[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 26 (Tuesday, February 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6795-6796]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2674]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-11-11BW]


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 Carol E. Walker, Acting CDC 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

    Cops and Cars: Reducing Law Enforcement Officer Deaths in Motor 
Vehicle Crashes--NEW--National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Occupational hazards facing law enforcement officers (LEOs) include 
psychological, biological, physical, and chemical stressors. While 
homicides, suicides, and stress-related cardiovascular disease have 
been well documented in the literature, much less is known about work 
related motor vehicle incidents in this occupation. Motor vehicle 
incidents and crashes are the leading cause of occupational death among 
LEOs. This is not surprising given that LEOs spend a large amount of 
time conducting vehicle patrols, can be involved in dangerous high-
speed pursuits, and often perform work alongside interstates and 
roadways near speeding motor vehicles. While seatbelt use significantly 
reduces the chance of dying in a motor-vehicle crash, there is some 
anecdotal evidence that LEOs do not wear seatbelts and often for good 
reasons. For example, one of the leading reasons why officers report 
not wearing seatbelts was the tendency of the belt to get caught on 
their gun holster and therefore inhibit their safety while in the 
field. A better understanding of how officers view seatbelt usage, ways 
to decrease barriers to usage in the field, and possible gateways to 
this behavior change is needed before developing evidence-based 
interventions.
    The Occupational Safety and Health Act, Public Law 91-596 (section 
20[a] [1]) authorizes the National Institute for Occupational Safety 
and Health (NIOSH) to conduct research to advance the health and safety 
of workers. NIOSH is proposing to conduct a population-based, cross-
sectional survey among LEOS in the State of Iowa to measure motor-
vehicle safety practices, perceptions of these practices, and prior 
occupational motor-vehicle crashes.

[[Page 6796]]

    Enrollment for the study will be performed at the agency level. A 
random sample of Iowa law enforcement agencies, stratified on size of 
department (small, medium, and large) and type of department (Sheriff's 
Departments and City/Police Departments) will be drawn using a publicly 
available database. Recruitment packets will be sent to the leadership 
of these agencies inviting them to participate in the study. After 
agency leadership have agreed to participate in the study, survey 
packets will be mailed to a contact person in the agency. These packets 
will then be distributed to all sworn officers. Study packets will 
consist of an introduction letter and paper-and-pencil survey. The 
questionnaire provides information on the following categories: Socio-
demographics, occupation, driving behaviors, attitudes & knowledge of 
policies, and details of prior motor-vehicle crashes.
    The sample size is estimated to be 162 agencies, with approximately 
2,467 police and sheriff patrol officers. This estimate is derived 
using a publically available database of all U.S. law enforcement 
agencies. Pilot test data demonstrated that respondents should take 
approximately 20 minutes to complete the survey, resulting in an 
annualized burden estimate of 822 hours. Participation in the study is 
completely voluntary.
    Distribution of the surveys will also utilize the time of first-
line supervisors of the participating law enforcement agencies. The 
surveys will be mailed to the leadership of each participating law 
enforcement agency. They will be asked to distribute the surveys to all 
sworn officers in their agencies. Depending on the level of involvement 
of each agency, additional work activities delineated to the leadership 
could include: Collection of the surveys, verbal and/or written 
reminders to the officers, re-distribution of surveys, and e-mail/phone 
communication with NIOSH. One-hundred and sixty-two agencies have been 
invited to participate in the study. We estimate that on average, 
leadership at each agency will contribute a total of one burden hour 
for a total of 162 burden hours. There is no cost to respondents except 
their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
               Type of respondent                    Number of     responses per   per  response   Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)         hours
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Police & sheriff's patrol officers..............           2,467               1           20/60             822
First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Police &                  162               1               1             162
 Detectives.....................................
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............             984
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    Dated: February 1, 2011.
Carol E. Walker,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2011-2674 Filed 2-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P