[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 217 (Friday, November 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66246-66247]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-26644]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-09-09AC]


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 Maryam I. Daneshvar, 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

    Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Among Emergency Medical 
Services (EMS) Workers: A NEISS-Work Telephone Interview Survey--New--
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Studies have reported that EMS workers have higher rates of non-
fatal injuries and illnesses as compared to the general worker 
population. As EMS professionals are tasked with protecting the health 
of the public and treating urgent medical needs, it follows that 
understanding and preventing injuries and illnesses among EMS workers 
will have a benefit reaching beyond the workers to the general public.
    As mandated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Pub. 
L. 91-596), the mission of NIOSH is to conduct research and 
investigations on occupational safety and health. Related to this 
mission, the purpose of this project is to conduct research that will 
provide a detailed description of non-fatal occupational injuries and 
illnesses incurred by EMS workers. This project will bridge a gap of 
limited existing EMS worker injury and illness surveillance identified 
in a 2007 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA) 
report. The project will use two related data sources. The first source 
is data abstracted from medical records of EMS workers treated in a 
nationally stratified sample of emergency departments. These data are 
routinely collected by the occupational supplement to the National 
Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS-Work). The second data 
source, for which NIOSH is seeking OMB approval, is responses to 
telephone interview surveys of the injured and ill EMS workers 
identified within NEISS-Work.
    The proposed telephone interview surveys will supplement NEISS-Work 
data with an extensive description of EMS worker injuries and 
illnesses, including worker characteristics, injury types, injury 
circumstances, injury outcomes, and use of personal protective 
equipment. Previous reports describing occupational injuries and 
illnesses to EMS workers provide limited details on specific regions or 
sub-segments of the population and many are outdated. As compared to 
these earlier studies, the scope of the telephone interview data will 
be broader as it includes sampled cases nationwide and has no 
limitations in regards to type of employment (i.e., volunteer versus 
career). Results from the telephone interviews will be weighted and 
reported as national estimates.
    The sample size for the telephone interview survey is estimated to 
be approximately 175 EMS workers annually for the proposed four year 
duration of the study. This estimate is based on the number of EMS 
workers identified in previous years of NEISS-Work data and a 50% 
response rate that is comparable to the rate of previously conducted 
National Electronic Injury

[[Page 66247]]

Surveillance System telephone interview studies. Each telephone 
interview will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, resulting in 
an annualized burden estimate of 58 hours. Using the routine NEISS-Work 
data, an analysis of all identified EMS workers will be performed to 
determine if there are any differences between the telephone interview 
responder and non-responder groups.
    This project is a collaborative effort between the Division of 
Safety Research in the NIOSH and the Office of Emergency Medical 
Services in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Both 
agencies have a strong interest in improving surveillance of EMS worker 
injuries and illnesses to provide the information necessary for 
effectively targeting and implementing prevention efforts and, 
consequently, reducing occupational injuries and illnesses among EMS 
workers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will also 
contribute to this project as they are responsible for coordinating the 
collection of all NEISS-Work data and for overseeing the collection of 
all telephone interview data.
    There is no cost to respondents other than their time.
    Estimated 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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EMS workers.................................             175                1            20/60               58
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    Dated: November 3, 2008.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
 [FR Doc. E8-26644 Filed 11-6-08; 8:45 am]
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