[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 79 (Friday, April 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23004-23006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09524]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-15-15ZI; Docket No. CDC-2015-0024]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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

SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, 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. This notice invites comment on the proposed 
information collection entitled Metal and Nonmetal Miner Health Program 
(MNMHP). The MNMHP proposes to gather health data on metal and nonmetal 
miners to identify opportunities for reducing the incidence and 
severity of disease.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before June 23, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2015-
0024 by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulation.gov. Follow the instructions 
for submitting comments.
    Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-
D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted 
without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to Regulations.gov.
    Please note: All public comment should be submitted through the 
Federal eRulemaking portal (Regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the 
address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact the Information Collection Review Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-
D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    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.

Proposed Project

    Metal and Nonmetal Miner Health Program (MNMHP)--New--National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

[[Page 23005]]

Background and Brief Description

    This is a new information collection request seeks data collection 
approval for a public health surveillance project. The proposed 
information collection will provide much needed health data pertaining 
to an estimated 66,000 workers in the metal and nonmetal (MNM) mining 
industry in the United States. Additionally, approximately 81,000 
contractors worked in the metal, nonmetal, and sand/stone/gravel mining 
sectors in 2013; this information collection will provide health data 
on those contractors working in the metal and nonmetal mining sectors.
    Metal and nonmetal (MNM) mining is an important industry throughout 
the United States, providing materials for the manufacture of many 
common items, such as electronics and medications, and employing 
approximately 25% of the total U.S. mining workforce. Work in this 
industry exposes miners to recognized hazards including noise, heat, 
repetitive stress, sleep deprivation, fumes, diesel exhaust, silica and 
other mine dusts, and radon gas, but the extent to which modern mining 
practices have mitigated these hazards is unknown. Little is known 
about the health status of this population of workers, in part because 
no comprehensive health surveillance system exists for the MNM mining 
sector.
    The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 authorized NIOSH to 
``conduct such studies, research, experiments, and demonstrations as 
may be appropriate to improve working conditions and practices in coal 
or other mines.'' Surveillance of general occupational illnesses, 
injuries, and exposures is an important part of NIOSH responsibilities 
as authorized by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 CFR 
671).
    Comprehensive health surveillance data are critical in estimating 
and reducing prevalence of occupational illness. A National Academies 
review of NIOSH research programs in 2007 emphasized that mining 
production is expected to increase and incorporate new technologies in 
the next decade, and that an informed assessment of health and safety 
issues is necessary to ensure that NIOSH research remains relevant. 
This program will address a number of high priority goals set by NIOSH 
to advance and coordinate research across the Institute. These goals 
include the following: Prevent and reduce work-related airways 
diseases; prevent and reduce work-related interstitial lung diseases; 
advance cross-cutting issues that affect all work-related respiratory 
diseases, in particular surveillance, exposure assessment, and emerging 
issues; reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in mine 
workers; reduce the incidence and mortality of work-related 
cardiovascular disease; and improve the health and safety of working 
people through research and surveillance to better understand work 
organization characteristics and their associations with health and 
safety outcomes.
    NIOSH proposes to implement a health surveillance program to assess 
the health status and burden of disease among MNM mine workers. This 
program will provide current information on a sector of the mining 
workforce that is not available elsewhere, thereby closing a current 
knowledge gap. The information will enable NIOSH to develop targeted 
workplace interventions and health programs directed toward a high risk 
population of workers. Mining researchers will be able to prioritize 
research on occupational illnesses. The mining industry will be able to 
develop, adapt, and promote policies to reduce unhealthy exposures and 
improve overall miner health.
    Data collection will take place at selected mine sites and in 
mining communities in the United States, focusing initially on the 
western states of the United States where metal mining is concentrated. 
NIOSH will collaborate with health and safety leaders from western MNM 
mines, labor, academic researchers, and other NIOSH researchers to 
identify mines interested in participating in the health assessments. A 
mobile health clinic will visit each participating site for a number of 
days, during which NIOSH will solicit voluntary participation from mine 
employees and contractors. Program staff will collaborate with mine 
operators and labor representatives to determine the best method to 
recruit participants.
    Data collection from consenting individuals working, or having 
previously worked, in the MNM mining sectors will include: Completion 
of a questionnaire, measurements of height, weight and blood pressure, 
collection of a fingerstick blood sample for measurement of cholesterol 
and hemoglobin A1C levels, pulmonary function testing, and a chest 
radiograph. The purpose of the questionnaire is to determine prevalence 
of certain health conditions and risk factors for disease, and to 
characterize miners' working conditions and workplace exposures. 
Information will be collected on demographics, occupation, work status, 
working conditions and occupational exposures, work stress, 
musculoskeletal disorders, hearing, sleep and fatigue, chronic disease 
and chronic disease risk factors, and respiratory health. Responding to 
any of the questions in the questionnaire will be optional; 
participants may choose to opt out of any portion of the questionnaire, 
or any of the individual biometric tests. In such cases, participants 
will still be eligible for remaining tests in which they choose to 
participate.
    All data collection activities will be conducted in full compliance 
with the CDC regulations to maintain the privacy of data obtained on 
persons and to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects, as 
contained in Title 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 22 and 
46.
    Overall, there are no direct costs to MNMHP participants. The total 
estimated annualized burden hours are 5,213. This estimate is based on 
the following:
     Consent form signature: Miners who elect to participate 
will be asked to read and sign a consent form describing the purpose of 
the research, risks and benefits of participation, what to expect for 
participants, data security, and voluntary participation. The consent 
has been modified to be readable at approximately an eighth grade 
level. The consent will take approximately 5 minutes to read and sign.
     Questionnaire completion: Miners who elect to participate 
in the MNMHP will complete an electronic questionnaire, which takes an 
average of approximately 23 minutes, with a range of 19-30 minutes. Up 
to 5% of miners may prefer to complete the questionnaire in hardcopy 
format, which is estimated to take up to 25% longer to complete.
     Measurements of height, weight and blood pressure: Miners 
will be asked to sit quietly for approximately 5 minutes, after which 
their blood pressure will be measured. Afterward, their height and 
weight will be measured. In total, these measurements take 
approximately 10 minutes. No forms are required.
     Collection of a fingerstick blood sample for measurement 
of cholesterol and hemoglobin A1C levels: Miners will be asked to 
provide a fingerstick blood sample, which will be used to measure 
cholesterol and hemoglobin A1C (for diabetes). The sample collection 
will take approximately 5-10 minutes, and the results will be available 
in approximately 5-10 minutes. However, the miners will proceed to 
other testing stations (chest radiography and pulmonary function 
testing) while waiting for the results of their fingerstick blood 
tests, and therefore no

[[Page 23006]]

extra time is required beyond the blood sample collection. No forms are 
required.
     Pulmonary function testing: This test requires 
approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. No forms are required.
     Chest radiograph: Chest radiography will take 
approximately 5 minutes. No forms are required.
     B Reader Physicians: Physicians provide classifications of 
chest radiographs by completing a standard NIOSH chest radiograph 
classification form, which uses the International Labour Office 
classification system for determination of pneumoconiosis. Each image 
requires two readings, and according to the Coal Workers' Health 
Surveillance Program (CWHSP), approximately 7% of the images require at 
least one additional reading. The CWHSP estimates that it takes each B 
Reader approximately three minutes to complete each form.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of        burden/      Total burden
      Type of respondent            Form name       respondents    responses per   response (in      (in hrs)
                                                                    respondent         hrs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miners........................  Form #                     2,375               1           30/60           1,188
                                 questionnaire.
Miners........................  Form #                       125               1           40/60              83
                                 questionnaire
                                 (hardcopy).
Miners........................  Height, weight,            2,500               1           10/60             417
                                 blood pressure--
                                 No form
                                 required.
Miners........................  Fingerstick--No            2,500               1           10/60             417
                                 form required.
Miners........................  Spirometry Test--          2,500               1           20/60             833
                                 No form
                                 required.
Miners........................  Radiograph--No             2,500               1           10/60             417
                                 form required.
Miners........................  Consent form....           2,500               1            5/60             208
B Reader Physician............  Form 2.8........              10             550            3/60             275
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           3,838
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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. 2015-09524 Filed 4-23-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P