[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 2 (Friday, January 3, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 396-397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-31464]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-14-0200]


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 LeRoy Richardson, 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 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--Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP) 
(OMB Control No. 0920-0200, Expiration 06/30/2014)--Revision--National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    NIOSH would like to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) 
to revise the data collection instruments being utilized within the 
Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP). The current ICR 
incorporates all four components that fall under the CWHSP. Those four 
components include: Coal Workers' X-ray Surveillance Program (CWXSP), B 
Reader Program, Enhanced Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program 
(ECWHSP), and National Coal Workers' Autopsy Study (NCWAS). The CWHSP 
is a congressionally-mandated medical examination program for 
monitoring the health of underground coal miners, established under the 
Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, as amended in 1977 and 
2006, Public Law 95-164 (the Act). The Act provides the regulatory 
authority for the administration of the CWHSP. This Program is useful 
in providing information for protecting the health of miners (whose 
participation is entirely voluntary), and also in documenting trends 
and patterns in the prevalence of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (``black 
lung disease'') among miners employed in U.S. coal mines. The total 
estimated annualized burden hours of 4,420 is based on the following:
     Coal Mine Operators Plan (2.10)--Under 42 CFR Part 37.4, 
every coal operator and construction contractor for each underground 
coal mine must submit a coal mine operator's plan every 3 years, 
providing information on how they plan to notify their miners of the 
opportunity to obtain the chest radiographic examination. To complete 
this form with all requested information (including a roster of current 
employees) takes approximately 30 minutes.
     Facility Certification Document (2.11)--X-ray facilities 
seeking NIOSH-approval to provide miner radiographs under the CWHSP 
must complete an approval packet which requires approximately 30 
minutes for completion.
     Miner Identification Document (2.9)--Miners who elect to 
participate in the CWHSP must fill out this document which requires 
approximately 20 minutes. This document records demographic and 
occupational history, as well as information required under the 
regulations from x-ray facilities in relation to coal miner 
examinations. In addition to completing this form, the process of 
capturing the chest image takes approximately 15 minutes.
     Chest Radiograph Classification Form (2.8)--Under 42 CFR 
Part 37, NIOSH utilizes a radiographic classification system developed 
by the International Labour Office (ILO), in the determination of 
pneumoconiosis among underground coal miners. Physicians (B Readers) 
fill out this form regarding their interpretations of the radiographs 
(each image has at least two separate interpretations). Based on prior 
practice it takes the physician approximately 3 minutes per form.
     Physician Application for Certification (2.12)--Physicians 
taking the B Reader examination are asked to complete this registration 
form which provides demographic information as well as information 
regarding their medical practices. It typically takes the physician 
about 10 minutes to complete this form.
     Spirometry Testing--Miners participating in the ECWHSP 
component of the Program are asked to perform a spirometry test which 
requires no additional paperwork on the part of the miner, but does 
require approximately 15 to 20 minutes for the test itself. Since 
spirometry testing is offered as part of the ECWHSP only, the 2,500 
respondents listed in the burden

[[Page 397]]

table below account for about half of the total participants in the 
CWHSP.
     Pathologist Invoice--42 CFR 37.202 specifies procedures 
for the NCWAS. The invoice submitted by the pathologist must contain a 
statement that the pathologist is not receiving any other compensation 
for the autopsy. Each participating pathologist may use their 
individual invoice as long as this statement is added. It is estimated 
that only 5 minutes is required for the pathologist to add this 
statement to the standard invoice that they routinely use.
     Pathologist Report--42 CFR 37.203 provides the autopsy 
specifications. The pathologist must submit information found at 
autopsy, slides, blocks of tissue, and a final diagnosis indicating 
presence or absence of pneumoconiosis. The format of the autopsy 
reports are variable depending on the pathologist conducting the 
autopsy. Since an autopsy report is routinely completed by a 
pathologist, the only additional burden is the specific request for a 
clinical abstract of terminal illness and final diagnosis relating to 
pneumoconiosis. Therefore, only 5 minutes of additional burden is 
estimated for the pathologist's report.
     Consent, Release and History Form (2.6)--This form 
documents written authorization from the next-of-kin to perform an 
autopsy on the deceased miner. A minimum of essential information is 
collected regarding the deceased miner including the occupational 
history and smoking history. From past experience, it is estimated that 
15 minutes is required for the next-of-kin to complete this form.
    There are no costs to respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden/
      Type of respondents           Form name        Number of     responses per   response  (in   Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent         hrs)          (in hrs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coal Mine Operators...........  Form 2.10.......             200               1           30/60             100
X-ray Facility Supervisor.....  Form 2.11.......             100               1           30/60              50
X-ray--Coal Miners............  No form required           5,000               1           15/60           1,250
Coal Miners...................  Form 2.9........           5,000               1           20/60           1,667
B Reader Physicians...........  Form 2.8........          10,000               1            3/60             500
Physicians taking the B Reader  Form 2.12.......             100               1           10/60              17
 Examination.
Spirometry Test--Coal Miners..  No form required           2,500               1           20/60             833
Pathologist...................  Invoice--No                    5               1            5/60               1
                                 standard form.
Pathologist...................  Pathology                      5               1            5/60               1
                                 Report--No
                                 standard form.
Next-of-kin for deceased miner  Form 2.6........               5               1           15/60               1
                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           4,420
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Leroy Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2013-31464 Filed 1-2-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P