[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 24, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32755-32756]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-12148]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-16-16GK]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted 
the following information collection request to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The notice for the proposed 
information collection is published to obtain comments from the public 
and affected agencies.
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are 
encouraged. Your comments should address any of the following: (a) 
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the 
accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; (d) Minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses; and 
(e) Assess information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Written comments and/or 
suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice should be 
directed to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and 
Budget, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written 
comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Ingress/Egress and Work Boot Outsole Wear Investigation at Surface 
Mines--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 & health at work for all people 
through research and prevention. NIOSH, under PL 91-173 as amended by 
PL 95-164 (Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977) has the 
responsibility to conduct research to improve working conditions and to 
prevent accidents and occupational diseases in the U.S. mining sector. 
The goal of the proposed project is to investigate how ingress/egress 
systems on mobile equipment, and personal protective footwear (boots) 
used by miners may lead to slips, trips and falls at stone, sand and 
gravel surface mining facilities. NIOSH is requesting a three-year 
approval for this data collection.
    The project objective will be achieved through two studies. The 
first study aims to: Identify elements of ingress/egress systems on 
haulage trucks and front end loaders that pose a risk of slips, trips 
and falls (STFs) and could lead to STF related injuries; to determine 
worker behavior associated with STF incidents; and to learn how 
purchasing/maintenance decisions are made for ingress/egress systems. 
In the surface mining industry, it is still unclear which component of 
the ingress/egress system poses the greatest risk for STF. Hence there 
is a need to understand where, how and why STF incidents occur during 
ingress/egress on mobile equipment.

[[Page 32756]]

    NIOSH will conduct semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 
mobile equipment operators, and interviews with mine management to 
explore the issues identified above. Focus groups will be conducted in 
a private setting with 4-6 participants using a predefined list of 
questions to help guide the discussion. Semi-structured interviews will 
be conducted either in person or over the telephone. Two separate 
interview guides will be used for mobile equipment operators and mine 
management to guide the discussion.
    For the focus groups and semi-structured interviews, NIOSH will 
collect basic demographic information including years of mining 
experience, years of experience with haul trucks/front end loaders, and 
models of haul trucks/front end loaders operated most often in the past 
year. The semi-structured interviews and focus groups will be audio 
recorded for further analysis of the discussion. The semi-structured 
interviews will last no longer than 60 minutes and the focus groups 
will last no longer than 90 minutes.
    The second study aims to identify changes in tread (wear) on the 
work boot outsoles and other outsole characteristics that will be used 
in further analysis to develop guidelines for work boot replacement 
based on measureable features of boot outsoles. This information will 
also be used in further analysis to determine desirable and undesirable 
features of work boots based on mine characteristics or job activities. 
Most mining companies replace footwear at a pre-determined interval or 
based on appearance and comfort (Chiou, Bhattacharya, & Succop, 1996) 
with little knowledge of the actual condition of the boot outsole and 
its influence on the likelihood of a STF incident. Although there have 
been attempts to quantify shoe outsole wear in industrial work when the 
shoe was ready for disposal (Chiou et al., 1996), there is a lack of 
knowledge in the mining industry on how quickly the outsoles of work 
boots wear, what sorts of wear occur, and how wear patterns influence 
the likelihood of a STF.
    For the longitudinal study, NIOSH will provide participants with a 
pair of new work boots of their choice, in accordance with mine 
requirements and policies. Afterwards, participants will complete a 
preliminary survey and provide basic demographic information, details 
of their current work boots, and details of STF incidents in the past 3 
months. Participants will be requested to wear the supplied boots at 
work and treat the boots as they would any pair of boots they would 
wear at work.
    NIOSH researchers will scan the boot outsoles longitudinally, at 2- 
to 3-month intervals for the length of the study. To better understand 
wear patterns and risks, participants will complete an on-going survey 
that records hours worked, locations commonly visited, and tasks 
performed along with details of any near miss or STF event. These self-
reports will be collected via survey on a bi-weekly basis. Participants 
will be offered multiple modalities to respond to the survey (in-
person, on paper, over the telephone, via email or using an online 
survey) to increase response rates. When a participant feels their 
boots need to be replaced (or when the end of the two-year tracking 
period has been reached), they will complete a final survey assessing 
why the boots were at the end of their life and will return their boots 
to NIOSH researchers for further analysis.
    For the cross-sectional study, participants' current work boots 
will be scanned and participants will complete the preliminary survey 
that includes basic demographic information, details of current work 
boots, and details of STF events in the past three months.
    The results of these research studies will have very different 
applications, but one goal: Reducing the risks of STF accidents at 
surface mining facilities. The results of the ingress/egress study will 
help identify features of the ingress/egress system that may lead to 
STF accidents so that they can be made safer by the manufacturers and 
to allow mining companies to make better purchasing decisions and 
encourage the acquisition of systems with better slip and fall 
protection. The results of the boot outsole wear study will be used to 
inform mine policy and practices by providing miners and mine managers 
with the knowledge to determine when to replace footwear based on 
measurable features of the boot outsoles.
    The total estimated burden hours are 643. There is no cost to the 
respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Number of    Average burden
          Type of respondents                   Form name            Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mobile equipment Operators............  Mobile equipment                      25               1            1.25
                                         operators focus group
                                         guide.
Mobile equipment operators............  Mobile equipment                      10               1           45/60
                                         operator interview
                                         guide.
Mine Management.......................  Mine Management                       15               1           45/60
                                         Interview Guide.
Mine Worker...........................  Screening Questionnaire.              50               1            6/60
Mine Worker...........................  Informed consent form                 50               1           12/60
                                         (Longitudinal boot
                                         outsole study).
Mine Worker...........................  Preliminary survey......             150               1           15/60
Mine Worker...........................  Recurring survey........              50              52           12/60
Mine Worker...........................  Final Survey............              50               1            6/60
Mine Worker...........................  Talent and consent                   150               1            6/60
                                         waiver.
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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. 2016-12148 Filed 5-23-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P