[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 102 (Tuesday, May 28, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24543-24544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11001]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be 
provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial 
resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, 
and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be 
properly assessed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting 
comments concerning the proposed extension of the ``Census of Fatal 
Occupational Injuries.'' A copy of the proposed information collection 
request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below 
in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice on or before July 29, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20212. Written comments also 
may be transmitted by fax to (202) 691-5111 (this is not a toll free 
number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
at (202)691-7628. (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was delegated responsibility 
by the Secretary of Labor for implementing Section 24(a) of the 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. This section states that 
``the Secretary shall compile accurate statistics on work injuries and 
illnesses which shall include all disabling, serious, or significant 
injuries and illnesses . . .''
    Prior to the implementation of the Census of Fatal Occupational 
Injuries (CFOI), the BLS generated estimates of occupational fatalities 
for private sector employers from a sample survey of about 280,000 
establishments. Studies showed that occupational fatalities were 
underreported in those estimates as well as in those compiled by 
regulatory, vital statistics, and workers' compensation systems. 
Estimates prior to the CFOI varied widely, ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 
fatal work injuries annually. In addition, information needed to 
develop prevention strategies were often missing from these earlier 
programs.
    In the late 1980s, the National Academy of Sciences study, Counting 
Injuries and Illnesses in the Workplace, and another report, Keystone 
National Policy Dialogue on Work-Related Illness and Injury 
Recordkeeping, emphasized the need for the BLS to compile a complete 
roster of work-related fatalities because of concern over the accuracy 
of using a sample survey to estimate the incidence of occupational 
fatalities. These studies also recommended the use of all available 
data sources to compile detailed information for fatality prevention 
efforts.
    The BLS tested the feasibility of collecting fatality data in this 
manner in 1989 and 1990. The resulting CFOI was implemented in 32 
States in 1991. National data covering all 50 States, New York City, 
and the District of Columbia have been compiled and published annually 
for years 1992 through 2014, approximately eight months after the end 
of each calendar year, with final data being published 16 months after 
the end of each calendar year. Since 2015, CFOI has moved to a single 
release of final data, 12 months after the end of each calendar year.
    The CFOI compiles comprehensive, accurate, and timely information 
on work-injury fatalities needed to develop effective prevention 
strategies. The system collects information concerning the incident, 
the demographic information of the deceased, and the characteristics of 
the employer.
    Data are used to:
     Develop employee safety training programs.
     Develop and assess the effectiveness of safety standards.
     Conduct research for developing prevention strategies.
    In addition, State partners use the data to publish State reports, 
to identify State-specific hazards, to allocate resources for promoting 
safety in the workplace, and to evaluate the quality of work life in 
the State.

II. Current Action

    Office of Management and Budget clearance is being sought for the 
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.
    In 2017, 5,147 workers lost their lives as a result of injuries 
received on the job. This official systematic, verifiable count mutes 
controversy over the various counts from different sources. The CFOI 
count has been adopted by the National Safety Council and other 
organizations as the sole source of a comprehensive count of fatal work

[[Page 24544]]

injuries for the U.S. If this information were not collected, the 
confusion over the number and patterns in fatal occupational injuries 
would hamper prevention efforts. By providing timely occupational 
fatality data, the CFOI provides safety and health managers the 
information necessary to respond to emerging workplace hazards.
    During 2018, BLS national office responded to over 400 requests for 
CFOI data from various organizations. (This figure excludes requests 
received by the States for State-specific data.) In addition, the CFOI 
page of the BLS website averaged about 11,300 users per month in 2017.
    National office staff also responded to numerous requests from 
safety organizations for staff members to participate in safety 
conferences and seminars. The CFOI research file, made available to 
safety and health groups, is being used by 14 organizations. Study 
topics include fatalities by worker demographic category (young 
workers, older workers, Hispanic workers); by occupation or industry 
(construction workers, police officers, firefighters, landscaping 
workers, workers in oil and gas extraction); by event (heat-related 
fatalities, fatalities from workplace violence, suicides, falls from 
ladders); or other research such as safety and health program 
effectiveness and the impact of fatality risk on wages. A current list 
of research articles and reports that include CFOI data can be found 
here: http://www.bls.gov/iif/publications.htm.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     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.
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
     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 submissions of responses.
    Title of Collection: Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.
    OMB Number: 1220-0133.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Federal government; Individuals or households; 
Private sector (Business or other for-profits, Not-for-profit 
institutions, Farms); State, local, or tribal governments.
    Frequency: On occasion.

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                                           Number of       Number of
             Type of form                 respondents      responses     Burden hours     Average response time
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BLS CFOI-1............................             837             837             279  20 minutes per document.
Source documents--Federal.............               7              11              70  10 hours per year per
                                                                                         agency.
Source documents--State, local, and                220          14,756           2,459  10 minutes per document.
 tribal.
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    Totals............................           1,064          15,604           2,808
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    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on May 21, 2019.
Mark Staniorski,
Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2019-11001 Filed 5-24-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-24-P