[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 233 (Monday, December 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64088-64089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29109]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-10-10AP]


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

    Survey of Healthcare Workers' Health and Safety Practices--New--
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The mission of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health (NIOSH) is to promote safety and health at work for all people 
through research and prevention. Under Public Law 91-596, Sections 20 
and 22 (Section 20-22, Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970), 
NIOSH has the responsibility to conduct research to advance the health 
and safety of workers. In this capacity, NIOSH will conduct a survey of 
healthcare workers.
    Healthcare workers represent over 8% of the U.S. workforce with 
many occupations projected to substantially grow in the next ten years. 
Healthcare workers experience higher rates of illness and injury as 
compared to workers in other industries and are at increased risk for 
many of the types of adverse health effects potentially caused by 
exposure to hazardous chemical agents. The proposed hazard surveillance 
survey will provide important information on work practices associated 
with the use of important classes of hazardous chemical agents 
including aerosolized medications, antineoplastic agents, chemical 
sterilants, high level disinfectants, surgical smoke, and anesthetic 
gases. This survey is the first of its kind by the Federal government 
or others. The data collected will describe the prevalence and 
distribution of health and safety practices and the use of exposure 
controls and barriers to their use for each of these chemical agents, 
by occupation and by type and by size of work setting. The study 
population for this survey includes members of professional 
organizations who represent healthcare workers in many occupations 
which use or are exposed to these chemical agents. NIOSH will use the 
data to guide interventions and future research. The participating 
professional organizations indicated that the data will be useful for 
benchmarking, identifying areas for expanding guidelines and for health 
and safety promotion.
    The proposed survey is modular in design and will be available only 
on-line. The survey includes separate chemical hazard modules 
addressing the previously mentioned hazardous chemical agents, and a 
core module which gathers information on a broad range of health and 
safety issues affecting healthcare workers, in addition to demographic 
information. Members of the participating professional organizations 
will be recruited by email which will be sent by each professional 
organization to their members. All respondents will complete a brief 
screening questionnaire. If one or more of the chemical agents under 
study was

[[Page 64089]]

used in the past week, the respondent would complete the appropriate 
hazard module (e.g., oncology nurse would complete hazard module on 
administration of antineoplastic agents) and the core module. A second 
hazard module may also be completed depending on whether additional 
chemical agents were used in the past week.
    Depending on the size of the participating professional 
organization, all members or a random sample of members will be sent an 
e-mail by their organization which will contain a hyperlink to the 
survey. The survey will reside on a secure Web site maintained by our 
survey contractor. The major objectives of the survey will be to: (1) 
Describe the prevalence and distribution of health and safety practices 
by chemical hazard, occupation and type and size of work setting; (2) 
describe the frequency and duration of use of hazardous chemicals by 
occupation and type and size of work setting; and (3) describe the use 
of exposure controls including the use of personal protective equipment 
as well as the barriers to their use, by occupation and type and size 
of work setting. The survey will provide important hazard and exposure 
surveillance data that is currently unavailable for healthcare workers. 
NIOSH will use the results to identify gaps relative to the use of best 
practices, to guide interventions and to stimulate future research. The 
participating professional organizations plan to use the data to 
benchmark current practices, to identify areas for expanding guidelines 
and to promote occupational health and safety.
    The target population of healthcare workers for this survey will be 
limited to members of the participating professional organizations who 
have used or been exposed to one or more of the hazardous chemical 
agents within the past week. Respondents will not be asked to report 
names or any other identifying information.
    The project supports the NIOSH surveillance strategic goal to 
advance the usefulness of surveillance information for the prevention 
of occupational illnesses, injuries and hazards, and actively promoting 
the dissemination and use of NIOSH surveillance data and information. 
This survey will allow NIOSH to characterize health and safety 
practices of healthcare workers and their work environment; describe 
the frequency and duration of use of the targeted hazardous chemical 
agents by occupation and by type and size of work setting; and describe 
the use of exposure controls including the use of personal protective 
equipment as well as the barriers to their use, by occupation and type 
and size of work setting.
    Once the study is completed, results will be made available via 
various means including the NIOSH internet site. NIOSH expects to 
complete data collection no later than spring of 2011. There is no cost 
to respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of      Avg. burden
      Type of respondent            Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      (in hours)
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Healthcare Workers............  Screening Module          25,650               1            1/60             428
                                Primary Hazard            20,520               1           10/60           3,420
                                 Module.
                                Core Module.....          20,520               1           17/60           5,814
                                Secondary Hazard           1,952               1           10/60             325
                                 Module.
                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           9,987
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    Dated: December 1, 2009.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. E9-29109 Filed 12-4-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P