[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 216 (Thursday, November 9, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52049-52051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24416]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-18-17AMO]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted the information 
collection request titled ``Assessment of Ill Worker Policies Study'' 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. 
CDC previously published a ``Proposed Data Collection Submitted for 
Public Comment and Recommendations'' notice on July 14, 2017 to obtain 
comments from the public and affected agencies. CDC did not receive 
comments related to the previous notice. This notice serves to allow an 
additional 30 days for public and affected agency comments.
    CDC will accept all comments for this proposed information 
collection project. The Office of Management and Budget is particularly 
interested in comments that:
    (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected;
    (d) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including, through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses; and
    (e) Assess information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c6a9aba486a5a2a5e8a1a9b0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="90fffdf2d0f3f4f3bef7ffe6">[email protected]</span></a>. Direct written comments 
and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice to the 
Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Provide 
written comments within 30 days of notice publication.

Proposed Project

    Assessment of Ill Worker Policies Study--New--National Center for 
Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is requesting 
a new three-year OMB clearance to conduct information collection 
entitled ``Assessment of Ill Worker Policies Study.'' CDC's National 
Center for Environmental Health implements the Environmental Health 
Specialists Network (EHS-Net) program, which conducts studies to 
identify and understand environmental factors associated with foodborne 
illness outbreaks and other food safety issues (e.g., ill food 
workers). These data are

[[Page 52050]]

essential to environmental public health regulators' efforts to respond 
more effectively to and prevent future outbreaks by identifying 
underlying causes and intervention strategies.
    EHS-Net is a collaborative project of the CDC, the U.S. Food and 
Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 
industry partners and eight state and local public health departments 
(California, Minnesota, New York, New York City, Rhode Island, 
Tennessee, Southern Nevada Health District, and Harris County Texas). 
CDC funds these state and local health departments, which enables them 
to collaborate on study design, collect study data, and co-analyze 
study data with CDC. The federal partners also provide funding and 
input into study design and data analysis. Ill food service workers 
have long been identified as a source of contamination in restaurants. 
The 2013 FDA Food Code specifically addresses food worker health under 
section 2-201. However, even with these regulations in place food 
workers continue to serve as a source for disease transmission (e.g., 
Norovirus).
    The FDA Food Code also calls for excluding food workers from 
working in the restaurant that are diagnosed with an illness or have 
symptoms. Research has indicated that many food service workers have 
reported working while sick and that the reasons provided are multi-
faceted. To assist in reducing this national disease burden, it is 
critical to develop and implement successful interventions that address 
the reasons that restaurant workers continue to work while sick. The 
goals of this study include:
    (1) Assess restaurant ill worker management practices and plans; 
and
    (2) Assess whether an educational intervention will result in 
restaurants enhancing their ill worker management procedures.
    The data from this study can be used to further develop educational 
materials, trainings, and tools that are targeted towards improving 
retail food establishment ill worker management practices.
    This data collection request aims to address data gap by surveying 
restaurants on their ill worker polices through a quasi-experimental 
nonequivalent group pre- post-test design, with implementation of an 
educational intervention to randomly selected independently-owned 
restaurants in the EHS-Net area. Data will be collected by study 
personnel from restaurants that are split into two groups, intervention 
and control restaurants requiring up to three visits. The assessments 
at each site visit will be the same in both the intervention and 
control restaurants.
    Data collection will consist of a manager interview to understand 
the current practices in the restaurant, a facility observation to 
observe the practices in place to prevent contamination from an 
employee, and a food worker survey to obtain their beliefs towards the 
current policies. The educational intervention planned in the study is 
designed to encourage restaurants to develop ill worker management 
policies that have provisions to address the reasons that workers have 
reported working while ill. The success of the intervention will be 
measured using a pre- post-test nonequivalent groups design. If the 
intervention is resulting in having restaurants enhance their ill 
worker management policies; at the follow up visit, the intervention 
will be provided to the control restaurants and an additional follow up 
visit will occur in these restaurants.
    For the purpose of the burden hours, eight sites will collect data 
in 40 restaurants. The total estimated annualized burden hours averaged 
over the three-year study period are 352 burden hours. Participation in 
this proposed information collection is voluntary. There is no cost to 
respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                      Average
                                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per
          Type of respondents                   Form name           respondents    responses per   response  (in
                                                                                    respondent        hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Restaurant Managers (Intervention and   Manager Recruiting                   237               1            3/60
 Control Restaurants).                   Script.
Restaurant Managers (Intervention       Manager Informed Consent              54               1           20/60
 Restaurants) Visit 1.                   and Interview Form.
Restaurant Managers (Intervention       Manager Informed Consent              54               1           20/60
 Restaurants) Visit 2.                   and Interview Form.
Food Workers (Intervention              Food Worker Informed                 270               1            5/60
 Restaurants) Visit 1.                   Consent and Survey.
Food Workers (Intervention              Food Worker Informed                 270               1            5/60
 Restaurants) Visit 2.                   Consent and Survey.
Health Department Workers               Restaurant Environment                54               1           30/60
 (Intervention Restaurants) Visit 1.     Observation Form.
Health Department Workers               Restaurant Environment                54               1           30/60
 (Intervention Restaurants) Visit 2.     Observation Form.
Restaurant Managers (Control            Manager Informed Consent              54               1           20/60
 Restaurants) Visit 1.                   and Interview Form.
Restaurant Managers (Control            Manager Informed Consent              54               1           20/60
 Restaurants) Visit 2.                   and Interview Form.
Restaurant Managers (Control            Manager Informed Consent              54               1           20/60
 Restaurants) Visit 3.                   and Interview Form.
Food Workers (Control Restaurants)      Food Worker Informed                 270               1            5/60
 Visit 1.                                Consent and Survey.
Food Workers (Control Restaurants)      Food Worker Informed                 270               1            5/60
 Visit 2.                                Consent and Survey.
Food Workers (Control Restaurants)      Food Worker Informed                 270               1            5/60
 Visit 3.                                Consent and Survey.
Health Department Workers (Control      Restaurant Environment                54               1           30/60
 Restaurants) Visit 1.                   Observation Form.
Health Department Workers (Control      Restaurant Environment                54               1           30/60
 Restaurants) Visit 2.                   Observation Form.

[[Page 52051]]

 
Health Department Workers (Control      Restaurant Environment                54               1           30/60
 Restaurants) Visit 3.                   Observation Form.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2017-24416 Filed 11-8-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P


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