[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 30, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28154-28157]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-13110]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
[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
[[Page 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
for-profit 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 labor-management 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 health-care 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 task-force,'' (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 task-force teams (E-MATs). The
teams should comprise technical and non-technical 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. [[Page 28156]]
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 participatory-team 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 Putz-
Anderson, 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 [[Page 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
