[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14562-14563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7171]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-09-09BH]


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 404-639-5960 
and send comments to Maryam I. Daneshvar, CDC Acting Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an email 
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4b2426290b282f28652c243d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="81eeece3c1e2e5e2afe6eef7">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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

    Assessing the Safety Culture of Underground Coal Mining--New--
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, (NIOSH), Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    NIOSH, under Public Law 91-596, Sections 20 and 22 (Section 20-22, 
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970) has the responsibility to 
conduct research relating to innovative methods, techniques, and 
approaches dealing with occupational safety and health problems.
    This research would relate to occupational safety and health 
problems in the coal mining industry. In recent years, coal mining 
safety has attained national attention due to highly publicized 
disasters. Despite these threats to worker safety and health, the U.S. 
relies on coal mining to meet its electricity needs. For this reason, 
the coal mining industry must continue to find ways to protect its 
workers while maintaining productivity. One way to do so is through 
improving the safety culture at coal mines. In order to achieve this 
culture, operators, employees, the inspectorate, etc. must share a 
fundamental commitment to it as a value. This type of culture is known 
in other industries as a ``safety culture'' and can be defined as the 
characteristics of the work environment, such as the norms, rules, and 
common understandings that influence facility personnel's perceptions 
of the importance that the organization places on safety.
    NIOSH proposes an assessment of the current safety culture of 
underground coal mining in order to identify recommendations for 
promoting and ensuring the existence of a positive safety culture 
across the industry. A total of 6 underground coal mines will be 
studied for this assessment. The assessment includes the collection of 
data using several diagnostic tools:

[[Page 14563]]

functional analysis, structured interviews, behavioral observations, 
and surveys. The functional analysis will involve the review of 
documents and discussions with mine staff in order to gain an 
understanding of the organizations' intent with regard to the behaviors 
that contribute to safety culture. After the functional analysis has 
been conducted, interviews with different positions across the 
organization will be conducted. The interviews will provide information 
about the employees' perceptions regarding the values of the 
organization with regard to the behaviors important to safety. At the 
end of the interview, interviewees will be asked to complete 4 
behavioral anchored rating scales on topics discussed during the 
interview. This tool provides the interviewee with another way to 
express their opinions and attitudes about some of the behaviors 
important to safety culture. Additionally, behavioral observations will 
be conducted of activities such as shift turnovers, training, meetings, 
and responses to events to gain an understanding of the organization's 
behaviors in real time. Finally, an anonymous survey will be 
administered which provides a quantitative and objective way of 
collecting information about the organizational behaviors important to 
safety culture.
    The use of multiple methods to assess safety culture is a key 
aspect to the methodology. After all of the information has been 
gathered, a variety of statistical and qualitative analyses are 
conducted on the data to obtain conclusions with respect to the mine's 
safety culture. The results from these analyses will be presented in a 
report describing the status of the behaviors important to safety 
culture at that mine.
    This project will provide recommendations for the enactment of new 
safety practices or the enhancement of existing safety practices across 
the underground coal mining industry. This final report will present a 
generalized model of a positive safety culture for underground coal 
mines that can be applied at individual mines. In addition, all study 
measures and procedures will be available for mines to use in the 
future to evaluate their own safety cultures.
    There is no cost to respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
                      Phase                         respondents    responses per   response  (in    (in hours)
                                                                    respondent        hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Survey; year one................................             500               1           20/60             167
Interviews, year one............................             100               1               1             100
Survey; year two................................             400               1           20/60             133
Interviews, year two............................              80               1               1              80
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............             480
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    Dated: March 25, 2009.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. E9-7171 Filed 3-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P


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