[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 30, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28157-28159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-13109]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
[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 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
for-profit 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 VDT-related 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. [[Page 28158]]
B. CDC/NIOSH Activities
1. Provide scientific, epidemiologic, work organization, ergonomic,
and medical collaboration for the successful completion of this
project.
2. Identify reviews and/or clearances that must be fulfilled by the
recipient, and identify and convene a Peer Review Panel to review draft
study protocol.
3. Provide assistance in all stages of the study including study
design, survey instrument design, the collection, tabulation, and
analysis of data, interpretation of the results and preparation of the
written reports.
4. Provide instrumentation and resources to investigate
physiological mechanisms in VDT WRMDs.
Evaluation Criteria
The application will be reviewed and evaluated according to the
following criteria:
1. Understanding of the Problem (25%)
Responsiveness to the objective of the cooperative agreement
including: (a) Applicant's understanding of the general objectives of
the proposed cooperative agreement, and (b) evidence of ability to
understand the problem and to conceive/design effective interventions.
2. Program Personnel (30%)
(a) Applicant's technical experience (e.g., in the areas of work
organization, WRMDs and office and VDT ergonomics); (b) the
qualifications (e.g., in the areas of industrial engineering,
psychology and occupational safety and health) and time allocation of
the professional staff to be assigned to this project, and (c) the
applicant's ability to describe the approach to be used in carrying out
the responsibilities of the applicant in this project.
3. Study Design (20%)
Steps proposed in planning and implementing this project and the
respective responsibilities of the applicant for carrying out those
steps. Also, the adequacy of the applicant's evidence of access to
study populations.
4. Project Planning (15%)
The applicant's schedule proposed for accomplishing the activities
to be carried out in this project and for evaluating the
accomplishments.
5. Facilities and Resources (10%)
The adequacy of the applicant's facilities, equipment, and other
resources available for performance of this project.
6. Budget Justification (not scored)
The budget will be evaluated to the extent that it is reasonable,
clearly justified, and consistent with the intended use of funds.
Executive Order 12372 Review
This program is not subject to the Executive Order 12372 review.
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
project is 93.283.
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 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 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
A complete program description and information on application
procedures are contained in the application package. 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 Naomi G.
Swanson, Ph.D., Chief, Motivation and Stress Research 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, OH 45226-1998, telephone (513) 533-8291, FAX (513)
533-8510.
Please refer to Announcement 556 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.
[[Page 28159]] 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. 95-13109 Filed 5-26-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P
