Published 60-Day FRN

40916

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 133 / Tuesday, July 12, 2011 / Notices

Dated: July 6, 2011.
Carol Walker,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2011–17408 Filed 7–11–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
[60Day–11–11IP]

Proposed Data Collections Submitted
for Public Comment and
Recommendations

emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES

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 Daniel Holcomb, CDC
Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton
Road, MS–D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or
send an e-mail to [email protected].
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
Workplace Violence Prevention
Programs in NJ Healthcare Facilities—
New—National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
The long-term goal of the proposed
project is to reduce violence against
healthcare workers. The objective of the
proposed study is two-fold: (1) To
examine healthcare facility compliance
with the New Jersey Violence

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16:14 Jul 11, 2011

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Prevention in Health Care Facilities Act,
and (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of
the regulations in this Act in reducing
assault injuries to workers. Our central
hypothesis is that facilities with high
compliance with the regulations will
have lower rates of employee violencerelated injury. First, we will conduct
face-to-face interviews with the chairs of
the Violence Prevention Committees
who are in charge of overseeing
compliance efforts. The purpose of the
interviews is to measure compliance to
the state regulations (violence
prevention policies, reporting systems
for violent events, violence prevention
committee, written violence prevention
plan, violence risk assessments, post
incident response and violence
prevention training). Second, we will
also collect assault injury data from
facility violent event reports 3 years preregulation (2009–2011) and 3 years postregulation (2012–2014). The purpose of
collecting these data is to evaluate
changes in assault injury rates before
and after enactment of the regulations.
Third, we will conduct a nurse survey.
The survey will describe the workplace
violence prevention training nurses
receive following enactment of the New
Jersey regulations.
Healthcare workers are nearly five
times more likely to be victims of
violence than workers in all industries
combined. While healthcare workers are
not at particularly high risk for jobrelated homicide, nearly 60% of all
nonfatal assaults occurring in private
industry are experienced in healthcare.
Six states have enacted laws to reduce
violence against healthcare workers by
requiring workplace violence
prevention programs. However, little is
understood about how effective these
laws are in reducing violence against
healthcare workers.
We will test our central hypothesis by
accomplishing the following specific
aims:
1. Compare the comprehensiveness of
healthcare facility workplace violence
prevention programs before and after
enactment of the New Jersey
regulations; Working hypothesis: Based
on our preliminary research, we
hypothesize that enactment of the
regulations will improve the
comprehensiveness of hospital
workplace violence prevention program
policies, procedures and training.
2. Describe the workplace violence
prevention training nurses receive
following enactment of the New Jersey
regulations; Working hypothesis: Based
on our preliminary research, we
hypothesize that nurses receive at least
80% of the workplace violence

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prevention training components
mandated in the New Jersey regulations.
3. Examine patterns of assault injuries
to workers before and after enactment of
the regulations; Working hypothesis:
Based on our preliminary research, we
hypothesize that rates of assault injuries
to workers will decrease following
enactment of the regulations.
Healthcare facilities falling under the
regulations are eligible for study
inclusion (i.e., general acute care
hospitals and psychiatric facilities). We
will conduct face-to-face interviews
with the chairs of the Violence
Prevention Committees, who as stated
in regulations, are in charge of
overseeing compliance efforts. These
individuals will include hospital
administrators, security directors and/or
risk managers, many of whom
participated in the California study. The
purpose of the interviews is to measure
compliance to the state regulations (Aim
1). The interview form was pilot-tested
by the study team in the fall 2010 and
includes the following components as
mandated in the regulations: Violence
prevention policies, reporting systems
for violent events, violence prevention
committee, written violence prevention
plan, violence risk assessments, postincident response and violence
prevention training. Questions will also
be asked about barriers and facilitators
to developing the violence prevention
program.
These data will be collected in the
post-regulation time period; data
collected from New Jersey hospitals in
the California study will be used as the
baseline measure for evaluating
compliance. We will also collect assault
injury data from facility violent event
reports 3 years pre-regulation (2009–
2011) and 3 years post-regulation (2012–
2014). The purpose of collecting these
data is to evaluate changes in assault
injury rates before and after enactment
of the regulations (Aim 3). The
abstraction form was developed to
collect the specific reporting
components stated in the regulations:
Date, time and location of the incident;
identity, job title and job task of the
victim; identity of the perpetrator;
description of the violent act, including
whether a weapon was used;
description of physical injuries; number
of employees in the vicinity when the
incident occurred, and their actions in
response to the incident;
recommendations of police advisors,
employees or consultants, and; actions
taken by the facility in response to the
incident. No employee or perpetrator
identifiable information will be
collected.

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40917

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 133 / Tuesday, July 12, 2011 / Notices
In addition to health care facilities,
nurses will also be recruited. These
nurses will be recruited from a mailing
list of nurses licensed from the State of
New Jersey Division of Consumer
Affairs Board of Nursing. The mailing
list was selected as the population
source of workers due to the ability to
capture all licensed nurses in New
Jersey. A similar listing does not exist
for non-licensed frontline workers, such

Professionals and Allied Employees
union will promote the survey to their
members. To maintain the worker’s
anonymity, the facility in which he/she
works will not be identified. The survey
will describe the workplace violence
prevention training nurses receive
following enactment of the New Jersey
regulations (Aim 2).
There are no costs to respondents
other than their time.

as aides and orderlies. Therefore, a
sampling frame based on nurses
(registered nurses and licensed practical
nurses) will be used to select workers to
participate in the study. A random
sample of 2000 registered and licensed
practical nurses will be recruited for
study participation. A third-party
contractor will be responsible for
sending the survey to the random
sample of 2000. The Health

ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED BURDEN HOURS
Average
burden per
response
(in hrs)

Total burden
(in hrs)

Hospital Administrators ....................................................................................
Nurses (RN and LPN) ......................................................................................

50
2000

1
1

1
20/60

50
667

Total ..........................................................................................................

........................

........................

........................

717

Catina Conner,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2011–17407 Filed 7–11–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES

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 Data Collections Submitted
for Public Comment and
Recommendations

Proposed Project
Health Hazard Evaluation and
Technical Assistance—Requests and
Emerging Problems—Revision (OMB
No. 0920–0260)—National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).

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 or send
comments to Daniel Holcomb, CDC
Assistant Reports Clearance Officer,
1600 Clifton Road, MS–D74, Atlanta,
GA 30333 or send an e-mail to
[email protected].
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

Background and Brief Description
In accordance with its mandates
under the Occupational Safety and
Health Act of 1970 and the Federal
Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, the
National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) responds to
requests for health hazard evaluations
(HHE) to identify chemical, biological or
physical hazards in workplaces
throughout the United States. Each year,
NIOSH receives approximately 320 such
requests. Most HHE requests come from
the following types of companies:
Service, manufacturing companies,
health and social services,
transportation, construction, agriculture,
mining, skilled trade and construction.
A printed Health Hazard Evaluation
request form is available in English and
in Spanish. The form is also available
on the Internet and differs from the
printed version only in format and in
the fact that it uses an Internet address
to submit the form to NIOSH. Both the
printed and Internet versions of the
form provide the mechanism for

Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
[60Day–11–0260]

emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES

Number of
responses per
respondent

Number of
respondents

Respondents

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employees, employers, and other
authorized representatives to supply the
information required by the regulations
governing the NIOSH Health Hazard
Evaluation program (42 CFR 85.3–1). In
general, if employees are submitting the
form it must contain the signatures of
three or more current employees.
However, regulations allow a single
signature if the requestor: Is one of three
(3) or fewer employees in the process,
operation, or job of concern; or is any
officer of a labor union representing the
employees for collective bargaining
purposes. An individual management
official may request an evaluation on
behalf of the employer. For the purpose
of the burden estimates, employers
includes government, other, and joint
requests. About 20% of the total number
of HHE requests received per year is
identified specifically as management
requests. The information provided is
used by NIOSH to determine whether
there is reasonable cause to justify
conducting an investigation and
provides a mechanism to respond to the
requestor.
In the case of 25% to 50% of the
health hazard evaluation requests
received, NIOSH determines an on-site
evaluation is needed. The primary
purpose of an on-site evaluation is to
help employers and employees identify
and eliminate occupational health
hazards. In most on-site evaluations
employees are interviewed to help
further define concerns, and in
approximately 50% these evaluations
(presently estimated to be about 80
facilities), questionnaires are distributed
to the employees (averaging about 40
employees per site for this last
subgroup). No specific interview form is

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