[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70274-70276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28948]


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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 75 FR 62554-62559, dated October 12, 2010) is 
amended to reflect the reorganization of the National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (CC), Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (C).
    Section C-B, Organization and Functions, is hereby amended as 
follows:
    Delete in its entirety the titles and functional statements for the 
Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (CCM) and insert the 
following:
    Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (CCM). The Office of Mine 
Safety and Health Research (OMSHR): (1) Provides national and 
international leadership for the prevention of work-related illness, 
injury, and fatalities of mine workers through research and prevention 
activities at the Pittsburgh, Spokane, and Lake Lynn Laboratories; (2) 
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; (3) develops engineering and 
behavioral-based interventions, including training programs, to improve 
safety and health in the mines; trains mine safety and health trainers, 
and for evaluation purposes, conducts mine rescue and escape training 
for miners and mine rescue teams; (4) performs research, development, 
and testing of new technologies, equipment, and practices to enhance 
mine safety and health; (5) awards competitive grants and contracts to 
encourage the development, testing, demonstration, adoption, and 
manufacture of mine safety equipment and technologies; (6) develops 
best practices guidance for interventions; (7) transfers mining 
research and prevention products into practice; (8) coordinates NIOSH 
research and prevention activities for the mining sector; (9) provides 
policy guidance to the NIOSH Director on mining safety and health 
issues; and (10) provides for planning, oversight, and resource 
management of OMSHR's activities related to the conduct of programs, 
including: human capital and budget management, procurement, policy-
setting and interpretation, and special initiatives.
    Division of Mining Science and Technology (CCMD). The Division of 
Mining Science and Technology: (1) Studies global technology 
developments in areas of potential benefit to mining safety and health; 
(2) devises research or evaluation protocols to assess the efficacy of 
candidate technologies; (3) develops and implements work plans to adapt 
promising technologies for a mining application; (4) leads research-to-
practice activities to facilitate adoption of key safety and health 
technologies; (5) utilizes contracts and grants to facilitate the goals 
of the MINER Act; (6) coordinates with the Division of Mining Research 
Operations for effective utilization of laboratory and human resources 
to accomplish the mission of the OMSHR; (7) provides vision and 
leadership, and coordinates the processes, to ensure an environment 
thriving with scientific excellence, integrity, and innovation; and (8) 
provides for the surveillance, health communications, and computational 
support needs of the OMSHR.
    Health Communications, Surveillance and Research Support Branch 
(CCMDB). (1) Collects and analyzes health and safety data related to 
mining occupations in order to report on the overall incidence, 
prevalence and significance of occupational safety and health problems 
in mining; (2) describes trends in incidence of mining-related 
fatalities, morbidity, and traumatic injury; (3) conducts surveillance 
on the

[[Page 70275]]

use of new technology, the use of engineering controls, and the use of 
protective equipment in the mining sector; (4) coordinates surveillance 
activities with other NIOSH surveillance initiatives; (5) provides 
statistical support for surveillance and research activities of the 
laboratory; (6) analyzes and assists in the development of research 
protocols for developing studies; (7) coordinates planning, analysis, 
and evaluation of the OMSHR research program for achieving 
organizational goals; (8) collaborates with research staff to translate 
findings from laboratory research to produce compelling products that 
motivate the mining sector to engage in improved injury control and 
disease prevention activities; (9) coordinates with other health 
communication, health education, and information dissemination 
activities within NIOSH and CDC to ensure that mining research 
information is effectively integrated into the CDC dissemination and 
intervention strategies; and (10) supports mining research through the 
development and application of computational tools and techniques that 
advance the understanding and mitigation of mining health and safety 
problems.
    Division of Mining Research Operations (CCME). The Division of 
Mining Research Operations: (1) Develops new knowledge, engineering and 
behavioral interventions, and new technologies to improve mining safety 
and health; (2) implements and manages the mining research portfolio to 
accomplish the functional goals of the OMSHR; (3) develops, manages, 
and operates the laboratory science programs at the Pittsburgh and 
Spokane facilities and the experimental programs at mines, including 
the experimental mines at Lake Lynn and Pittsburgh; (4) conducts 
research-to-practice activities; and (5) coordinates with the Division 
of Mining Science and Technology for effective utilization of 
laboratory and human resources to accomplish the mission of the OMSHR.
    Ground Control Branch (CCMEB). (1) Conducts laboratory and field 
investigations of catastrophic events such as catastrophic structural 
or ground failures to better understand cause and effect relationships 
that initiate such events; (2) designs, evaluates, and implements 
appropriate intervention strategies and engineering controls to prevent 
ground failures; (3) develops, tests, and promotes the use of rock 
safety engineering prediction and risk evaluation systems for control 
or reduction of risk; (4) conducts laboratory and field investigations 
of surface mining operations to ensure appropriate engineering designs 
to prevent slope and highwall failures; (5) conducts research using a 
variety of techniques including numerical modeling and laboratory 
testing and experiments to ensure a full understanding of rock behavior 
and performance during rock excavation and mining operations; (6) 
develops, tests, and demonstrates sensors, predictive models, and 
engineering control technologies to reduce miners' risk for injury or 
death; and (7) conducts research investigations using a wide-variety of 
measurement and sensor technologies including in-mine and surface 
systems and technologies to ensure the structural stability of mining 
operations.
    Dust, Ventilation and Toxic Substances Branch (CCMEC). (1) 
Develops, plans, and implements a program of research to develop or 
improve personal and area direct reading instruments for measuring 
mining contaminants including, but not limited to, respirable dust, 
silica, diesel particulates and exhaust and a variety of toxic and 
other potentially harmful exposures; (2) conducts field tests, 
experiments, and demonstrations of new technology for monitoring and 
assessing mine air quality; (3) designs, plans, and implements 
laboratory and field research to develop airborne hazard reduction 
control technologies; (4) carries out field surveys in mines to 
identify work organization strategies that could result in reduced dust 
exposures, diesel particulate exposures, toxic substance exposures and 
exposures to other potentially harmful exposures; (5) evaluates the 
performance, economics, 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; (6) develops and evaluates 
implementation strategies for using newly developed monitors and 
control technology for exposure reduction or prevention; and (7) 
conducts field and laboratory experiments on mine ventilation systems 
to develop improved technologies and strategies for applications to 
dust control, gas control, diesel exhaust control to ensure safe and 
healthy conditions for underground miners.
    Human Factors Branch (CCMED). (1) Conducts laboratory, field, and 
computer modeling research to focus on human physiological capabilities 
and limitations and their interactions with mining jobs, tasks, 
equipment, and the mine work environment; (2) designs and conducts 
epidemiological research studies to identify and classify risk factors 
that cause, or may cause, traumatic and cumulative/repetitive injuries 
to miners; (3) designs, builds, and tests proposed interventions, 
including demonstrations of proposed technologies using laboratory 
mock-ups, full-scale demonstrations at the laboratory's experimental 
mines, or through field evaluation in operating mines; (4) evaluates 
and recommends implementation strategies for injury prevention and 
control technologies developed by the laboratory; and (5) conducts 
human factors research and provides effective training and work 
organization techniques for mining.
    Electrical and Mechanical Systems Safety Branch (CCMEE). (1) 
Conducts laboratory, field, and computer modeling research to assess 
the health and safety relevance of mining equipment design features; 
(2) using scientific and engineering techniques, analyzes case-studies 
of injuries and fatalities resulting from mining equipment and develops 
interventions and strategies for reducing or eliminating the hazards; 
(3) conducts laboratory and field research to assess the safety hazards 
of electrical systems used in mining operations and develops 
interventions and strategies to reduce or eliminate the hazards; (4) 
develops novel approaches for improving the operational safety of 
working around, and on, mining machinery; and (5) conducts laboratory 
and field research on communication systems, tracking systems and 
monitoring systems as needed to ensure their viability and safety 
during routine mining operations as well as post-disaster conditions.
    Fires and Explosions Branch (CCMEG). (1) Conducts experiments and 
studies at the Lake Lynn Laboratory and the Bruceton Experimental Mine 
as well as field experiments at operating mines to prevent catastrophic 
events such as mine explosions, mine fires, and gas and water 
inundations to better understand cause and effect relationships which 
initiate such events; (2) develops new or improved strategies and 
technologies for mine fire prevention, detection, control, and 
suppression; (3) investigates and develops an understanding of the 
critical parameters and their interrelationships governing the 
mitigation and propagation of explosions, and develops and facilitates 
the implementation of interventions to prevent mine explosions; (4) 
develops new controls and strategies for eliminating explosions or 
fires or minimizing the impact of explosions on the safety of mine 
workers by improving

[[Page 70276]]

suppression systems, improving detection of sentinel events, and 
improving much needed escape and rescue approaches; (5) works with the 
mining industry and other government agencies to ensure research gaps 
and technology needs are met for mine rescue teams, and provides a test 
bed in the experimental mines to develop and evaluate rescue 
technologies and training methods; and (6) identifies and evaluates 
emerging health and safety issues as mining operations move into more 
challenging and dangerous geologic conditions.
    Hearing Loss Prevention Branch (CCMEH). (1) Plans and conducts 
laboratory and field research on noise-induced hearing loss in miners; 
(2) conducts field dosimetric and audiometric surveys to assess the 
extent and severity of the problem, to identify those mining segments 
in greatest need of attention, and to objectively track progress in 
meeting hearing loss prevention goals; (3) conducts field and 
laboratory research to identify noise generation sources and to 
identify those areas most amenable to intervention activities; (4) 
develops, tests, and demonstrates new control technologies for noise 
reduction; (5) evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of 
controls; (6) develops, evaluates, recommends and empowers workers with 
implementation strategies to promote the adoption and use of noise 
reduction technology; and (7) improves the reliability of communication 
in noisy workplaces.

    Dated: November 5, 2010.
William P. Nichols,
Chief Operating Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2010-28948 Filed 11-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-18-M