28154 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 30, 1995 / Notices

Funding Priority

The regional emphasis for this

announcement is limited to DHHS

Region VI. Therefore, applications will

be accepted from only those States

within the region: Arkansas, Louisiana,

New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Interested persons are invited to

comment on the proposed funding

priority. Comments received within 30

days after publication in the Federal

Register will be considered before the

final funding priority is established. If

the funding priority should change as a

result of any comments received, a

revised announcement will be

published in the Federal Register, and

revised applications will be accepted

prior to final selection of awards.

Written comments should be

addressed to Henry S. Cassell, III, Grants

Management Officer, Grants

Management Branch, Procurement and

Grants Office, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East

Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 300,

Mailstop E–13, Atlanta, GA 30305.

Executive Order 12372 Review

Applications are subject to

Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs as governed by Executive

Order (E.O.) 12372. E.O. 12372 sets up

a system for State and local government

review of proposed Federal assistance

applications. Applicants should contact

their State Single Point of Contact

(SPOC) as early as possible to alert them

to the prospective applications and

receive any necessary instructions on

the State process. For proposed projects

serving more than one State, the

applicant is advised to contact the SPOC

for each affected State. A current list of

SPOCs is included in the application

kit.

If SPOCs have any State process

recommendations on applications

submitted to CDC, they should send

them to Henry S. Cassell, III, Grants

Management Officer, Grants

Management Branch, Procurement and

Grants Office, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East

Paces Ferry Road, NE., Atlanta, GA

30305, no later than 60 days after the

application deadline date. The Program

Announcement Number and Program

Title should be referenced on the

document. The granting agency does not

guarantee to ‘‘accommodate or explain’’

State process recommendations it

receives after that date.

Public Health System Reporting

Requirements

This program is not subject to the

Public Health System Reporting

Requirements.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number

The Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance Number for this program is

93.262.

Other Requirements

Paperwork Reduction Act

Projects funded through the

cooperative agreement mechanism of

this program involving the collection of

information from 10 or more individuals

will be subject to review and approval

by the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork

Reduction Act.

Human Subjects

If the proposed project involves

research on human subjects, the

applicant must comply with the DHHS

Regulations, 45 CFR part 46, regarding

the protection of human subjects.

Assurance must be provided to

demonstrate the project will be subject

to initial and continuing review by an

appropriate institutional review

committee. The applicant will be

responsible for providing assurance in

accordance with the appropriate

guidelines and form provided in the

application kit.

Application Submission and Deadline

The original and two copies of the

application PHS Form 5161–1 (Revised

7/92, OMB Number 0937–0189) must be

submitted to Henry S. Cassell, III, Grants

Management Officer, Grants

Management Branch, Procurement and

Grants Office, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), Mailstop

E–13, 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE.,

Room 300, Atlanta, GA 30305, on or

before June 30, 1995.

1. Deadline: Applications will be

considered as meeting the deadline if

they are either:

(a) Received on or before the deadline

date, or

(b) Sent on or before the deadline date

and received in time for submission to

the independent review group.

Applicants must request a legibly dated

U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain

a legibly dated receipt from a

commercial carrier or the U.S. Postal

Service. Private metered postmarks shall

not be acceptable as proof of timely

mailings.

2. Late Applications: Applications

which do not meet the criteria in 1.(a)

or 1.(b) above are considered late

applications. Late applications will not

be considered in the current

competition and will be returned to the

applicant.

Where To Obtain Additional

Information

To receive additional written

information call (404) 332–4561. You

will be asked to leave your name,

address, and telephone number and will

need to refer to Announcement 558.

You will receive a complete program

description, information on application

procedures, and application forms.

If you have questions after reviewing

the contents of all the documents,

business management technical

assistance may be obtained from Oppie

Byrd, Grants Management Specialist,

Grants Management Branch,

Procurement and Grants Office, Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE.,

Room 300, Mailstop E–13, Atlanta, GA

30305, telephone (404) 842–6546.

Programmatic technical assistance

may be obtained from Dr. Stephen A.

Olenchock, Division of Respiratory

Disease Studies, National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health, Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC), 1095 Willowdale Road,

Morgantown, WVA 26505–2888,

telephone (304) 285–5847.

Please refer to announcement 558

when requesting information and

submitting an application.

Potential applicants may obtain a

copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full

Report, Stock No. 017–001–00474–0) or

Healthy People 2000 (Summary Report,

Stock No. 017–001–00473–1) through

the Superintendent of Documents,

Government Printing Office,

Washington, DC 20402–9325, telephone

(202) 512–1800.

Dated: May 23, 1995.

Diane D. Porter

Acting Director, National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

[FR Doc. 95–13111 Filed 5–26–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163–19–P

[Announcement 555]

Promoting Health Among the Nation’s

Health-Care Workers by Implementing

Employee-Management Advisory

Committees

Introduction

The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) announces the

availability of fiscal year (FY) 1995

funds for a cooperative agreement

program to conduct a demonstration

project on the effectiveness of using

participatory task forces for reducing

risk of injury and implementing

workplace improvements in health-care
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 30, 1995 / Notices 28155

facilities. The Public Health Service

(PHS) is committed to achieving the

health promotion and disease

prevention objectives of Healthy People

2000, a PHS-led national activity to

reduce morbidity and mortality and

improve the quality of life. This

announcement is related to the priority

area of Occupational Safety and Health.

(For ordering a copy of Healthy People

2000 see the Section Where to Obtain

Additional Information.)

Authority

This program is authorized under

sections 20(a) and 22(e)(7) of the

Occupational Safety and Health Act (29

U.S.C. 669 (a) and 671(e)(7)).

Smoke-Free Workplace

The PHS strongly encourages all grant

recipients to provide a smoke-free

workplace and promote the nonuse of

all tobacco products, and Pub. L. 103–

227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994,

prohibits smoking in certain facilities

that receive Federal funds in which

education, library, day care, health care,

and early childhood development

services are provided to children.

Eligible Applicants

Applications may be submitted by

public and private, non-profit and forprofit organizations and governments

and their agencies. Thus, universities,

colleges, research institutions, hospitals,

other public and private organizations,

State and local governments or their

bona fide agents, federally recognized

Indian tribal governments, Indian tribes

or Indian tribal organizations, and

small, minority- and/or women-owned

businesses are eligible to apply.

Availability of Funds

Approximately $135,000 is available

in FY 1995 to fund one or more

cooperative agreements. If awards for

multiple cooperative agreements are

made, it is expected the awards will

range from $40,000 to $80,000. If a

single award is made, the award will be

approximately $135,000. The awards are

expected to begin on or before

September 30, 1995, for a 12-month

budget period within a project period of

one to two years. Funding estimates

may vary and are subject to change.

Continuation awards within the

project period will be made on the basis

of satisfactory progress and the

availability of funds.

Purpose

The purpose of this cooperative

agreement is to support one or more

demonstration studies to evaluate the

effectiveness of ‘‘participatory task

forces’’ in the health-care industry.

A participatory approach, using

‘‘employee-management advisory

teams’’ (E-MATs), has been shown to

provide an effective and practical way

to identify and solve occupational safety

and health problems in industrial

settings. (For ordering a copy of

Participatory Ergonomic Interventions

in Meatpacking Plants see the Section

Where to Obtain Additional

Information.)

Teams established as true labormanagement partnerships have been

successful in industrial settings because

they take advantage of the skills,

knowledge, motivation, and

communication networks already

available in the workforce. In healthcare settings, the workforce has the

additional advantage of being highly

knowledgeable and sensitive to health

and safety problems, but they have not

had sufficient opportunity to provide

input in problem-solving. Because E–

MATs are based on employee

participation and partnership, they

foster a proactive approach to workplace

health and safety. E–MATs established

in the automotive industry, for example,

have been successful in: (1) Conducting

ongoing surveillance of health and

safety problems; (2) exploring avenues

to abatement of such problems; and (3)

identifying control technology and

training needs to prevent additional

problems.

This cooperative agreement will

provide the first opportunity in the

health-care industry to evaluate the

effectiveness of the ‘‘participatory taskforce,’’ (i.e., E–MAT model). This model

can serve as a means for enhancing

awareness by employees and

management of the hazards and health

risks in the health-care industry, while

ensuring sustained and active programs

of prevention and control.

Program Requirements

In conducting activities to achieve the

purpose of this program, the recipient

will be responsible for conducting

activities under A. (Recipient

Activities), and CDC/NIOSH will be

responsible for conducting activities

under B. (CDC/NIOSH Activities).

A. Recipient Activities

1. Secure and sustain a formal

relationship with the management of a

health-care facility and its worker

representatives which will serve to

assure the commitment for the recipient

of both management and staff for the

project period.

2. Plan and implement a

demonstration project to evaluate the E–

MAT model of the participatory task

force. The intent should be to use

principles of organizational change that

incorporate employee participation. The

project should include the following

elements:

a. Targeting one or more occupational

hazards that exist within the facility

that are amenable for intervention. The

hazards selected will be those which

have a known high risk of injury or

illnesses, such as manual lifting of

patients, slips and falls, excessive

overtime and night work.

b. Establishing the participatory taskforce teams (E–MATs). The teams

should comprise technical and nontechnical staff and supervisors from the

selected job area and other facility

personnel such as engineering,

management, and medical staff, as

appropriate.

c. Training the team members to

recognize safety and health risks.

Introduce safety, health, and ergonomic

concepts that enable the team to

recognize environmental hazards,

recognize risk factors, analyze tasks, and

refine and implement controls.

d. Developing controls. The recipient

will conduct, with the full participation

of team members, the development of

engineering, work practice, and/or

administrative controls to reduce safety,

health, and ergonomic hazards

associated with the selected jobs and

hazards.

e. Implementing controls. The

recipient will provide technical support

to the teams to ensure proper

implementation of the controls.

Note: Cooperative agreement funds are not

available to be spent by the health-care

facility for implementing the controls.

3. Monitor and evaluate the success of

the team approach. Measures of team

success may include effectiveness of

implemented controls, whether the team

activity is continued, and whether

controls are sustained and improved.

4. Develop a written case study report

of the effectiveness of the E–MAT model

of the participatory team approach in

the health-care industry for effecting

and sustaining reductions in

occupational hazards.

B. CDC/NIOSH Activities

1. Provide technical information and

support concerning the implementation

of the E–MAT model of the

participatory team approach.

2. Provide technical assistance in at

least the following areas:

a. Choice of the hazard or series of

hazards for the interventions.

b. Development of E–MAT awareness

training.
28156 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 30, 1995 / Notices

c. Development of engineering and/or

organizational controls.

d. Development of measures for

project success.

e. Development of a case study report.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be reviewed and

evaluated according to the following

criteria:

1. Understanding of health, safety,

and ergonomic problems of health-care

facilities and understanding of

participatory task force interventions.

(15%)

2. Ability to provide the staff,

knowledge and other resources and

experience to carry out the project. The

staff is competent and experienced in

the skills required in the scope of work.

Resumes of staff should reflect not only

academic qualifications but also length

and variety of experience with similar

tasks. (15%)

3. Commitment to a participatoryteam approach to implement

improvements and is representative of

at least one sector of the health-care

industry. (30%)

4. Extent description is provided of

approach or goals consistent with the

activities or suggestion of alternative

approaches to achieve the same

purpose. Extent to which application

outlines reasonable approaches for

identifying hazards in the facility,

participatory team building and

training, and control development,

implementation, and refinement. (30%)

5. Extent proposed schedule is

reasonable and consistent with the

proposed approach. Specify how the

project will be administered, and the

name of the individual who will be

responsible for its day-to-day

administration. (10%)

6. Extent to which a detailed budget

is provided which indicates anticipated

costs for staff, equipment, facilities,

travel, supplies, and all sources of funds

to meet those needs. (Not Scored.)

Executive Order 12372 Review

Applications are subject to

Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs as governed by Executive

Order 12372. Executive Order 12372

sets up a system for State and local

government review of proposed Federal

assistance applications. Applicants

(other than federally-recognized Indian

tribal governments) should contact their

State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) as

early as possible to alert them to the

prospective applications and receive

any necessary instructions on the State

process. Indian tribes are strongly

encouraged to request tribal government

review of the proposed application. For

proposed projects serving more than one

State, the applicant is advised to contact

the SPOC for each affected State. A

current list of SPOCs is included in the

application kit.

If SPOCs or Indian tribal governments

have any State process

recommendations on applications

submitted to the CDC, they should

forward them to Henry S. Cassell, III,

Grants Management Officer, Grants

Management Branch, Procurement and

Grants Office, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East

Paces Ferry Road, NE., Atlanta, GA

30305, no later than 60 days after the

application deadline date. The granting

agency does not guarantee to

‘‘accommodate or explain’’ for State or

tribal process recommendations it

receives after that date.

Public Health System Reporting

Requirements

This program is subject to the Public

Health System Reporting Requirements.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number

The Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance Number for this program is

93.956.

Other Requirements

Paperwork Reduction Act

Projects that involve the collection of

information from ten or more

individuals and funded by this

cooperative agreement will be subject to

review and approval by the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) under

the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Human Subjects

If the proposed project involves

research on human subjects, the

applicant must comply with the

Department of Health and Human

Services Regulations, 45 CFR part 46,

regarding the protection of human

subjects. Assurance must be provided to

demonstrate the project will be subject

to initial and continuing review by an

appropriate institutional review

committee. The applicant will be

responsible for providing assurance in

accordance with the appropriate

guidelines and form provided in the

application kit.

In addition to other applicable

committees, Indian Health Service (IHS)

institutional review committees also

must review the project if any

component of IHS will be involved or

will support the research. If any

American Indian community is

involved, its tribal government must

also approve that portion of the project

applicable to it.

Application Submission and Deadline

The original and two copies of the

application PHS Form 5161–1 (Revised

7/92, OMB Number 0937–0189) must be

submitted to Henry S. Cassell, III, Grants

Management Officer, Grants

Management Branch, Procurement and

Grants Office, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), Mailstop

E–13, 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE.,

Room 300, Atlanta, GA 30305, on or

before July 5, 1995.

1. Deadline: Applications will be

considered as meeting the deadline if

they are either:

(a) Received on or before the deadline

date, or

(b) Sent on or before the deadline date

and received in time for submission to

the objective review group. (The

applicants must request a legibly dated

U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain

a legibly dated receipt from a

commercial carrier or the U.S. Postal

Service. Private metered postmarks will

not be acceptable as proof of timely

mailing.)

2. Late Applicants: Applications that

do not meet the criteria in 1.(a) or 1.(b)

above are considered late applications.

Late applications will not be considered

in the current competition and will be

returned to the applicants.

Where to Obtain Additional

Information

To receive additional written

information, call (404) 332–4561. You

will be asked to leave your name,

address, and telephone number, and

will need to refer to Announcement 555.

You will receive a complete program

description, information on application

procedures, and application forms.

If you have questions after reviewing

the contents of all the documents,

business management technical

assistance may be obtained from Oppie

M. Byrd, Grants Management Specialist,

Grants Management Branch,

Procurement and Grants Office, Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE.,

Room 300, Mailstop E–13, Atlanta, GA

30305, telephone (404) 842–6546.

Programmatic technical assistance

may be obtained from Vern PutzAnderson, Ph.D., Chief,

Psychophysiology and Biomechanics

Section, Applied Psychology and

Ergonomics Branch, Division of

Biomedical and Behavioral Science,

National Institute for Occupational

Safety and Health, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), Mailstop

C–24, 4676 Columbia Parkway,

Cincinnati, Ohio 45226–1998, telephone

(513) 533–8291. Additional technical
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 30, 1995 / Notices 28157

assistance may be obtained from Drs.

Michael Colligan and Ray Sinclair (at

the same address), telephone (513) 533–

8225.

Please refer to Announcement 555

when requesting information and

submitting an application.

Potential applicants may obtain a

copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full

Report, Stock No. 017–001–00474–0) or

Healthy People 2000 (Summary Report,

Stock No. 017–001–00473–1) referenced

in the Introduction Section through the

Superintendent of Documents,

Government Printing Office,

Washington, DC 20402–9325, telephone

(202) 512–1800.

A copy of Participatory Ergonomics

Interventions in Meatpacking Plants,

(DHHS/NIOSH) Publication No. 94–124,

referenced in the Purpose Section, can

be obtained from the Publication

Dissemination office of CDC/NIOSH,

Cincinnati, OH 45226, telephone (513)

533–8573.

Dated: May 23, 1995.

Diane D. Porter,

Acting Director, National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

[FR Doc. 95–13110 Filed 5–26–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4163–19–P

[Announcement 556]

Work Organization Interventions to

Prevent Work-Related Musculoskeletal

Disorders in Office and Video Display

Terminal Work

Introduction

The Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) announces the

availability of fiscal year (FY) 1995

funds for a cooperative agreement

program to develop work organization

interventions to prevent

musculoskeletal disorders in office and

video display terminal (VDT) workers.

The Public Health Service (PHS) is

committed to achieving the health

promotion and disease prevention

objectives of Healthy People 2000, a

PHS-led national activity to reduce

morbidity and mortality and improve

the quality of life. This announcement

is related to the priority area of

Occupational Safety and Health. (For

ordering a copy of Healthy People 2000,

see the Section Where to Obtain

Additional Information.)

Authority

This program is authorized under

sections 20 (a) and 22(e)(7) of the

Occupational Safety and Health Act (29

U.S.C. 669(a) and 671(e)(7)).

Smoke-Free Workplace

The Public Health Service strongly

encourages all grant recipients to

provide a smoke-free workplace and

promote the nonuse of all tobacco

products, and Pub. L. 103–227, the ProChildren Act of 1994, prohibits smoking

in certain facilities that receive Federal

funds in which education, library, day

care, health care, and early childhood

development services are provided to

children.

Eligible Applicants

Applications may be submitted by

public and private, non-profit and forprofit organizations and governments,

and their agencies. Thus, universities,

colleges, research institutions, hospitals,

other public and private organizations,

State and local health departments or

their bona fide agents, federally

recognized Indian tribal governments,

Indian tribes or Indian tribal

organizations, and small, minority-,

and/or women-owned businesses are

eligible to apply.

Availability of Funds

Approximately $140,000 is available

in FY 1995 to fund one award. It is

expected that the award will begin on or

about September 30, 1995, and will be

made for a 12-month budget period

within a project period of one to two

years. Funding estimates may vary and

are subject to change. Continuation

awards within the project period will be

made on the basis of satisfactory

progress and the availability of funds.

Purpose

The purpose of this cooperative

agreement is to utilize the special

resources of the extramural research

community to conduct studies, in

cooperation with CDC/NIOSH, to

demonstrate the effectiveness of work

organization interventions in reducing

work- related musculoskeletal disorders

(WRMD), and in improving

productivity, among VDT workers. The

funded project will focus on worksite

primary prevention efforts, replicating

and extending the CDC/NIOSH

interventions. This could include: (a)

Replication/validation of CDC/NIOSH

findings on work-rest schedules and

task rotation, (b) extension of these

interventions to other types of VDT and

office tasks, and (c) examination of other

types of work organization

interventions.

Prior studies have indicated that some

types of VDT jobs may pose higher risk

for stress and WRMDs, particularly jobs

involving highly repetitive and narrow

tasks (e.g., data entry or teleoperator

tasks). Such jobs are of particular

interest for this project. Both physical

and psychological symptoms will be

evaluated. Project results, in

combination with NIOSH findings, will

provide the basis for recommendations

regarding effective work organization

strategies for reducing WRMDs, and

improving performance in repetitive

VDT work. Project results will also

improve our understanding of

mechanisms mediating between work

organization variables and

musculoskeletal disorders in VDT work.

Program Requirements

In conducting activities to achieve the

purpose of this program, the recipient

will be responsible for the activities

under A.(Recipient Activities) and CDC/

NIOSH will be responsible for activities

under B.(CDC/NIOSH Activities).

A. Recipient Activities

1. Identify suitable study site(s); i.e.,

with large, stable populations of

workers performing repetitive VDT

work. Secure cooperation of

management and labor representatives

at the site(s) to participate in an

intervention study.

2. Develop a study protocol that

reviews the pertinent literature on VDTrelated musculoskeletal disorders and

work organization, describes the study

methodology, the data to be collected,

and the proposed analysis of the data.

Present the protocol to a panel of peer

reviewers and revise the protocol as

required for final approval.

3. Prepare necessary documentation

for reviews and/or clearances required

by PHS/CDC/NIOSH.

4. Perform data collection and

management. Data is to include

measures of worker symptomatology

and performance and can additionally

include records data on factors such as

absenteeism, health care utilization, etc.

Symptomatology can include

musculoskeletal discomfort, upper

extremity musculoskeletal disorders,

and indicators of negative mental health

(e.g., depression, anxiety, tension).

Performance indicators can include

measures such as keystrokes/hour,

forms/hour, and errors.

5. Prepare a final report summarizing

the study methodology, results

obtained, and conclusions reached.

Develop recommendations regarding

effective work organization

interventions to reduce stress, fatigue,

and WRMDs among VDT workers.

6. Report study results to the

scientific community via presentations

at professional conferences and articles

in peer-reviewed journals.