[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 3, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56841-56842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-26395]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-10-09BD]


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) 395-5806. 
Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Field Evaluation of Prototype Kneel-assist Devices in Low-seam 
Mining--New--National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    NIOSH, under Public Law 91-596, Sections 20 and 22 (Section 20-22, 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) has the responsibility to 
conduct research relating to innovative methods, techniques, and 
approaches dealing with occupational safety and health problems.
    According to the Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) 
injury database, 227 knee injuries were reported in underground coal 
mining in 2007. With data from the National Institute for Occupational 
Safety and Health (NIOSH), it can be estimated that the financial 
burden of knee injuries was nearly three million dollars in 2007.
    Typically, mine workers utilize kneepads to better distribute the 
pressures at the knee. The effectiveness of these kneepads was only 
recently investigated in a study by NIOSH that has not yet been 
published. The results of this study demonstrated that kneepads do 
decrease the maximum stress applied to the knee albeit not drastically. 
Additionally, the average pressure across the knee remains similar to 
the case where subjects wore no kneepads at all. Thus, the injury data 
and the results of this study suggest the need for the improved design 
of kneel-assist devices such as kneepads. NIOSH is currently 
undertaking the task of designing more effective kneel-assist devices 
such as a kneepad and a padded support worn at the ankle where mine 
workers can comfortably rest their body weight.
    These devices must also be field tested to verify they do not 
result in body discomfort or inadvertent accidents. It is also 
important to determine how usable and durable these devices are in the 
harsh mining environment. In order to quantitatively demonstrate that 
these prototype devices are superior to their predecessors, mine 
workers using these prototypes must be interviewed. Their feedback will 
identify any necessary changes to the design of the devices such that 
NIOSH can ensure the prototypes will be well-accepted by the mining 
community.
    To collect this type of information, a field study must be 
conducted where kneel-assist devices currently used in the mining 
industry (i.e. kneepads) are compared to the new prototype designs. The 
study suggested here would take approximately 13 months.
    Phase I of this study will evaluate the prototype kneel-assist 
device by mine workers after being used for one month. Iterative 
changes will be made to the design based on the feedback obtained 
during Phase I. Data will be collected via interviews with individual 
mine workers and through a focus group where all mine workers come 
together to express their opinions about the devices. If the prototype 
kneel-assist devices do not appear to be successful, the data collected 
will be used to adequately redesign them and the above described 
process will begin again. If the prototype kneel-assist devices appear 
to be successful, Phase II of the study will commence.
    Once Phase II of the study is ready to commence, cooperating mines 
will be identified. Every month, the section foreman at the cooperating 
mines will be asked to supply some information regarding the current 
mine environment.
    Initially, the mine workers will be given a control kneel-assist 
device. Currently, mine workers only utilize kneepads as a kneel-assist 
device. Therefore, only a control kneepad will be provided. They will 
then be asked some basic demographics information such as their age and 
time in the mining industry. Additional data will then be collected at 
1, 3, and 6 months after the study commences. The mine workers will be 
asked to provide their feedback regarding factors such as body part 
discomfort, usability, durability, and ease of movement with respect to 
the control kneepad. After evaluating the control kneepad, mine workers 
will then be given the prototype kneel-assist device that was finalized 
in Phase I of the study. The same questions that were asked about the 
control kneepad will again be asked at 1, 3, and 6 months after usage 
begins of the prototype. Thus, Phase II of the study will last 12 
months.
    There will be no cost to the respondents/subjects other than their 
time. The total burden hours are estimated to be 182.

[[Page 56842]]



                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                                  Respondents       Form name        Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phase I......................  Section Foreman.  Phase I Section               1               1           10/60
                                                  Foreman Form.
                               Mine Workers....  Phase I                       9               1           20/60
                                                  Baseline Form.
                               Mine Workers....  Phase I 1 month               9               1           30/60
                                                  form.
                               Mine Workers....  Phase I Focus                 9               1               1
                                                  Group
                                                  Questions.
Phase II.....................  Section Foreman.  Phase II                      6              12           10/60
                                                  Section
                                                  Foreman Form.
                               Mine Workers....  Phase II                     54               1           20/60
                                                  Baseline Form.
                               Mine Workers....  Phase II 1, 3,               54               6           25/60
                                                  and 6 months
                                                  forms.
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    Dated: October 28, 2009.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. E9-26395 Filed 11-2-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P