[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12754-12756]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5841]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60-Day-10-10CB]


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

[[Page 12755]]

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

    A Survey to Evaluate Occupational Safety and Health Educational 
Materials for Home Care Workers--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 
home care workers to evaluate newly developed educational intervention 
materials.
    Home care workers who provide housekeeping and routine personal 
care services to elderly, disabled or ill individuals in their homes, 
constitute one of the fastest growing occupational groups, estimated at 
about 1,500,000 workers. In 1997, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 
issued a special report on work-related injuries to home care workers 
showing an injury rate which was 50% higher than that of workers 
employed in the private hospital sector and 70% higher than the overall 
rate for all private industry workers.
    NIOSH has developed educational intervention materials for home 
care workers to prevent exposure to work-related hazards. The 
intervention materials consist of a printed handbook and a training 
session that explains how to use the handbook. The primary goal of the 
handbook and training session is to help home care workers and their 
clients identify hazards, discuss these hazards and identify accessible 
and low cost tips and tools for minimizing exposures to hazards. These 
materials have been developed and piloted in Alameda County, 
California. The goal of this data collection is to evaluate these 
materials before disseminating them more broadly.
    The study population for this survey includes current home care 
workers and their clients who are enrolled in the In-Home Supportive 
Services (IHSS) Program in Alameda County, California.
    NIOSH has obtained input on the content and operational aspects of 
the survey through local stakeholder meetings. The survey instrument 
has been reviewed by subject matter experts and cognitive interviews 
have been conducted using the survey instrument. Input received was 
used to guide development of the survey instrument and plans for survey 
implementation.
    All Alameda County IHSS home care workers will be invited to 
participate. Volunteers will complete a brief interest response form 
which will be returned to the study contractor and the first 320 
eligible volunteers will be randomized into either an intervention or a 
control group. The primary client for each home care worker participant 
will also be invited to participate but the clients' willingness to 
participate will not affect whether a home care workers can remain as a 
study participant. Both the home care worker and their primary client 
will complete two telephone surveys with a two month interval between 
the two surveys. Data from the telephone survey will be captured 
directly into an electronic database. For the intervention group the 
home care workers will receive the intervention materials and training 
during the interval between the two surveys. The control group will 
receive their intervention materials and training after the completion 
of the second survey. Each telephone survey will last approximately 30 
minutes for home care workers and 15 minutes for clients. Because of 
the demographics of the population intervention materials as well as 
the evaluation surveys are in three languages: English, Spanish and 
Chinese.
    Information will be collected on demographic variables including 
age, sex, race, education, income, primary language, and marital 
status. Information will be collected on the number of years a worker 
has been employed as a home care worker and the number of years a 
client has received home care services. Information will also be 
collected on working conditions and occupational exposures, work 
related injuries, knowledge of work-related health risks and workers' 
perception of the ease of controlling hazards. Finally, information 
will be collected from workers on their job satisfaction and clients on 
their satisfaction with caregiver services, on the quality of the 
caregiver and client relationships, and specific questions regarding 
use of the intervention materials.
    The purpose of this information collection is to evaluate whether 
or not the educational materials (the Home Care Worker Handbook and 
training session) are effective in (1) conveying the intended message 
and (2) encouraging home care workers and their clients to make changes 
to reduce hazards. Without benefit of the evaluation, CDC will be 
unable to determine the effectiveness of the materials or formulate 
recommendations on their appropriate use and broader dissemination.
    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 winter of 2011. There is no cost 
to respondents other than their time.

                                                            Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                                        Number of      Average burden
              Type of respondent                            Form name                 Number of       responses per   per response (in  Total burden (in
                                                                                     respondents       respondent          hours)            hours)
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Home care workers.............................  Worker interest response form...              1500                 1              2/60                50
                                                Worker survey (pre).............               320                 1             30/60               160
                                                Worker Training program.........               320                 1                 1               320
                                                Worker survey (post)............               320                 1             30/60               160
Home care clients.............................  Client survey (pre).............               320                 1             15/60                80
                                                Client survey (post)............               320                 1             15/60                80
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Total.........................................  ................................  ................  ................  ................               850
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    Dated: March 11, 2010.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2010-5841 Filed 3-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P