[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 98 (Wednesday, May 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30706-30708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10797]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of 
Authority

    Part C (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) of the 
Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority of 
the Department of Health and Human Services (45 FR 67772-76, dated 
October 14, 1980, and corrected at 45 FR 69296, October 20, 1980, as 
amended most recently at 84 FR 65981, dated December 2, 2019) is 
amended to reflect the reorganization of the National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention. The reorganization is needed to become more responsive to 
the changing mining industry and stakeholder priorities, as well as 
align and integrate regional activities of the NIOSH mining program's 
core business and research functions.
    I. Under Part C, Section C-B, Organization and Functions, the 
following organizational units are deleted in their entirety:

 Health Communication, Surveillance and Research Support Branch 
(CCRB)
 Ground Control Branch (CCRC)
 Dust, Ventilation and Toxic Substances Branch (CCRD)
 Human Factors Branch (CCRE)
 Electrical and Mechanical Systems Safety Branch (CCRF)
 Fires and Explosions Branch (CCRG)
 Workplace Health Branch (CCRH)

    II. Under Part C, Section C-B, Organization and Functions, make the 
following changes:

 Update functional statement for the Pittsburgh Mining Research 
Division (CCR)
 Create the Health Hazards Prevention Branch (CCRJ)
 Create the Mining Systems Safety Branch (CCRK)
 Create the Human Systems Integration Branch (CCRL)
 Update the functional statement for the Spokane Research 
Division (CCS)

[[Page 30707]]

 Create the Miner Health Branch (CCSB)
 Create the Miner Safety Branch (CCSC)

    III. Under Part C, Section C-B, Organization and Functions, insert 
the following:
     Pittsburgh Mining Research Division (CCR). Provides 
leadership and guidance for the prevention of work-related illness, 
injury, and fatalities of mine workers through research and prevention 
activities of the Pittsburgh Mining Research Division through three 
subordinate Branches. Specifically: (1) Conducts field studies to 
identify emerging hazards, to understand the underlying causes of mine 
safety and health problems, and to evaluate the effectiveness of 
interventions; (2) develops engineering and behavioral-based 
interventions, including training programs, to improve safety and 
health in the mines; (3) performs research, development, and testing of 
new technologies, equipment, and practices to enhance mine safety and 
health; (4) develops best practices guidance for interventions; (5) 
transfers mining research and prevention products into practice; and 
(6) collaborates with the Spokane Mining Research Division and other 
NIOSH divisions engaged in research and prevention activities relevant 
to mine worker health and safety.
     Health Hazards Prevention Branch (CCRJ). The Health 
Hazards Prevention Branch function is to reduce illnesses and injuries 
to mine workers through assessment and control of respiratory and 
physical hazards. The branch: (1) Assesses mine worker exposure to 
respiratory hazards, through a comprehensive characterization of the 
exposures and the evaluation and development of monitoring methods and 
technologies; (2) conducts research on and evaluates the performance 
and technical feasibility of engineering control strategies, novel 
approaches, and the application of new or emerging technologies for 
underground and surface mine dust and respiratory hazard control 
systems; (3) conducts research related to occupational hearing loss in 
the mining sector, including causative effects, noise controls, hearing 
protection devices and impulse noise; (4) demonstrates and evaluates 
the technical and economic feasibility of noise reduction controls; (5) 
conducts research related to ergonomic hazards, including developing 
engineering controls in the laboratory and evaluating their 
effectiveness in the workplace to prevent workplace musculoskeletal 
disorders, slips-trips-falls accidents, and materials handling 
injuries; and (6) conducts research related to the assessment and 
control of diesel particulate matter (DPM) in both surface and 
underground mines.
     Mining Systems Safety Branch (CCRK). The Mining Systems 
Safety Branch function is to reduce accidents and injuries arising from 
changing geological conditions and mine system technologies and to 
prevent mine explosions, mine fires, and gas and water inundations, 
particularly in underground coal mines. The branch: (1) Conducts 
experiments through laboratory and field investigations to prevent 
catastrophic events such as cataclysmic structural or ground failures, 
mine explosions, mine fires, and gas and water inundations to better 
understand cause and effect relationships that initiate such events; 
(2) utilizes monitoring and advanced numerical modeling techniques to 
better understand and visualize ground behavior and support response, 
leading to improved design criteria for mine layouts and support design 
to mitigate ground control failures; (3) develops, tests, and 
demonstrates sensors, predictive models, and engineering control 
technologies to reduce miners' risk for injury or death; (4) conducts 
laboratory and field research on communication systems, tracking 
systems, lighting systems, sensor technologies, refuge alternatives, 
and monitoring systems to ensure their viability and safety during 
routine mining operations as well as post-disaster conditions; (5) 
assesses and develops new or improved strategies and technologies to 
reduce the risks associated with fires and explosions in mining 
operations to mitigate the impact of mine disasters; (6) assesses 
methodologies and designs to enhance and improve underground mine 
ventilation system design and application to prevent disasters and 
ensure safe and healthy conditions for underground miners; and (7) 
identifies and evaluates emerging health and safety issues as mining 
operations move into more challenging and dangerous geologic 
conditions.
     Human Systems Integration Branch (CCRL). The Human Systems 
Integration Branch function is to reduce fatalities and injuries 
through interventions and engineering controls solutions developed 
through a human systems integration framework. The branch: (1) Conducts 
research with an overarching focus on the human component in the mining 
workplace system and in the mine emergency response system; (2) 
conducts human factors research related to worker perceptions, judgment 
and decision-making, hazard recognition, and human behavior; (3) 
provides effective training and workplace organization techniques and 
strategies for mining; (4) conducts intervention and evaluation 
effectiveness research for integration and use of technologies and 
interventions including engineering controls, organizational 
administrative and process changes and individual leadership and worker 
practices in mining; (5) systematically studies risk at the 
intersections of technical, human and environmental elements which 
occur at the levels of the individual, tasks, tools and technology, 
physical environment and organizational process and design in order to 
improve risk management systems; and (6) conducts research on effective 
training methods that develops organizational techniques and strategies 
to promote a positive safety culture in mining.
     Spokane Mining Research Division (CCS). Provides 
leadership and guidance in the prevention of work-related illness, 
injury, and fatalities in the mining industries through research and 
prevention activities of the Spokane Mining Research Division, with an 
emphasis on the special needs of surface and underground mines in the 
western United States. Specifically: (1) Developing numerical models 
and conducting laboratory and field research and investigations to 
better understand the causes of catastrophic failures that may lead to 
multiple injuries and fatalities; (2) developing new design practices 
and tools, control technologies, and work practices to reduce the risk 
of global and local ground failures in mines; (3) assessing and 
mitigating risks associated with emerging technologies such as 
automated mining equipment and new sensor technologies, and through 
researching, identifying or developing new technologies that have 
potential benefits to mining health and safety; (4) developing improved 
design approaches, monitoring devices, and engineering controls to 
reduce the concentration of toxic substances in the mine air; (5) 
developing and promoting health and safety strategies through research 
that protect mine workers from occupational hazards and advance life-
time worker wellbeing through the implementation of a miner health 
program; (6) conducting laboratory and field studies to leverage and 
support the Institute's mining research program; and (7) collaborates 
with the Pittsburgh Mining Research Division and other NIOSH divisions 
engaged in research and prevention activities relevant to mine worker 
health and safety.

[[Page 30708]]

     Miner Safety Branch (CCSB). The Miner Safety Branch 
function is to identify and eliminate safety issues arising from 
changing mine conditions and technologies. State-of-the-art 
technologies are used to conduct fundamental and applied research aimed 
at eliminating injuries and fatalities in mining with a particular 
focus on geomechanical instabilities, localized ground falls, machine 
safety, and worker interaction with automated systems and other 
emerging technologies. Researchers specialized in the fields of 
geology, geophysics, seismology, electronic instrumentation, numerical 
modeling, geotechnical engineering, safety engineering, data science, 
and mining engineering utilize state-of-the-art, emerging, and novel 
technologies to identify and solve mine safety challenges. The branch: 
(1) Develops, implements, and improves geophysical methods, 
geotechnical instrumentation, and laboratory techniques through applied 
research to quantify rock mass properties and characterize mining-
induced ground response; (2) utilizes advanced numerical modeling 
techniques to better understand and visualize ground behavior and 
support response; (3) identifies new technologies to monitor and 
improve ground support; (4) conducts research through laboratory and 
field assessments of the performance of engineered support systems to 
provide quantifiable design criteria; (5) develops recommendations for 
the design of equipment and techniques to reduce risks associated with 
the installation of ground support; (6) utilizes experimental and 
empirical methods developed through research to quantify the 
reliability of alternative mining methods and design practices; (7) 
applies advanced informatics, data analyses, and visualization 
techniques to automated and semi-automated mining systems to provide 
increased situational awareness for mine workers; (8) assesses, 
develops and deploys research-based mine-wide seismic systems for 
quantifying and evaluating seismic hazards and mitigation strategies 
for underground and surface mines; and (9) addresses health and safety 
issues that may develop after the introduction of automated mining 
systems and other emerging technologies in mining.
     Miner Health Branch (CCSC). The Miner Health Branch 
function is to assess and track miner health and hazard exposures; and 
develop and promote health solutions that maximize worker protection, 
minimize exposures and prevent disease, while improving functional 
health for the entire mining population. Research is pursued through an 
interdisciplinary approach involving the fields of epidemiology, 
industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, organizational psychology, 
chemistry, as well as mechanical, electrical, and industrial 
engineering. The branch: (1) Incorporates novel and relevant health 
surveillance methods for the systematic assessment of health and 
exposure potential of the miner as it pertains to dynamic mining 
environments; (2) conducts research on the identification and 
prioritization of adverse health outcomes and exposures, and their 
associated risk factors; (3) quantitatively and qualitatively measures 
risk through research, experimental, and real-world data collection; 
(4) conducts research on the development and evaluation of workplace 
practices and technologies aimed at preventing injury and illness that 
improve long-term functionality for all miners and benefit employers, 
families, and communities; (5) develops technologies and methods to 
monitor and eliminate exposures; and (6) engages and collaborates 
across NIOSH and with industry to effectively communicate tangible 
health solutions and control strategies.
    IV. Delegations of Authority: All delegations and redelegations of 
authority made to officials and employees of affected organizational 
components will continue with them or their successors pending further 
redelegation, provided they are consistent with this reorganization.

(Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3101)

    Dated: April 29, 2020.
Alex M. Azar, II,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-10797 Filed 5-19-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P