[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2903-2904]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1131]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
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 069296, October 20, 1980, as
amended most recently at 63 FR 50916-17, dated September 23, 1998) is
amended to reflect reorganization of the Division of Respiratory
Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH).
Section C-B, Organization and Functions, is hereby amended as
follows:
After the title for the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
(CCA), delete the functional statement and insert the following:
(1) Provides national and international leadership for
understanding and preventing occupational respiratory disease; (2)
plans, designs and conducts a national research program for the
prevention of occupational respiratory disease; (3) upon request,
conducts hazard evaluations and provides technical assistance to
address emerging problems in occupational respiratory disease; (4)
plans, designs and conducts a national surveillance program for
occupational respiratory diseases; (5)-communicates study findings for
the prevention of occupational respiratory diseases and evaluates the
effectiveness of these communications; (6) carries out a program of
testing, evaluation, certification, and quality assurance monitoring of
respiratory protective devices and publishes and promulgates such
regulations, notices, and findings necessary for the efficient and
effective conduct of these programs under the Federal Mine Safety and
Health Act (FMSHAct) of 1977 and the Occupational Safety and Health Act
(OSHAct) of 1970; (7) administers a program of legislatively mandated
[[Page 2904]]
medical services for coal miners under the FMSHAct of 1977.
After the title and functional statement for the Office of the
Director (CCA1), insert the following:
Communication and Information Activity (CCA12). (1) Collaborates
with Division staff to translate findings from research, surveillance
and other Division activities to produce products that motivate
respiratory disease prevention activities; (2) coordinates with other
health communication, health education, and information dissemination
activities within the Institute to ensure the effective dissemination
of these products; (3) coordinates all Division activities relating to
grants and cooperative agreements in conjunction with the NIOSH Office
of Extramural Coordination and Special Projects; (4) provides the
Division with systems analysis, archiving guidance, and computer
programming support; (5) coordinates and promotes regular seminars,
workshops, and other meetings as necessary; (6) operates the Division's
local area network in coordination with the NIOSH Office of
Administrative and Management Services, Management Systems Branch.
Field Studies Branch (CCA7). (1) Designs and conducts short- and
long-term field investigations of occupational respiratory diseases;
(2) responds to requests for health hazard evaluations and technical
assistance relevant to occupational respiratory disease; (3) conducts
morbidity and mortality studies relating to occupational respiratory
diseases in order to: (a) identify causal agents (and other risk
factors); (b) quantify exposure-effect relationships; (c) evaluate
prevalence and severity of specific respiratory diseases in selected
worker populations; (4) conducts environmental studies, industrial
hygiene research, experiments, and demonstrations of workplace
exposures and controls including the use of respiratory protective
equipment, and to study problems created by new technology; (5)
provides statistical design and implements data analysis and
verification for Division research projects; (6) develops and evaluates
research methods of data collection, processing, and statistical
analysis.
Laboratory Research Branch (CCA9). (1) Conducts laboratory research
complementary to and coordinated with field investigations of
occupational respiratory diseases and respirator testing and
certification; (2) formulates and implements laboratory research which
will identify factors involved in the early detection and differential
rates of susceptibility to occupational respiratory disease; (3)
develops new methods to improve detection and measurement of human
response to respiratory hazards found in the workplace; (4) develops
new methods and technologies to characterize and measure respiratory
exposure agents; (5) devises and conducts clinical research studies on
the causes, detection, and quantification of occupational respiratory
disease; (6) in conjunction with researchers in the Health Effects
Laboratory Division, carries out an experimental pathology program
utilizing appropriate laboratory animals to study the mechanism and
progression of lung damage from occupational respiratory exposures; (7)
carries out laboratory studies of respirators, their components, and
evaluates new respirator technology to: (a) Determine the effectiveness
of respirators; (b) develop new or improved testing and certification
instrumentation needed to evaluate emerging respirator technologies;
(c) evaluate the added stresses from the use of respiratory protective
equipment.
Respirator Branch (CCAA). (1) Provides for the protection of
workers in dangerous environments by certifying reliability, safety,
and efficacy of respiratory protection devices; (2) evaluates,
certifies, and maintains official records on air-supplied and air-
purifying respirators as required by the FMSHAct of 1977 and the OSHAct
of 1970; (3) assists in the development and promulgation of new
performance criteria, standards, and guidelines for certification of
respirators; (4) evaluates quality control plans, conducts in-plant
audits of the manufacturers' quality control programs, and monitors the
quality and performance of certified respirators procured on the open
market; (5) investigates field problems associated with NIOSH-certified
respirators; (6) provides technical assistance on the selection, use,
maintenance, and operation of respiratory protective equipment.
Surveillance Branch (CCAB). (1) Periodically collects, analyzes and
disseminates health and hazard information related to occupational
respiratory diseases; (2) collaborates on the establishment of health
surveillance systems in order to: (a) Summarize information relating to
overall incidence, prevalence, mortality, and importance of
occupational respiratory diseases; (b) describe the occurrence of
specific diseases (including temporal trends) with regard to
occupation, industry, geography, demographic characteristics, and other
factors for which information is available; (c) describe the
distribution and trends in occupational exposure to agents responsible
for respiratory diseases; (3) periodically produces and develops
reports describing workplace hazards and work-related occupational lung
diseases; (4) coordinates with other Federal agencies and promulgates
rules as provided for in the FMASHAct of 1977, and the OSHAct of 1970,
to provide for the collection and reporting of health and hazard
surveillance data related to occupational respiratory diseases; (5)
provides technical assistance and recommendations concerning medical
screening and health surveillance of workers exposed to respiratory
hazards in the workplace; (6) conducts surveys of hazardous exposures
and the use of personal protective equipment; (7) synthesizes data and
frames recommendations for priority setting, hypothesis generation, and
improved methods for data collection; (8) develops and evaluates
surveillance methods of data collection, processing, and statistical
analysis.
Coal Workers Health Surveillance Program Activity (CCAB2). (1)
Plans, coordinates, and processes the medical examinations provided
under the FMSHAct of 1977; (2) operates a certification program for
participating medical facilities and physicians; (3) evaluates and
approves employer programs for the examination of employees in
accordance with published regulations; (4) arranges for the examination
of employees who work at locations not having an approved examination
program; (5) operates the National Coal Workers Autopsy Program.
Delete in their entirety the titles and functional statements for
the following: Epidemiological Investigations Branch (CCA2);
Environmental Investigations Branch (CCA3); Clinical Investigations
Branch (CCA4); Laboratory Investigations Branch (CCA5); Certification
and Quality Assurance Branch (CCA6); and Examination Processing Branch
(CCA8).
Dated: January 6, 1999.
Jeffrey P. Koplan,
Director.
[FR Doc. 99-1131 Filed 1-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-18-M