[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 137 (Thursday, July 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41690-41691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16791]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60 Day-14-14AOD]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of 
its continuing effort to reduce public burden, invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To request more information on the 
below proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information 
collection plan 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 submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval. 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; (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; and (e) 
estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, 
maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information. Burden 
means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by 
persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information 
to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review 
instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and 
systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying 
information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and 
providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to 
a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and 
review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise 
disclose the information. Written comments should be received within 60 
days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Youth@Work--Talking Safety Curriculum Dissemination Project: 
Incentives for adoption among public school districts--New--National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The mission of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health (NIOSH) is to promote safety and health

[[Page 41691]]

at work for all people through research and prevention. Working youth 
have long been a priority area for NIOSH. Approximately 17.5 million 
workers were less than 24 years of age in 2010, representing 13% of the 
workforce [NIOSH 2014]. For the period 1997 through 2003, nearly 80% of 
high school students reported working while still in high school [BLS 
2005; NIOSH 2013]. During the 10-year period 1998-2007, an estimated 
7.9 million nonfatal injuries to younger workers were treated in U.S. 
hospital emergency departments (EDs) [CDC 2010]. The nonfatal injury 
rate was 5.0 ED-treated injuries per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) 
workers, approximately two times higher than among workers age 25 or 
over [CDC 2010]. One study estimates that work-related injuries for 
youths up to age 19 account for an annual cost of $5 billion, or 3.9% 
of all workplace injury costs in the United States [Miller and Waehrer 
1998].
    Given the disproportionate number of workplace injuries and 
illnesses suffered by young workers, occupational safety education is a 
critical and urgent concern [Chin et al. 2010]. Although the 
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 regulates that 
employers have the primary responsibility for providing a safe and 
healthy workplace, future working generations should be equipped with a 
foundation of workplace safety and health knowledge and skills. A 
mastery of general occupational safety and health competencies that 
protect workers from injury or illness are key to any work-readiness 
effort and to every job. NIOSH has developed fundamental workplace 
safety and health competencies that apply to all workplaces [NIOSH 
2013; Schulte et al. 2014]. The eight core workplace safety and health 
competencies are general transferable skills that can apply across all 
industries. They can be used with the job-specific skills that workers 
gain through apprenticeship and career technical or vocational training 
programs. These core competencies/skills can be used to improve the 
health and safety of individuals in other places as well, such as in 
homes, schools, or communities.
    The purpose of this study is, therefore, to conduct key informant 
interviews with a limited number of assistant superintendents and/or 
curriculum coordinators in school districts across the country to 
assess their openness to incorporating workplace safety and health 
skills for young workers into their programs as a vital component of 
their curricula in both academic and vocational education programs at 
the middle and high school level. The information will inform NIOSH on 
incentives barriers for the inclusion of work place safety and health 
competencies as the ``missing life skill'' in the curricula and 
programs of U.S. middle schools and high schools. Providing youth with 
foundational workplace health and safety skills enables young workers 
to better protect themselves and others and to contribute to safe and 
healthy working conditions.
    For this project, twenty-eight (28) key informant interviews will 
be conducted. They will consist of seven (7) respondents from each of 
the four (4) regions of the United States (Northeast, Midwest, West, 
South) as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. In each region, a sample 
of districts will be selected based on jurisdictional density, as 
defined by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The 
participants for this data collection will be recruited with the 
assistance of a contractor who has successfully performed similar tasks 
for NIOSH in the past. The sample size is based on recommendations 
related to qualitative interview methods and the research team's prior 
experience. The interview discussion guide will be administered 
verbally by phone to participants in English. Once this study is 
complete, results will be made available via various means including 
print publications and the agency internet site. The information 
gathered by this project will inform NIOSH of the receptivity and 
barriers faced by these school districts for incorporating workplace 
safety and health competencies for young workers as a vital component 
of their curricula within academic and vocational education programs at 
the middle and high school level. There is no cost to respondents other 
than their time.
    The total estimated annual burden hours are 14.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                   Number of     Average  burden
     Type of respondent          Form name        Number of      responses per    per  response    Total burden
                                                 respondents       respondent       (in hours)         hours
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Public School Officials.....  Interview                    28                1            30/60               14
                               discussion
                               guide.
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    Total...................  ...............  ...............  ...............  ...............              14
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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. 2014-16791 Filed 7-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P