[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 238 (Thursday, December 11, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73586-73588]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29047]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 [60Day-15-15GD]


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 A. 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

    Emergency Self Escape for Coal Miners--New--National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC).

[[Page 73587]]

Background and Brief Description

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) mission is 
to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling 
disease, injury, and disability. The National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides national and world 
leadership to prevent work-related illness, injury, disability, and 
death by gathering information, conducting scientific research, and 
translating knowledge gained into products and services. NIOSH's 
mission is critical to the health and safety of every American worker. 
The Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR), one of the 
preeminent mining research laboratories in the world, is focused on 
occupational health and safety research for mine workers.
    Recent research by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has 
called for a detailed, formal task analysis of mine self-escape 
(National Research Council, 2013). Such an analysis should identify the 
knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes (KSAOs) needed by 
mine personnel in the event of a mine disaster to successfully complete 
an emergency self-escape. This analysis will identify gaps between 
worker demands and capabilities, and propose recommendations to either 
minimize those gaps or enhance existing systems (e.g., communications, 
training, technology).
    The purpose of the project is to enhance the ability of miners to 
escape from underground coal mines in the event of a fire, explosion, 
collapse of the mine structure, or flooding of the area by toxic gas or 
water. To escape, miners need to perform a set of tasks that apply 
specific knowledge and skills in moving through the mine, avoiding 
dangers, and using protective equipment. The project will identify the 
tasks, knowledge and skills, procedures, equipment, communications, and 
physical requirements of self-escape. The results are expected to lead 
to recommendations for improvements to task requirements and 
procedures, equipment, training and communication processes.
    NIOSH proposes this three-year study to better understand the 
requirements of emergency self-escape and to answer the following 
questions:
     What tasks (and critical tasks) do miners perform during 
self-escape?
     What knowledge beyond that needed to perform normal, 
routine mining tasks do miners require to facilitate successful self-
escape?
     What are the cognitive requirements (such as reasoning, or 
weighing and deciding among alternatives, recognizing when a course of 
action is not producing the intended results) beyond that needed to 
perform normal, routine mining tasks?
     What other cognitive abilities or other cognitive 
competencies are needed?
     What gaps exist between what miners are required to do for 
self-escape and their capabilities?
     How can self-escape be improved by redesigning, 
eliminating, or modifying tasks or training, or by altering or 
introducing specific technologies/tools?
    To answer these questions, we will use a task analysis study design 
that utilizes a multiple-method approach, to include (a) review of 
available research, (b) interviews and focus group meetings with 
participants, and (c) unobtrusive observation (e.g., of drills). During 
interviews and focus groups, targeted questions are asked to elicit the 
level and type of desired information. This system of collecting 
information is ``active'' in that participants are presented stimuli 
(e.g., disaster scenarios, worker roles) and asked directly to provide 
their perceptions (e.g., of tasks or cognitive requirements needed to 
accomplish self-escape in that disaster). Observation checklists have 
been developed to capture relevant information during the unobtrusive 
naturalistic observations of self-escape drills. These data are then 
organized, collated, and re-presented to participants for confirmation 
of accuracy. Recommendations are generated based on study findings, 
related research and practices, and logical inference.
    Participants will be mining personnel drawn from two operating coal 
mines, one large and one smaller mine, to represent the variety within 
the industry. The data collection schedule (e.g., timing and duration 
of interviews and focus groups) will be modified as needed to minimize 
disruption to mine operations. No more than 30 miner volunteers will 
participate in the study over three years. Minimal time (< 5 minutes 
each) will be spent in recruitment and obtaining informed consent. 
Semi-structured interviews with mine personnel will require 1.5-2 hours 
of their time depending on the interview. Focus group sessions will 
require approximately 12 hours of their time total but will be executed 
in smaller blocks of time. Observation of drills will occur as part of 
normal mine operations and will not result in any additional burden on 
the respondents. All participants will be between the ages of 18 and 
75, currently employed, and living in the United States.
    There is no cost to respondents other than their time.

                                                            Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                                                              Average
                                                                                             Number of       Number of      burden per     Total  burden
               Type of respondent                               Form name                   respondents    responses per   response  (in       hours
                                                                                                            respondent        hours)
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Underground coal miners........................  Recruitment Script.....................              30               1            5/60               3
Underground coal miners........................  Informed Consent.......................              30               1            5/60               3
Underground coal miners........................  Initial Interviews.....................               6               1           90/60               9
Underground coal miners........................  Cognitive Task Analysis Interviews.....              12               2               2              48
Underground coal miners........................  Initial focus group sessions...........              12               6               2             144
Underground coal miners........................  Hierarchical Task Analysis focus group               12               6               2             144
                                                  sessions.
                                                                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................  .......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............             351
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[[Page 73588]]

Leroy A. 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. 2014-29047 Filed 12-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P