[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 233 (Tuesday, December 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71795-71796]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-29182]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30 Day-13-0843]


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 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Send written comments 
to CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 
20503 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 (0920-0843, Expiration 1/31/2013)--Extension--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 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.

[[Page 71796]]

    There will be no cost to the respondents other than their time. The 
total burden is 216.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                      Average
                                                                      No. of          No. of        burden per
                                  Respondents       Form name       respondents    responses per   response  (in
                                                                                    respondent        hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phase I......................  Section Foreman.  Phase I Section               3               1           30/60
                                                  Foreman Form.
                               Mine Workers....  Phase I                      27               1           20/60
                                                  Baseline Form.
                               Mine Workers....  Phase I 1month               27               1           30/60
                                                  form.
                               Mine Workers....  Phase I Focus                27               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: November 26, 2012.
Ron A. Otten,
Director, Office of Scientific Integrity (OSI), Office of the Associate 
Director for Science (OADS), Office of the Director, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2012-29182 Filed 12-3-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P