[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 247 (Tuesday, December 27, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76456-76457]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7861]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-06-06AO]


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 404-639-4766 
and send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC Assistant Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an email 
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

    Evaluation of a Targeted Dissemination of Occupational Safety and 
Health (OSH) Information to a Sample from the Small Business Wood 
Pallet Industry--NEW--National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Section 
501, enables CDC/NIOSH to carry out research relevant to the health and 
safety of workers. The goal of this project is to determine whether 
receipt of a NIOSH informational manual about occupational safety and 
health (OSH) concerns specific to pallet manufacturing and recycling 
will motivate owners or managers to take actions resulting in a safer 
workplace. The theoretical basis of the study follows the 
Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of Prochaska and DiClemente [1984]. This 
model states that change is defined by 5 stages: (1) Pre-
contemplation--people are unaware of problems and are not thinking 
seriously about changing within the next 6 months, (2) contemplation--
the stage where people become aware that a problem exists and intend to 
take action within the next 6 months, (3) preparation--investigating 
options and intending to take action in the next 30 days, (4) action--
people institute environmental changes and change their overt behavior, 
and (5) maintenance--people continue the gains obtained during the 
action stage for longer than 6 months.
    Small business entrepreneurship is a vital component of the U.S. 
economy. OSH activities, including research, regulation, enforcement, 
and intervention historically have not focused on small businesses 
despite their predominance and relatively large numbers of employees 
overall. Few small business establishments provide on-site occupational 
health units, medical screening tests, pre-placement physicals, or 
employ or use industrial hygiene or safety personnel/consultants. As a 
consequence, prevention of occupational injury and illness is often 
difficult in small business establishments because they generally have 
few safety and health resources, do not hire staff devoted to safety 
and health activities, and often lack the ability to identify 
occupational hazards and conduct surveillance.
    The pallet manufacturing industry has higher injury rates than 
general industry. The incidence rate for non-fatal injuries in the wood 
pallet and skid (SIC 2448) manufacturing industry was 226% greater than 
that for general industry. The types of injuries sustained at wood 
pallet manufacturers and their incidence rates [2002] compared to 
general industry included amputations (2220% higher, i.e, over 20 times 
greater), cuts and punctures (378% higher), fractures (237% higher), 
bruises (221% higher) sprains and strains (133% higher) and back pain 
(305% higher).
    Through this study, NIOSH will evaluate the feasibility and 
effectiveness of providing carefully constructed OSH information to one 
segment of small business pallet makers. The informational manual will 
be divided into eight chapters targeting specific hazards relevant to 
pallet work and will provide the owners/managers with suggestions for 
controlling those hazards. Chapters were selected based on prior NIOSH 
site visits to a sample of pallet makers and in consultation with the 
National Wood Pallet and Container Association. The chapters include: 
an introduction to OSH, developing a site-specific safety program, 
controlling noise, improving ventilation, saw safety, forklift safety, 
preventing build up of carbon monoxide, and prevention of 
musculoskeletal injury through ergonomics.
    This project will utilize two groups--a treatment group and a 
control group--in a pre-post design. One hundred eighty pallet 
companies will be randomly selected and assigned to six groups from a 
list of small pallet businesses in the United States that was provided 
by a market research firm. Both groups will participate in a baseline 
survey conducted by telephone. The treatment group will then receive 
the NIOSH informational manual by mail and the control group will not 
receive the manual until the conclusion of the study. Five months after 
the mailing, both groups will participate in a follow-up telephone 
survey designed to assess whether receipt and use of the material 
encouraged owners/managers to contemplate, plan, or initiate OSH 
changes at their facility. The questionnaire will determine whether 
owners/managers have progressed from baseline along the stage of change 
continuum because of receipt and use of the NIOSH material, or if some 
other factor is influencing their safety and health actions. It is 
possible that improvements in OSH may occur due to other influences and 
not from the informational manual. For example, it is possible that 
some event will occur that will make the entire industry more aware of 
OSH. Use of a similar control group will help in this determination. 
Data collection will occur within a one year period. However, the 
entire NIOSH study will occur over a three-year period. There will be 
no cost to respondents except their time to participate in the 
telephone survey.

Estimated Annualized Burden Table

[[Page 76457]]



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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
                   Respondents                      respondents    responses per   response (in     (in hours)
                                                                    respondent        hours)
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Treatment group-initial survey..................              90               1           12/60              18
Treatment group-Second survey...................              90               1           15/60            22.5
Control group-initial survey....................              90               1           12/60              18
Control group-second survey.....................              90               1            9/60            13.5
                                                 -----------------
    Total.......................................                                                              72
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    Dated: December 16, 2005.
Joan F. Karr,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. E5-7861 Filed 12-23-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P