03-13375. 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 [phone]. Send written comments to CDC, Desk Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503. Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

Evaluation of Effectiveness of NIOSH Publications (OMB Control No. 0920-0544)—Reinstatement without change—National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through the development, organization, and dissemination of information, NIOSH promotes awareness about occupational hazards and their control, and improves the quality of American working life. Although NIOSH uses a variety of media and delivery mechanisms to communicate with its constituents, one of the primary vehicles is through the distribution of NIOSH-numbered publications. The extent to which these publications successfully meet the information needs of their intended audience is not currently known. In a period of diminishing resources and increasing accountability, it is important that NIOSH be able to demonstrate that communications about its research and service programs are both effective and efficient in influencing workplace change. This requires a social marketing evaluation of NIOSH products to measure the degree of customer satisfaction and their adoption of recommended actions.

The present project proposes to do this by conducting a survey of a primary segment of NIOSH's customer base, the community of occupational safety and health professionals. In collaboration with the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (13,000 members), the American Industrial Hygiene Association (12,400 members), the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (6,500 members), and the American Society of Safety Engineers (33,000 members), NIOSH will survey a sample of their memberships to ascertain, among other things: (1) Their perceptions and attitudes toward NIOSH as a general information resource; (2) their perceptions and attitudes about specific types of NIOSH publications (e.g., criteria documents, technical reports, alerts); (3) the frequency and nature of referral to NIOSH in affecting occupational safety and health practices and policies; (4) the extent to which they have implemented NIOSH recommendations; and (5) their recommendations for improving NIOSH products and delivery systems. The results of this survey will provide an empirical assessment of the impact of NIOSH publications on occupational safety and health practice and policy in the United States as well as provide direction for shaping future NIOSH communication efforts. Respondents will have the option of responding by mail or electronically through the NIOSH Web site. The annual burden for this data collection is 200 hours.

Respondents	No. of respondents	No. of responses/respondent	Average burden/response (in hrs.)
Occupational Safety and Health Professionals	600	1	20/60

Dated: May 22, 2003.

Thomas A. Bartenfeld,

Acting Deputy Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.