[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 225 (Friday, November 23, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65736-65737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22809]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-08-0566]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 639-5960 or send an e-mail 
to [email protected]. Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Office of 
Management and Budget, Washington, DC or by fax to (202) 395-6974. 
Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Use of a Reader Response Postcard for Workers Notified of Results 
of Epidemiologic Studies Conducted by the National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)--Reinstatement--The National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    NIOSH, under Section 20(a)(1), (a)(4), (a)(7)(c), and Section 22 
(d), (e)(5)(7) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (29 U.S.C. 
669), has the responsibility to ``conduct (directly or by grants or 
contracts) research, experiments, and demonstrations relating to 
occupational safety and health, including studies of psychological 
factors involved, and relating to innovative methods, techniques, and 
approaches for dealing with occupational safety and health problems.'' 
NIOSH also has the responsibility to ``conduct special research, 
experiments, and demonstrations relating to occupational safety and 
health as are necessary to explore new problems, including those 
created by new technology in occupational safety and health [e.g., 
worker notification], which may require ameliorative action beyond that 
which is otherwise provided for in the operating provisions of the 
Act.'' .
    Since 1977, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health (NIOSH) has been developing methods and materials for the 
notification of subjects of its epidemiological studies. NIOSH 
involvement in notifying workers of past exposures relates primarily to 
informing surviving cohort members of the findings of retrospective 
cohort studies conducted by NIOSH. Current policy within NIOSH is to 
notify subjects of the results of its epidemiologic studies. The extent 
of the notification effort depends upon the level of excess mortality 
or the extent of the disease or illness found in the cohort. Current 
notification efforts range from posting results at the facilities 
studied to mailing individual letter notifications to surviving cohort 
members and other stakeholders. The Industry-wide Studies Branch (IWSB) 
of NIOSH, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field 
Studies (DSHEFS), usually conducts about two or three notifications per 
year, which typically require individual letters mailed to cohorts 
ranging in size from 200-20,000 workers each. In order to assess the 
effectiveness of the notification materials received by the recipients 
and to improve future communication of risk information, the evaluation 
instrument proposed was developed.
    The NIOSH Institute-wide Worker Notification Program routinely 
notifies subjects about the results of epidemiologic studies and the 
implications of the results. The overall purpose of the proposed 
project is to gain insight into the effectiveness of NIOSH worker 
notification in order to improve the quality and usefulness of the 
Institute's worker notification activities. Researchers from the NIOSH 
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies (DSHEFS)

[[Page 65737]]

propose to provide notified workers with a Reader Response postcard for 
routinely assessing notified study subjects' responses to individual 
letter notification materials sent to them by NIOSH. We are requesting 
approval for three years. Participation is voluntary and there is no 
cost to respondents except for their time. The total estimated 
annualized burden hours are 1,333.

                                             Annualized Burden Table
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                    Form name                        Number of     responses per   response (in    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent        hours)        (in hours)
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Reader Response Card............................           8,000               1           10/60           1,333
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    Dated: November 15, 2007.
Marilyn Radke,
Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. E7-22809 Filed 11-21-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P