[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30014-30015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-12287]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60-Day-12-0834]
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects.
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call 404-639-7570 or
send comments to Kimberly S. Lane, at 1600 Clifton Road, MS D74,
Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an email to [email protected].
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; and (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. Written comments should be received
within 60 days of this notice.
Proposed Project
Occupational Injuries and Illnesses among Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) Workers: A NEISS-Work Telephone Interview Survey--
Revision--National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
Studies have reported that EMS workers have higher rates of non-
fatal injuries and illnesses as compared to the general worker
population. As EMS professionals are tasked with protecting the health
of the public and treating urgent medical needs, it follows that
understanding and preventing injuries and illnesses among EMS workers
will have a benefit reaching beyond the workers to the general public.
As mandated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Pub.
L. 91-596), the mission of NIOSH is to conduct research and
investigations on occupational safety and health. Related to this
mission, the purpose of this project is to conduct research that will
provide a detailed description of non-fatal occupational injuries and
illnesses incurred by EMS workers. This project bridges a gap of
limited existing EMS worker injury and illness surveillance identified
in a 2007 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
report. The project uses two related data sources. The first source is
data abstracted from medical records of EMS workers treated in a
nationally stratified sample of emergency departments. These data are
routinely collected by the occupational supplement to the National
Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS-Work). The second data
source, for which NIOSH is seeking OMB approval for a two year
extension, is responses to telephone interview surveys of the injured
and ill EMS workers identified within NEISS-Work. Collection of
telephone interview data began in July 2010.
Data collected under the original OMB approval for this project
indicate that EMS workers are willing to respond to detailed questions
about their occupational injury and related circumstances. However, in
order to obtain enough data to produce stable, detailed national
estimates, data collection should continue until July 1, 2014. This
will provide a total of four years of data for analysis.
The ongoing telephone interview surveys will supplement NEISS-Work
data with an extensive description of EMS worker injuries and
illnesses, including worker characteristics, injury types, injury
circumstances, injury outcomes, and use of personal protective
equipment. Previous reports describing occupational injuries and
illnesses to EMS workers provide limited details on specific regions or
sub-segments of the population and many are outdated. As compared to
these earlier studies, the scope of the telephone interview data is
broader as it includes sampled cases nationwide and has no limitations
in regards to type of employment (i.e., volunteer versus career).
Results from the telephone interviews will be weighted and reported as
estimates of EMS workers treated for occupational injuries and
illnesses in emergency departments.
The sample size for the telephone interview survey is estimated to
be approximately 150 EMS workers annually for the proposed four year
duration of the study. This estimate is based on preliminary analysis
of the data collected to-date. The estimate has been reduced from the
original sample projection of 175 EMS workers. Consequently, the burden
has been reduced as well. Each telephone interview takes approximately
20 minutes to complete, resulting in an annualized burden estimate of
50 hours. Using the routine NEISS-Work data, an analysis of all
identified EMS workers will be performed to determine if there are any
differences between the telephone interview responder and non-responder
groups.
This project is a collaborative effort between the Division of
Safety Research in the NIOSH and the Office of Emergency Medical
Services in NHTSA. Both agencies have a strong interest in improving
surveillance of EMS worker injuries and illnesses to provide the
information necessary for effectively targeting and implementing
prevention efforts and, consequently, reducing occupational injuries
and illnesses among EMS workers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) will also contribute to this project as they are responsible for
coordinating the collection of all NEISS-Work data and for overseeing
the collection of all telephone interview data.
[[Page 30015]]
There is no cost to respondents other than their time.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Average burden
Respondents Number of responses per per response Total burden
respondents respondent (in hours) (in hours)
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EMS workers................................. 150 1 20/60 50
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Total................................... ............... ............... ............... 50
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Kimberly S. Lane,
Deputy Director, Office of Science Integrity, Office of the Associate
Director for Science, Office of the Director, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2012-12287 Filed 5-18-12; 8:45 am]
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