[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2866-2867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00828]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket Number CDC-2016-0002; NIOSH-214]


Request for Information on NIOSH Center for Direct Reading and 
Sensor Technologies: Sensors for Emergency Response Activities

AGENCY: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Request for information (RFI) and comment.

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

SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 
requests information to enhance the value of the NIOSH Center for 
Direct Reading and Sensor Technologies and is seeking input regarding 
specific issues on the availability, capability, suitability, barriers, 
limitations, and opportunities for current or future direct reading 
devices and sensor technologies that can be utilized for emergency 
response. This RFI is intended to inform the planning of a document to 
evaluate current and future sensor technologies used in emergency 
response.

Table of Contents

     DATES:
     ADDRESSES:
     INSTRUCTIONS:
     FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
     BACKGROUND:
     INFORMATION NEEDS:

DATES: Electronic or written comments should be received on or before 
March 21, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by CDC-2016-0002 and 
Docket Number NIOSH-214 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health, NIOSH Docket Office, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, MS C-34, Cincinnati, 
OH 45226-1998.
    Instructions: All information received in response to this notice 
must include the agency name and docket number (CDC-2016-0002; NIOSH-
214). All relevant comments received will be posted without change to 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. For 
access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, 
go to www.regulations.gov. All information received in response to this 
notice will also be available for public examination and copying at the 
NIOSH Docket Office, 1150 Tusculum Avenue, Room 155, Cincinnati, OH 
45226.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: D. Gayle DeBord, NIOSH, Division of 
Applied Research and Technologies, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 1090 
Tusculum Avenue, MS-R2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, Phone: (513) 841-4256 
[not a toll-free number], Email: [email protected].
    Background: The NIOSH Center for Direct Reading and Sensor 
Technologies (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/drst/default.html) was 
created in May 2014 to coordinate the development of recommendations on 
the use of these 21st century technologies in occupational safety and 
health. The mission of the Center is to develop a national research 
agenda, provide guidance on the selection of sensors and direct-reading 
monitors and guidance for validation, quality control and training. 
Within the overall scope of its activities, the Center plans to develop 
a document to evaluate current and future sensor technologies used in 
emergency response.
    Information Needs: Specifically, emergency responders are 
increasingly relying on direct-reading instruments and other sensor 
technologies to rapidly evaluate potentially life-threatening hazards 
and exposures. Recommendations to support the proper selection, use, 
validation, calibration and interpretation of these technologies are 
lacking. The use of new generations of sensors has increased 
exponentially in the past few years. While other Federal agencies and 
organizations have developed some recommendations on this topic, newer 
sensor technologies have not been thoroughly evaluated and guidance has 
not focused on interpretation of data or appropriate for the intended 
purpose. Other factors that need to be considered are that multiple 
strategies of environmental sampling will be necessary in any response 
effort; and that an understanding of the advantages and limitations of 
newer direct-reading and sensor technologies is needed to select the 
appropriate strategies. Additionally, training for these new sensor 
technologies and environmental sampling strategies may be lacking.
    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health seeks 
public comments in response to the following questions. Please feel 
free to comment on any or all of the questions below:

A. Utilization of Sensors in Emergency Response

    A1. What sensors have the most immediate impact on emergency 
response?
    A2. What applications/situations such as determination of the need 
for evacuation, use of personal protective equipment, or end-of-
service-life of protective equipment are particularly in need of 
sensors?

[[Page 2867]]

    A3. What are some advantages of newer generation sensors or direct 
reading devices for emergency response?
    A4. Could wearable or embedded sensors have a major contribution? 
How?
    A5. What are the primary stumbling blocks that impede sensor 
development and commercialization (e.g., reliability, potential market 
size, investment capital, etc.)?

B. Standards and Guidance

    B1. What existing standards or guidance are available with respect 
to sensor performance characteristics and validation of sensors?
    B2. What standards need to be developed (for performance or 
manufacturing) to meet industry and emergency responder expectations 
for emerging sensor technologies?
    B3. What guidance is needed with respect to sensors used in 
emergency response?

C. Training

    C1. What training is available on when and how to use sensors in 
emergency response? Who is developing this training and how is it 
accessed (print, via web, etc.)?
    C2. What additional training on sensors would be useful for 
emergency response?
    C3. What standards or guidance are available on how training should 
be developed and conducted?

D. Sensors

    D1. What capabilities would be highest priority for emergency 
response efforts? What are the current primary gaps in sensor 
functionality?
    D2. What are the largest technical challenges in manufacturing 
facing sensor development (e.g., integration, reliability)?
    D3. What are the new tools for integration/engineering (e.g., Wi-
Fi, programmable logic, signal processing software, GPS/location 
services, development of multi-sensor networks, etc.) that will have 
the greatest impact on sensors used in emergency response?
    D4. What, if any, unique emergency response issues might be 
expected for sensor manufacturing?
    D5. What sample types have you used to demonstrate sensor 
performance (e.g., real clinical samples, environmental samples/sites)?
    D6. What procedures for standardized testing have you used to 
develop sensors?
    D7. What would aid the sensor development community?

E. Additional Considerations

    E1. What additional questions and considerations should be 
considered relevant to planning the development of a document to 
evaluate current and future sensor technologies used in emergency 
response?
    E2. What elements of the sensor lifecycle are either missing, in 
need of clarification, or of greatest importance?
    Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by 
the Government to form a binding contract or to issue a grant. 
Information obtained as a result of this RFI may be used by the 
government for program planning on a non-attribution basis. Please do 
not include any information that might be considered proprietary, 
confidential, or personally identifying (such as home address or social 
security number).

    Dated: January 12, 2016.
John Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2016-00828 Filed 1-15-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-19-P