[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 181 (Monday, September 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48081-48082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-22656]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket Number NIOSH-187]


Proposed Enhancements to Occupational Health Surveillance Data 
Collection Through the Healthcare Personnel Safety (HPS) Component of 
the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)

AGENCY: 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 
proposed enhancements to occupational health surveillance data 
collection through the Healthcare Personnel Safety (HPS) Component of 
the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).
    Public Comment Period: Comments must be received by October 21, 
2009.
    Public Meeting Date and Time: November 16, 2009, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. and 
November 17, 2009, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
    Place: Sheraton Cincinnati Airport Hotel, 2826 Terminal Drive, 
Hebron, Kentucky 41048, (859) 371-6166.
    Purpose of Meeting: To obtain public comment on the content and 
conduct of enhancements to occupational health surveillance data 
collection through the Healthcare Personnel Safety (HPS) Component of 
the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Special emphasis will be 
placed on discussion of the content of the data collection forms.
    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 
contact Ahmed Gomaa at [email protected] or (513) 841-4337, or

[[Page 48082]]

Sara Luckhaupt at [email protected] or (513) 841-4123 for information 
about how to register for the meeting.

ADDRESSES: Oral comments given at the meeting will be recorded and 
included in the NIOSH-187 docket. You may submit comments, identified 
by docket number NIOSH-187, by any of the following methods:
     Mail: NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 
MS-C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226.
     Facsimile: (513) 533-8285.
     E-mail: [email protected].

All information received in response to this notice will be available 
for public examination and copying at the NIOSH Docket Office, 4676 
Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226. A complete electronic docket 
containing all comments submitted will be available on the NIOSH Web 
page at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket, and comments will be available 
in writing by request. NIOSH includes all comments received without 
change in the docket, including any personal information provided.
    Background: The NHSN is an Internet-based surveillance system 
established in 2005 by the CDC Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion 
(DHQP) that includes both patient safety and healthcare personnel 
health and safety modules. The proposed enhancement to the NHSN will 
electronically link and integrate a wide variety of ongoing 
occupational health surveillance activities and facilitate more 
accurate and timely prevention strategies, while meeting necessary 
confidentiality and security requirements.
    This project focuses on surveillance and prevention of four 
occupational health outcomes among healthcare workers: (1) Traumatic 
injuries in the workplace (specifically: (a) musculoskeletal disorders 
due to patient handling and working in awkward postures, (b) slips, 
trips, and falls, and (c) workplace violence); (2) dermatitis due to 
workplace exposures; (3) work-related asthma; and (4) airborne 
transmission of tuberculosis in the workplace. Once these enhancements 
to NHSN are successfully implemented, additional occupational health 
metrics can be added to the system to address emerging problems such as 
pandemic influenza.
    The success of this project will depend on the participation of 
healthcare facilities in the surveillance system. Because the 
stakeholders themselves will be the central users of our proposed 
additions to NHSN, they will be extensively involved in every stage of 
this project--including initial development, implementation, and 
evaluation of the new module and event forms. This meeting will provide 
an opportunity for stakeholders to contribute to the initial 
development of the data collection forms.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ahmed Gomaa, Robert A. Taft 
Laboratories, MS-R17, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226, 
telephone (513) 841-4337, or Sara Luckhaupt, same address, telephone 
(513) 841-4123.

References: National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)--http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/index.html.
Healthcare Personnel Safety Component--http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/hps.html.

    Dated: September 14, 2009.
Tanja Popovic,
Chief Science Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. E9-22656 Filed 9-18-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P