[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36547-36548]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13292]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-16-16AMV; Docket No. CDC-2016-0048]


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 
information collection project entitled ``Survey of Musculoskeletal 
Disorders Prevention Tools/Methods: 10-year Follow-Up''. The purpose of 
this study is to administer a survey of ergonomics practitioners (those 
holding professional certification) to gather information on the basic 
tools, direct and observational measurement techniques, and software 
used at work sites to assess risk factors for musculoskeletal 
disorders.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before August 8, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2016-
0048 by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.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

[[Page 36548]]

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

    Survey of Musculoskeletal Disorders Prevention Tools/Methods: 10-
year Follow-Up--New--National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health, 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 to administer a 
survey of ergonomics professionals as a 10-year follow-up to a survey 
conducted of U.S. Certified Professional Ergonomists (CPEs) by Dempsey 
et al. and published in 2005 (A survey of tools and methods used by 
certified professional ergonomists. Applied Ergonomics, 36, 489-503). 
NIOSH is requesting a one year approval period for this data 
collection.
    The project is planned to extend the original survey in two ways: 
(1) The sample will be broadened to include international ergonomics 
practitioners (in Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and 
Australia), and, (2) the queried tools and methods have been updated to 
reflect new and emerging technologies not included in the original 
survey. The purpose of the survey will be unchanged--to gather 
information on the types of basic tools, direct and observational 
measurement techniques, and software used in the field by ergonomics 
practitioners to assess workplace risk factors for musculoskeletal 
disorders and to evaluate workplace interventions.
    The motivation for the original 2005 survey was to better 
understand the types of tools and methods practitioners use, their 
opinions of these tools, and to potentially gain an understanding of 
the constraints or preferences that influence this selection. At the 
time of the 2005 survey, there were many tools reported in the 
literature, but little information on the extent to which these 
different tools were used by practitioners. Similarly, there was little 
published information on users' experiences with these different tools. 
There has been considerable interest in the findings and the Dempsey et 
al (2005) publication has been widely cited. The program anticipates 
that a follow-up effort will result in even greater interest as changes 
in the practice of ergonomics and prevention of soft tissue MSDs can be 
inferred from comparisons between the two surveys time points.
    Since publication of the initial survey findings there has been a 
proliferation of smart phone/smart device-embedded inertial and 
acceleration sensors and related ``apps'' for human motion and activity 
logging. Little is known about the extent to which ergonomics 
practitioners are using these newer technologies towards assessing 
workplace physical activity (and now, workplace inactivity and 
``sedentarism'') and other job demands. Thus, the survey will provide a 
contemporary perspective on the scope of use of assessment tools and 
methods by these professionals. This project will involve the 
collection of non-sensitive data via web-based survey questionnaire 
methods. Survey data relate only to respondents' professional practice 
within the OS&H discipline of ergonomics and prevention of 
musculoskeletal disorders.
    Only certified ergonomics professionals from five countries with 
specific certification credentials will be eligible and invited to 
participate. Their participation will be voluntary. The program has 
assumed an optimistic 80% response rate to estimate the number of 
respondents at 938 in the estimation of annualized burden hours.
    In summary, this study will update information collected and 
published in 2005 on the methods and tools used by practicing 
ergonomists. NIOSH expects to complete data collection in 2017. The 
total estimated burden hours is 469. There are no costs to respondents 
other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                      No. of      Average burden
      Type of respondents           Form name         No. of       responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)       (in hrs.)
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Certified Ergonomics            Practicing                   938               1           30/60             469
 professionals.                  Ergonomist
                                 Survey of Tools
                                 and Methods.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             469
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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. 2016-13292 Filed 6-6-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P