[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 77 (Monday, April 23, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20128-20130]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7650]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-07-06AO]


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 404-639-5960 
and send comments to Joan Karr, CDC Acting 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

    Evaluation of an Occupational Safety and Health Program for the 
Small Business Wood Pallet Industry, National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC).

[[Page 20129]]

Background and Brief Description

    The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, section 
501, enables 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 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. Occupational safety and health 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 type of injuries sustained at wood 
pallet manufacturers and their rates of increase (2002) compared to 
general industry included amputations (2220% higher), 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. 180 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 occupational 
safety and health. Use of a similar control group will help in this 
determination.
    While the entire NIOSH study, including approvals, development and 
review of the materials effectiveness will occur over a three-year 
period, data collection will occur within a one-year period. There will 
be no cost to respondents except their time to participate in the 
telephone survey.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                            Number of     Average
                                                               Number of    responses    burden per     Total
        Type of  respondents                 Form name        respondents      per        response   burden  (in
                                                                            respondent   (in hours)     hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pallet company safety and health      Initial Questionnaire            17            1         3/60            1
 managers; Treatment Group.            (incomplete).                   95            1        12/60           19
                                      Initial Questionnaire            90            1        15/60           23
                                       (complete).
                                      Follow-up
                                       Questionnaire.
Pallet company safety and health      Initial Questionnaire            17            1         3/60            8
 managers; Control Group.              (incomplete).                   95            1        12/60           19
                                      Initial Questionnaire            90            1         9/60           14
                                       (complete).
                                      Follow-up
                                       Questionnaire*.
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½
    Total...........................  ......................  ...........  ...........  ...........           84
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[[Page 20130]]

    Dated: April 17, 2007.
Joan F. Karr,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. E7-7650 Filed 4-20-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P