[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 80 (Thursday, April 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20849-20850]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7976]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30-Day-07-06BC]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a 
list of information collection requests under review by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call 
the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 639-5960 or send an e-mail 
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3d52505f7d5e595e135a524b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f59a9897b5969196db929a83">[email protected]</span></a>.Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Office of 
Management and Budget, Washington, DC or by fax to (202) 395-6974. 
Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    National Survey of the Mining Population--New--National Institute 
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Surveillance of occupational injuries, illnesses, and exposures has 
been an integral part of the work of the National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) since its creation by the 
Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970. To improve its surveillance 
capability related to the occupational risks in mining, NIOSH is 
planning to conduct a national survey of mines and mine employees. No 
national surveys have specifically targeted the mining labor force 
since the 1986 Mining Industry Population Survey (MIPS). The mining 
industry has experienced many changes in the last 20 years; 
consequently, the MIPS data are no longer representative of the current 
mining industry labor force.
    NIOSH conducted a pilot study for the proposed national survey in 
the fall of 2004 (OMB <greek-i>0920-0633, expired 3/31/05). The pilot 
study was designed to emulate the main study design in order to 
evaluate the effectiveness of the recruitment materials, questionnaire, 
and survey procedures in acquiring complete, high quality data from a 
sample of 45 mining operations. Objective data collected in the pilot 
study included overall response rates and individual item response 
rates. Subjective data were collected using telephone logs, and 
participant and non-participant debriefing interviews. Data captured in 
the pilot study were used to guide improvements to maximize the 
performance of the various components of the full-scale study.
    The proposed national survey will be based upon a probability 
sample of mining operations and their employees. The survey will be 
conducted in the five major mining sectors (i.e., coal, metal, 
nonmetal, stone, and sand and gravel). The major objectives of the 
survey will be to: (1) Obtain denominator data so that mine accident, 
injury, and illness reports can be evaluated in relation to the 
population at risk; (2) understand the demographic and occupational 
characteristics of the mining industry workforce; (3) estimate the 
number and occupational characteristics of independent contractor 
employees used by mining operations; and (4) obtain mine level 
information on selected variables. The sampled mining operations will 
provide all survey data; individual mine operator and independent 
contractor employees will not be directly surveyed. As a result of this 
study, surveillance researchers and government agencies will be able to 
identify groups of miners with a disproportionately high risk of injury 
or illness. By capturing demographic (e.g., age, gender, race/
ethnicity, education level) and occupational characteristics (e.g., job 
title, work location, work experience) of the mining workforce, these 
data will be a significant resource for the customization of 
interventions such as safety training programs.
    Approximately 2272 mines will be sampled for the study. It is 
expected that this will yield 1,648 responding eligible mines (i.e., 
mines in current operation and producing the commodity for which they 
were sampled), reporting data for approximately 24,452 employees. A 
survey packet will be mailed to each sampled mine. The mining operation 
will not be asked to report the names or any other identifying 
information for their employees. The survey respondent will have the 
option of completing either the

[[Page 20850]]

survey questionnaire booklet or an Internet web-based survey 
questionnaire.
    The ultimate goal of the study is to provide surveillance data that 
will help to minimize and prevent work-related injuries and illnesses 
that harm miners and reduce productivity. NIOSH will use the 
information to calculate injury rates and customize safety and health 
interventions for various mining occupations. Once the study is 
completed, NIOSH will send a copy of the final report to each sampled 
mining operation. There is no cost to respondents other than their 
time. The total estimated annualized burden hours are 3,296.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Number of     Average  burden
                 Respondents                     Number of      responses per     per response    Annual burden
                                                respondents       respondent       (in hours)       (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responding Eligible Mining Operations.......           1,648                1           120/60            3,296
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    Dated: April 20, 2007.
Joan F. Karr,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
 [FR Doc. E7-7976 Filed 4-25-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P


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