[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 112 (Friday, June 10, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35573-35575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12506]


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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

[[Page 35574]]

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 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 August 9, 2022.

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 email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nora Kincaid, BLS Clearance Officer, 
at 202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number). (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, 
the District of Columbia, and three U.S. Territories have been compiled 
and published annually since 1992.
    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, 
demographic information of the deceased, and 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 2019 and 2020, 5,333 (pre-pandemic) and 4,764 (pandemic) 
workers, respectively, lost their lives because of fatal work injuries. 
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 injuries for the U.S. If 
this information were not collected, 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 2020, BLS national office responded to 148 requests for CFOI 
data from various organizations. (This figure excludes requests 
received by states for state-specific data.) In addition, the CFOI page 
of the BLS website averaged about 7,015 users per month in 2020.
    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 12 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 
at: 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.
    Affected Public: Federal government; Individuals or households; 
Private sector (Business or other for-profits, Not-for-profit 
institutions, Farms); State, local, or tribal governments.

[[Page 35575]]



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                                                                                                                           Average time      Estimated
                     Form                            Total                      Frequency                      Total       per response    total burden
                                                  respondents                                                responses       (minutes)        (hours)
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Form BLS CFOI-1...............................             334  On Occasion.............................             334              20             111
Source Documents..............................             227  On Occasion.............................          15,476              10           2,648
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    Totals....................................             561  ........................................          15,810  ..............           2,759
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    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 June 3, 2022.
Eric Molina,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems.
[FR Doc. 2022-12506 Filed 6-9-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P