[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 143 (Thursday, July 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35866-35868]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15818]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-19-1125]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted the information 
collection request titled ``Ingress/egress and work boot outsole wear 
investigation at surface mines'' to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval. CDC previously published a ``Proposed 
Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations'' 
notice on March 20, 2019 to obtain comments from the public and 
affected agencies. CDC received one comment related to the previous 
notice. This notice serves to allow an additional 30 days for public 
and affected agency comments.
    CDC will accept all comments for this proposed information 
collection project. The Office of Management and Budget is particularly 
interested in comments that:
    (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]. Direct written comments 
and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice to the 
Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th 
Street NW, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Provide 
written comments within 30 days of notice publication.

Proposed Project

    Ingress/egress and work boot outsole wear investigation at surface 
mines--Extension--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 Public Law 91-173 as 
amended by Public Law 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 
two-year extension 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.
    NIOSH will conduct semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 
mobile equipment operators, and interviews will be conducted with mine 
management to explore the issues

[[Page 35867]]

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 of the boot 
outsole that will be used 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 with little knowledge on 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, there is a lack of knowledge 
in the mining industry on how quickly the outsoles of work boots wear, 
what sorts of wear occurs, and how wear patterns influence the 
likelihood of a STF. This study aims to address this concern through 
two parts: A longitudinal study of boot outsole wear characteristics 
and a cross-sectional evaluation of boot outsole characteristics.
    For the longitudinal study, NIOSH will provide participants with a 
pair of new work boots of their choice, in accordance with their 
respective mine requirements and policies. Afterwards, participants 
will complete a preliminary survey and provide some 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 work boots they would commonly wear at work.
    NIOSH researchers will scan the boot outsoles longitudinally, at 
two to three month intervals for the length of the study. To better 
understand wear patterns and risks, participants will complete a 
recurring survey that records hours worked, locations commonly visited, 
and tasks performed along with details of any near miss or STF events. 
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), and at the end of the study, 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 methods adopted were adequate to address 
the research questions, and based on a thematic analysis of the data, 
NIOSH will be able to identify elements of ingress/egress systems on 
mobile equipment that pose a risk of STFs. The findings of this work 
were validated against findings from an analysis of MSHA injury data 
related to front-end loaders (Nasarwanji, Pollard & Porter, 2018). A 
publication will be drafted based on the results that also includes 
ways to make mobile equipment.
    The extension is requested to help complete data collection for the 
boot outsole wear study. 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           75/60
                                         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                      50               1           12/60
                                         form(Longitudinal boot
                                         outsole study).
Mine Worker...........................  Preliminary.............             150               1           15/60
                                        survey..................
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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[[Page 35868]]

Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2019-15818 Filed 7-24-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P