[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47699-47701]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18909]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30 Day-13-13IF]


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

    Pilot Project to Evaluate the Use of Exposure Control Plans for 
Bloodborne Pathogens in Private Dental Practices -New- National 
Institute for

[[Page 47700]]

Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 
healthcare workers sustain nearly 600,000 percutaneous injuries 
annually involving contaminated sharps. In response to both the 
continued concern over such exposures and the technological 
developments which can increase employee protection, Congress passed 
the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act directing the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to revise the Bloodborne 
Pathogens (BBP) Standard to establish requirements that employers 
identify and make use of effective and safer medical devices. That 
revision was published on Jan. 18, 2001, and became effective April 18, 
2001.
    The revision to OSHA's BBP Standard added new requirements for 
employers, including additions to the exposure control plan and 
maintenance of a sharps injury log. OSHA has determined that compliance 
with these standards significantly reduces the risk that workers will 
contract a bloodborne disease in the course of their work. However, 
exposure control plans for bloodborne pathogens, policies, and 
standards for healthcare workers are based primarily on hospital data.
    Approximately one-half of the 11 million healthcare workers in the 
U.S. are employed in non-hospital settings, including physician 
offices, home healthcare agencies, correctional facilities, and dental 
offices and clinics. Little information is known about the risk 
management practices in these non-hospital settings. In a small study, 
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found 
that although seven of the eight correctional healthcare facilities 
visited had written exposure control plans, only two were reviewed and 
updated annually as required by the OSHA BBP Standard. One reason 
postulated for non-compliance was that hospital-based standards, 
policies, and programs may not be appropriate to non-hospital settings. 
It is important to identify effective methods for using exposure 
control plans in non-hospital settings and to verify whether the 
specificity and relevance of bloodborne pathogen training and 
educational materials for non-hospital facilities can positively impact 
compliance in dental settings. The purposes of this proposal are to 
insure that bloodborne pathogens exposure control plans are effectively 
implemented in private dental practices, an important segment of the 
non-hospital based healthcare system; and to understand how effective 
implementation strategies may be applied to other healthcare settings. 
The proposed work will draw on research-to-practice principles and will 
be assisted by a strong network of dental professional groups, trade 
associations, and government agencies. Specific objectives are to:
    (1) Inventory existing exposure control plans in private dental 
practices;
    (2) determine whether the exposure control plan or other resource 
is actively used to prevent occupational exposures;
    (3) determine available resources and barriers to use such as 
relevant educational materials, knowledge, costs, availability; and
    (4) develop strategies to overcome key barriers to compliance.
    The Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) is a 
unique group of dental educators and consultants, researchers, 
clinicians, industry representatives, and other interested persons with 
a collective mission to be the world's leading advocate for the safe 
and infection-free delivery of oral care. OSAP supports this commitment 
to dental workers and the public through quality education and 
information dissemination. OSAP's unique membership includes the 
variety of partners critical to gather the data on compliance with the 
OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard, to identify barriers and to develop 
strategies to overcome barriers to compliance.
    OSAP will be conducting a web survey of private dental practices in 
the United States. Information collected will include: The use of 
existing exposure control plans; whether the plan or other resources 
actively used to prevent occupation exposure to bloodborne pathogens; 
availability of resources such as relevant education materials, and 
barriers to use such as knowledge, costs, and availability. OSAP is 
working with a publishing partner that has an email distribution list 
of 49,172 private practice dentists representing general dentists and 
specialists. This sampling frame represents nearly 30% of the total 
population of U.S. private practice dentists. The survey sample, 
totaling 40,575 dentists, will include general dentists, oral and 
maxillofacial surgeons, pediatric dentists and periodonists. The 
targeted number of completed questionnaires is estimated at about 
20,287 (50% participation rate). The survey is estimated to take about 
15 minutes for respondents to complete. There is no cost to respondents 
other than their time. The total estimated annualized burden hours are 
5,072.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                Number of       Avgerage Burden
       Type of respondents               Form name           Number of        responses per     per response (in
                                                            respondents         respondent            hrs)
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Private Practice Dentists........  BBP Exposure Control            20,287                  1              15/60
                                    Plan Survey.
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Ron A. Otten,
Director, Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the Associate 
Director for Science, Office of the Director, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2013-18909 Filed 8-5-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P