof support machines, and haulage vehicles for 
underground mines. A substantial proportion (91%) of the 1,312 
incidents reported included accident types that occurred while moving 
the equipment.
    The purpose of this study is to determine which mechanisms cause 
injuries to operators of mobile face equipment and find new ways to 
reduce injuries, work-related musculoskeletal disorders, and accidents. 
Industry participation will help researchers in their study to improve 
the health and safety of employees in the mining industry, specifically 
those who operate and maintain mobile face mining equipment. The 
information for this study will be collected by conducting one-on-one 
structured interviews with approximately 5 managers and 15 continuous 
miner operators at each of 10 mines located throughout the major coal 
producing regions of the U.S. This survey will last less than 1 year. 
There will be no cost to respondents other than their time.

                                       Estimate of Annualized Burden Hours
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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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Mine management (5 persons from 10 mines)...               50                1            30/60               25
Continuous miner operators (15 persons from               150                2            45/60              225
 10 mines)..................................
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    Total...................................  ...............  ...............  ...............              250
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[[Page 32342]]

    Dated: May 26, 2005.
Betsey Dunaway,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 05-10952 Filed 6-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P