[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30014-30015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-12287]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60-Day-12-0834]


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 404-639-7570 or 
send comments to Kimberly S. Lane, at 1600 Clifton Road, MS D74, 
Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an email 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

    Occupational Injuries and Illnesses among Emergency Medical 
Services (EMS) Workers: A NEISS-Work Telephone Interview Survey--
Revision--National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Studies have reported that EMS workers have higher rates of non-
fatal injuries and illnesses as compared to the general worker 
population. As EMS professionals are tasked with protecting the health 
of the public and treating urgent medical needs, it follows that 
understanding and preventing injuries and illnesses among EMS workers 
will have a benefit reaching beyond the workers to the general public.
    As mandated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Pub. 
L. 91-596), the mission of NIOSH is to conduct research and 
investigations on occupational safety and health. Related to this 
mission, the purpose of this project is to conduct research that will 
provide a detailed description of non-fatal occupational injuries and 
illnesses incurred by EMS workers. This project bridges a gap of 
limited existing EMS worker injury and illness surveillance identified 
in a 2007 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 
report. The project uses two related data sources. The first source is 
data abstracted from medical records of EMS workers treated in a 
nationally stratified sample of emergency departments. These data are 
routinely collected by the occupational supplement to the National 
Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS-Work). The second data 
source, for which NIOSH is seeking OMB approval for a two year 
extension, is responses to telephone interview surveys of the injured 
and ill EMS workers identified within NEISS-Work. Collection of 
telephone interview data began in July 2010.
    Data collected under the original OMB approval for this project 
indicate that EMS workers are willing to respond to detailed questions 
about their occupational injury and related circumstances. However, in 
order to obtain enough data to produce stable, detailed national 
estimates, data collection should continue until July 1, 2014. This 
will provide a total of four years of data for analysis.
    The ongoing telephone interview surveys will supplement NEISS-Work 
data with an extensive description of EMS worker injuries and 
illnesses, including worker characteristics, injury types, injury 
circumstances, injury outcomes, and use of personal protective 
equipment. Previous reports describing occupational injuries and 
illnesses to EMS workers provide limited details on specific regions or 
sub-segments of the population and many are outdated. As compared to 
these earlier studies, the scope of the telephone interview data is 
broader as it includes sampled cases nationwide and has no limitations 
in regards to type of employment (i.e., volunteer versus career). 
Results from the telephone interviews will be weighted and reported as 
estimates of EMS workers treated for occupational injuries and 
illnesses in emergency departments.
    The sample size for the telephone interview survey is estimated to 
be approximately 150 EMS workers annually for the proposed four year 
duration of the study. This estimate is based on preliminary analysis 
of the data collected to-date. The estimate has been reduced from the 
original sample projection of 175 EMS workers. Consequently, the burden 
has been reduced as well. Each telephone interview takes approximately 
20 minutes to complete, resulting in an annualized burden estimate of 
50 hours. Using the routine NEISS-Work data, an analysis of all 
identified EMS workers will be performed to determine if there are any 
differences between the telephone interview responder and non-responder 
groups.
    This project is a collaborative effort between the Division of 
Safety Research in the NIOSH and the Office of Emergency Medical 
Services in NHTSA. Both agencies have a strong interest in improving 
surveillance of EMS worker injuries and illnesses to provide the 
information necessary for effectively targeting and implementing 
prevention efforts and, consequently, reducing occupational injuries 
and illnesses among EMS workers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission 
(CPSC) will also contribute to this project as they are responsible for 
coordinating the collection of all NEISS-Work data and for overseeing 
the collection of all telephone interview data.

[[Page 30015]]

    There is no cost to respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                  Number of      Average burden
                 Respondents                     Number of      responses per     per response     Total burden
                                                respondents       respondent       (in hours)       (in hours)
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EMS workers.................................             150                1            20/60               50
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    Total...................................  ...............  ...............  ...............              50
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Kimberly S. Lane,
Deputy Director, Office of Science Integrity, Office of the Associate 
Director for Science, Office of the Director, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2012-12287 Filed 5-18-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P