[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 2, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 17983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6763]



[[Page 17983]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket Number NIOSH-135]


Notice of Public Meeting and Availability for Public Comment

AGENCY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and availability for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
announces the following meeting and request for public comment on the 
proposed national survey of healthcare workers' safety and health and a 
proposed national survey of employer safety and health practices.
    Public Comment Period: April 2, 2008 through July 1, 2008.
    Public Meeting Time and Date: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EDT, April 30, 2008.
    Place: Sheraton Cincinnati Airport Hotel, 2826 Terminal Drive, 
Hebron, Kentucky 41048, (859) 371-6166.
    Purpose of the Meeting: To obtain public comment on the content and 
conduct of a survey of healthcare workers' safety and health practices 
and a separate survey of healthcare establishment's safety and health 
practices. Special emphasis will be placed on discussion of the 
following:
    (1) Content of the survey questionnaires;
    (2) Appropriate methods of conducting the surveys.
    Status: The forum will include scientists and representatives from 
industry, labor, and other stakeholders, and is open to the public. 
Attendance is limited only by the space available. The meeting room 
will accommodate approximately 60 people. Interested parties should 
make hotel reservations directly with the Sheraton Cincinnati Airport 
Hotel by calling toll free (888) 627-8418 before the cut-off date of 5 
p.m. EDT April 8, 2008. A special group rate of $95 per night plus tax 
for meeting guests has been negotiated for this meeting. In order to 
receive the special room rate, you will need to indicate that you will 
be attending the NIOSH meeting.
    Interested parties should confirm their attendance to this meeting 
by contacting Ms. Kim Collins, meeting coordinator, at 513-841-4211 or 
[email protected] by April 15, 2008. Oral comments given at the meeting 
will be recorded and included in the NIOSH docket number 135. Written 
comments, including prepared oral comments, will also be accepted at 
the meeting or by submitting to the NIOSH Docket Office (see address 
below).
    Background: The goal of the healthcare worker survey is to collect 
information describing hazards, exposures, safety and health practices, 
and use of exposure controls by occupation and type and size of 
establishment. The goal of the management survey is to collect 
information describing facility-based health and safety resources, 
safety and health management programs, policies and practices for the 
same health and safety hazards covered in the worker survey, by type 
and size of establishment.
    Preliminary work on this effort included a feasibility study which 
was completed in 2006. The study assessed the feasibility of collecting 
self-reported information on health and safety practices from 
healthcare workers at their workplace. Worker and management 
questionnaires were developed (based on healthcare stakeholder input) 
and refined using focus groups/cognitive interviews, and pilot-tested 
at two large medical centers. Based on the pilot test findings, NIOSH 
decided that it would be more cost-effective to implement the worker 
survey as a web-based survey through various professional and labor 
organizations, rather than through employer establishments. The 
management questionnaire will be targeted to individuals responsible 
for facility health and safety, based on a representative sample of 
healthcare establishments. Although the content of the questionnaires 
has been fairly well-defined, information will be sought from meeting 
participants on other important or emerging healthcare safety and 
health issues for possible inclusion in the questionnaires, as well as 
other information (see below). The proposed worker and management 
questionnaires may be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/135.
    Contact Person for Technical Information: Jim Boiano (513) 841-
4246, or Karl Sieber (513) 841-4231. Comments on the topics presented 
in this notice and at the meeting should be mailed to the NIOSH Docket 
Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, MS-C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, 
Cincinnati, Ohio, 45226, (513) 533-8611 or fax (513) 533-8285. Comments 
may also be submitted by e-mail to [email protected] or at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/135. All electronic comments should be 
formatted in Microsoft Word. All material submitted to the Agency 
should reference the NIOSH Docket number 135 and be submitted by July 
1, 2008.
    After the comment period has closed, comments will be able to be 
accessed electronically at http://www.cdc.gov/NIOSH under the link to 
the NIOSH docket. As appropriate, NIOSH will post comments with the 
commenters' names, affiliations and other information, on the Internet.
    Reference: The proposed worker and management questionnaires may be 
found at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/135.

    Dated: March 25, 2008.
James D. Seligman,
Chief Information Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. E8-6763 Filed 4-1-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P