[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 108 (Friday, June 5, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32131-32132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13798]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket No. CDC-2015-0038; 60Day-15-0964]


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.

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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 a proposed 
reinstatement of an information collection entitled ``Interventions to 
Reduce Shoulder MSDs in Overhead Assembly''. This information 
collection is part of a study to assess the effectiveness and cost-
benefit of occupational safety and health (OSH) interventions to 
prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among workers in the 
Manufacturing (MNF) sector.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before August 4, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2015-
0038 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

    Interventions to Reduce Shoulder MSDs in Overhead Assembly--
Reinstatement--(OMB Control No. 0920-0964, Expired 4/30/2015), 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 at work for all people 
through research and prevention. Under Public Law 91-596, sections 20 
and 22 (Section 20-22, Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970), 
NIOSH has the responsibility to conduct research to advance the health 
and safety of workers. In this capacity, NIOSH proposes a reinstatement 
for a study to assess the effectiveness and cost-benefit of 
occupational safety and health (OSH) interventions to prevent 
musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among workers in the Manufacturing 
(MNF) sector. The original information collection request expired on 
April 30, 2015. A reinstatement is being requested in order to allow 
the program to resume the data collection activities.
    MSDs represent a major proportion of injury/illness incidence and 
cost in the U.S. Manufacturing (MNF) sector. In 2008, 29% of non-fatal 
injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (DAW) in the MNF 
sector involved MSDs and the MNF sector had some of the highest rates 
of MSD DAW cases. The rate for the motor vehicle manufacturing sub-
sector (NAICS 3361) was among the highest of MNF sub sectors, with MSD 
DAW rates that were higher than the general manufacturing MSD DAW rates 
from 2003-2007.
    In automotive manufacturing overhead conveyance of the vehicle 
chassis requires assembly line employees to use tools in working 
postures with the arms elevated. These postures are believed to be 
associated with symptoms of upper limb discomfort, fatigue, and 
impingement syndromes (Fischer et al., 2007). Overhead working posture, 
independent of the force or load exerted with the hands, may play a 
role in the development in these conditions.
    However, recent studies suggest a more significant role of 
localized shoulder muscle fatigue in contributing to these disorders. 
Fatigue of the shoulder muscles may result in changes

[[Page 32132]]

in normal shoulder kinematics (motion) that affect risk for shoulder 
impingement disorders (Ebaugh et al., 2006; Chopp et al., 2010).
    The U.S. Manufacturing sector has faced a number of challenges 
including an overall decline in jobs, an aging workforce, and changes 
in organizational management systems. Studies have indicated that the 
average age of industrial workers is increasing and that older workers 
may differ from younger workers in work capacity, injury risk, severity 
of injuries, and speed of recovery (Kenny et al., 2008; Gall et al., 
2004; Restrepo et al., 2006). As the average age of the industrial 
population increases and newer systems of work organization (such as 
lean manufacturing) are changing the nature of labor-intensive work, 
prevention of MSDs will be more critical to protecting older workers 
and maintaining productivity.
    This study will continue to evaluate the efficacy of two 
intervention strategies for reducing musculoskeletal symptoms and pain 
in the shoulder attributable to overhead assembly work in automotive 
manufacturing. These interventions are, (1) an articulating spring-
tensioned tool support device that unloads from the worker the weight 
of the tool that would otherwise be manually supported, and, (2) a 
targeted exercise program intended to increase individual employees' 
strength and endurance in the shoulder and upper arm stabilizing muscle 
group. As a primary prevention strategy, the tool support engineering 
control approach is preferred; however, a cost-efficient opportunity 
exists to concurrently evaluate the efficacy of a preventive exercise 
program intervention. Both of these intervention approaches have been 
used in the Manufacturing sector, and preliminary evidence suggests 
that both approaches may have merit. However, high quality evidence 
demonstrating their effectiveness, by way of controlled trials, is 
lacking.
    This project will be conducted as a partnership between NIOSH and 
Toyota Motors Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TEMA), 
with the intervention evaluation study taking place at the Toyota Motor 
Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) manufacturing facility in 
Georgetown, Kentucky. The prospective intervention evaluation study 
will be conducted using a group-randomized controlled trial multi-time 
series design. Four groups of 25-30 employees will be established to 
test the two intervention treatment conditions (tool support, exercise 
program), a combined intervention treatment condition, and a control 
condition. The four groups will be comprised of employees working on 
two vehicle assembly lines in different parts of the facility, on two 
work shifts (first and second shift). Individual randomization to 
treatment condition is not feasible, so a group-randomization (by work 
unit) will be used to assign the four groups to treatment and control 
conditions. Observations will be made over the 10-month study period 
and questionnaires will include the Shoulder Rating Questionnaire 
(SRQ), Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire, 
a Standardized Nordic Questionnaire for body part discomfort, and a 
Work Organization Questionnaire. In addition to the questionnaires, a 
shoulder-specific functional capacity evaluation test battery will be 
administered at 90 and 210 days, immediately pre- and post-
intervention, to confirm the efficacy of the targeted exercise program 
in improving shoulder capacity.
    In summary, this study will evaluate the effectiveness of two 
interventions to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms and pain in the 
shoulder associated with repetitive overhead work in the manufacturing 
industry. In addition, NIOSH will disseminate the results of evidence-
based prevention practices to the greatest audience possible. NIOSH 
expects to complete all data collection by 2018. There is no cost to 
respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                  Number of     Average  burden
    Type of  respondents        Form name        Number of      responses per    per  response     Total burden
                                                respondents       respondent       (in hours)       (in hrs.)
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Employees..................  PAR-Q (Physical              125                1             2/60                4
                              Activity
                              Readiness).
Employees..................  Shoulder rating              125               10             4/60               83
                              Questionnaire
                              (SQR).
Employees..................  Disabilities of              125               10             6/60              125
                              Arm Shoulder
                              and Hand
                              (DASH).
Employees..................  Standardized                 125               10             4/60               83
                              Nordic
                              Questionnaire
                              for
                              Musculoskeleta
                              l Symptoms.
Employees..................  Work Org                     125                3            26/60              163
                              Questionnaire.
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    Total..................  ...............  ...............  ...............  ...............              458
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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. 2015-13798 Filed 6-4-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P