[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24930-24933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-11879]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
[Announcement Number 736]
Intervention Studies in Agricultural Safety and Health; Notice of
Availability of Funds for Fiscal Year 1997
Introduction
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), announces that
grant applications are being accepted for innovative small projects
relating to occupational safety and health in the agriculture industry.
Such projects are intended to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of
methods or approaches for preventing injuries and illnesses among
agricultural workers. Thus, this announcement is not intended for
traditional hypothesis-testing research projects to identify and
investigate the relationships between health outcomes and occupational
exposures to hazardous agents.
CDC is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease
prevention objectives of ``Healthy People 2000,'' a 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 the Public Health Service Act, as
amended, Section 301(a) (42 U.S.C. 241(a)), and the Occupational Safety
and Health Act of 1970, Section 20(a) (29 U.S.C. 669(a)) and Section 22
(29 U.S.C. 671). The applicable program regulation is 42 CFR Part 52.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include nonprofit and for-profit organizations,
universities, colleges, research institutions, and other public and
private organizations, including State and local governments and small,
minority- and/or woman-owned businesses.
Note: An organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which engages in lobbying activities
shall not be eligible to receive Federal funds constituting an
award, grant, contract, loan, or any other form.
Smoke-Free Workplace
CDC strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-
free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products, and
Public Law 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.
Availability of Funds
About $500,000 is available in fiscal year (FY) 1997 to fund
approximately 3 to 4 project grants. The amount of funding available
may vary and is subject to change. Awards are anticipated to range from
$150,000 to $200,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) per year.
Awards are expected to begin on or about September 1, 1997. Awards will
be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period not to
exceed 3 years. Continuation awards within the project period will be
made on the basis of satisfactory progress and availability of funds.
Use of Funds
Restrictions on Lobbying
Applicants should be aware of restrictions on the use of HHS funds
for lobbying of Federal or State legislative bodies. Under the
provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352 (which has been in effect since December
23, 1989), recipients (and their subtier contractors) are prohibited
from using appropriated Federal funds (other than profits from a
Federal contract) for lobbying Congress or any Federal agency in
connection with the award of a particular contract, grant, cooperative
agreement, or loan. This includes grants/cooperative agreements that,
in whole or in part, involve conferences for which Federal funds cannot
be used directly or indirectly to encourage participants to lobby or to
instruct participants on how to lobby.
In addition, the FY 1997 HHS Appropriations Act, which became
effective October 1, 1996, expressly prohibits the use of 1997
appropriated funds for indirect or ``grass roots'' lobbying efforts
that are designed to support or defeat legislation pending before State
legislatures. This new law, Section 503 of Public Law No. 104-208,
provides as follows:
Section 503(a) No part of any appropriation contained in this
Act shall be used, other than for normal and recognized executive-
legislative relationships, for publicity or propaganda purposes, for
the preparation, distribution, or use of any kit, pamphlet, booklet,
publication, radio, television, or video presentation designed to
support or defeat legislation pending before the Congress, * * *
except in presentation to the Congress or any State legislative body
itself.
(b) No part of any appropriation contained in this Act shall be
used to pay the salary or expenses of any grant or contract
recipient, or agent acting for such recipient, related to any
activity designed to influence legislation or appropriations pending
before the Congress or any State legislature.
Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1997, as enacted by the Omnibus
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 1997, Division A, Title I, Section
101(e), Public Law 104-208 (September 30, 1996).
Background
Agricultural workers represent a major workforce in the United
States. The agricultural industry, by classification, includes those
involved in farming, agricultural technology, fishing, and forestry.
The health and safety effects in this industry are diverse, and the
potential for disease and injury covers a wide range of populations and
work.
Hired workers, farm owner-operators, and unpaid family members who
live in the work environment are exposed to the health and safety
hazards of farming in the United States. The number of hired workers
varies widely by season from 600,000 to 950,000 workers (United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics
Service, Farm Labor, 1995 and 1996). USDA data show 5.9 million persons
own, operate, and manage farms or are family members who live on these
farms (Farm Costs and Return Survey, 1993). It is unknown how many
children and other family members of migrant or seasonal workers who
are not recorded as working are exposed. These agricultural workers and
their families experience a disproportionate share of fatalities,
injuries and diseases associated with many physical, chemical, and
biological hazards. Because many who work in agriculture are not
covered by traditional protections (e.g., workers' compensation,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations), data on
such injuries are more difficult to reach and available data are likely
to underestimate the scope of the problem.
According to the National Traumatic Occupational Fatality
surveillance system, the fatality rate for agricultural industries is
2.6 times greater than the national average for all industries; the
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average is more than 740 deaths annually. Data from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics Annual Survey for 1994 indicate that the rate for injuries
involving lost workdays in the agricultural industries exceeds all
industry sectors (including mining) except construction and
transportation.
Agricultural workers are also more likely to develop serious work-
related illnesses or disabling conditions. In particular, agricultural
workers experience increased rates of certain forms of lung disease
(e.g., occupational asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis);
cumulative trauma disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome and other
musculoskeletal disorders; noise-induced hearing loss; and certain
types of cancer (e.g., leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and multiple
myeloma).
In 1989, Congress directed CDC to sponsor broad-based, public
health initiatives to reduce the significant injuries and illnesses
among agriculture workers and their families. Through cooperative
agreement awards, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) established cooperative efforts with universities,
public health departments, and others, to address the research,
surveillance, and intervention priorities of the agricultural industry.
These programs included laboratory research, broad-based epidemiology,
public health surveillance, education and training, and the provision
of basic health and hazard control services in the agricultural
community.
In December 1994, an external review panel evaluated the NIOSH
Agriculture Initiative. The panel recommended that NIOSH continue its
strong support of the Agriculture Initiative; and in addition to its
current efforts, provide for intervention research grants to enable
current and previous collaborators, as well as other groups, the
opportunity to propose innovative research or demonstrations projects.
Interventions include techniques such as engineering control
technologies, model standards, worker participation programs, training,
and community programs to prevent disease or injury. Intervention
research determines the efficacy and efficiency of these techniques or
combinations of these techniques.
Although many intervention strategies have been applied to various
work settings, knowledge about what works best is limited. Employers,
owner-operators, agricultural workers, public decision makers,
cooperative extension services agents, and others, need this
information to make informed decisions about prevention strategies that
work well and support the use of limited resources. Research is needed
to pilot and evaluate prevention intervention efforts which, if
successful, can be adopted on a wider scale in a region or throughout
the nation. This work should be done in cooperation with agricultural
workers and employers to assure consideration of the economic and
organizational factors that determine if interventions will be adopted.
Purpose
NIOSH seeks to prevent work-related diseases and injuries in the
agricultural production industry by designing, implementing, and
evaluating measures to reduce occupational hazards. If prevention
measures are currently unavailable, new technologies should be
developed for controlling hazardous exposures. Such new technologies
must be evaluated to determine if prevention measures are feasible,
even for smaller agricultural operations.
Intervention research--including control technology, educational
programs, health promotion activities, and community-based
initiatives--examines the utility and impact of new and existing
preventive measures in the workplace.
Programmatic Interest
The focus of these grants should facilitate progress in preventing
adverse effects among agricultural workers. A project that is proposed
to develop or test the efficacy of an intervention should be designed
to establish, discover, develop, elucidate, or confirm information
relating to occupational safety and health, including innovative
methods, techniques, and approaches for solving occupational safety and
health problems. These grants should not be directed at the development
of an intervention, but to test the efficacy of a known intervention.
A project that is proposed to demonstrate the effectiveness of an
intervention should address, either on a pilot or full-scale basis, the
technical or economic feasibility of implementing a new/improved
innovative procedure, method, technique, or system for preventing
occupational safety or health problems. A demonstration project should
be conducted in an actual workplace where a baseline measure of the
occupational problem will be defined, the new/improved approach will be
implemented, a follow-up measure of the problem will be documented, and
an evaluation of the benefits will be conducted.
NIOSH and its partners in the public and private sectors developed
the high priority areas identified below to provide a framework to
guide occupational safety and health research in the next decade--not
only for NIOSH but also for the entire occupational safety and health
community. Approximately 500 organizations and individuals outside
NIOSH provided input into the development of the National Occupational
Research Agenda (NORA). This attempt to guide and coordinate research
nationally is responsive to a broadly perceived need to address
systematically those topics that are most pressing and most likely to
yield gains to the worker and the nation. Fiscal constraints on
occupational safety and health research are increasing, making even
more compelling the need for a coordinated and focused research agenda.
NIOSH intends to support projects that facilitate progress in
understanding and preventing adverse effects among workers. The
conditions or examples listed under each category are selected
examples, not comprehensive definitions of the category. Investigators
may also apply in other areas related to agricultural safety and
health, but the rationale for the significance of the research and
demonstrations to agriculture must be developed in the application.
The NORA identifies 21 research priorities. These priorities
reflect a remarkable degree of concurrence among a large number of
stakeholders. The NORA priority research areas are grouped into three
categories: Disease and Injury, Work Environment and Workforce, and
Research Tools and Approaches. This announcement relates primarily to
the priority research area, Intervention Effectiveness Research, number
18 on the list. The NORA document is available through the NIOSH Home
Page: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora.html.
NORA Priority Research Areas
Disease and Injury
1. Allergic and Irritant Dermatitis
2. Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
3. Fertility and Pregnancy Abnormalities
4. Hearing Loss
5. Infectious Diseases
6. Low Back Disorders
7. Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Upper Extremities
8. Traumatic Injuries
Work Environment and Workforce
9. Emerging Technologies
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10. Indoor Environment
11. Mixed Exposures
12. Organization of Work
13. Special Populations at Risk
Research Tools and Approaches
14. Cancer Research Methods
15. Control Technology and Personal Protective Equipment
16. Exposure Assessment Methods
17. Health Services Research
18. Intervention Effectiveness Research
19. Risk Assessment Methods
20. Social and Economic Consequences of Workplace Illness and Injury
21. Surveillance Research Methods
Potential applicants with questions concerning the acceptability of
their proposed work are strongly encouraged to contact the programmatic
technical assistance person identified in this announcement in the
section WHERE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
Technical Reporting Requirements
Progress reports are required annually as part of the continuation
application (75 days prior to the start of the next budget period). The
annual progress reports must contain information on accomplishments
during the previous budget period and plans for each remaining year of
the project. Financial status reports (FSR) are required no later than
90 days after the end of the budget period.
The final performance and financial status reports are required 90
days after the end of the project period. The final performance report
should include, at a minimum, a statement of original objectives, a
summary of research methodology, a summary of positive and negative
findings, and a list of publications resulting from the project.
Research papers, project reports, or theses are acceptable items to
include in the final report. The final report should stand alone rather
than citing the original application. Three copies of reprints of
publications prepared under the grant should accompany the report.
Evaluation Criteria
Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed by CDC for completeness
and responsiveness. Applications determined to be incomplete or
unresponsive to this announcement will be returned to the applicant
without further consideration. If the proposed project involves
organizations or persons other than those affiliated with the applicant
organization, letters of support and/or cooperation must be included.
Applications that are complete and responsive to the announcement
will be reviewed by an initial review (IRG) group (peer review) in
which they will be determined to be competitive or noncompetitive based
on the review criteria. Applications determined to be noncompetitive
will be withdrawn from further consideration and the principal
investigator/program director and the official signing for the
applicant organization will be promptly notified. Applications judged
to be competitive will be discussed and assigned a priority score.
Review criteria for technical merit are as follows:
1. Technical significance and originality of the proposed project.
2. Appropriateness and adequacy of the study design and methodology
proposed to carry out the project.
3. Qualifications and research experience of the Principal
Investigator and staff, particularly but not exclusively in the area of
the proposed project.
4. Availability of resources necessary to perform the project.
5. Documentation of cooperation from other participants in the
project, where applicable.
6. Adequacy of plans to include both sexes and minorities and their
subgroups as appropriate for the scientific goals of the project.
(Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be
evaluated.)
7. Appropriateness of budget and period of support.
8. Human Subjects--Procedures adequate for the protection of human
subjects must be documented. Recommendations on the adequacy of
protections include: (1) protections appear adequate and there are no
comments to make or concerns to raise, (2) protections appear adequate,
but there are comments regarding the protocol, (3) protections appear
inadequate and the IRG has concerns related to human subjects, or (4)
disapproval of the application is recommended because the research
risks are sufficiently serious and protection against the risks are
inadequate as to make the entire application unacceptable.
The following will be considered in making funding decisions:
1. Quality of the proposed project as determined by peer review.
2. Availability of funds.
3. Program balance among priority areas of the announcement.
Executive Order 12372 Review
Applications are not subject to the review requirements of
Executive Order 12372.
Public Health System Reporting Requirement
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 is 93.262.
Other Requirements
Paperwork Reduction Act
Projects that involve the collection of information from 10 or more
individuals and funded by the grant will be subject to review and
approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the
Paperwork Reduction Act.
[[Page 24933]]
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. Assurances must be provided to demonstrate that 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
provided in the application kit.
Women and Racial and Ethnic Minorities
It is the policy of the CDC to ensure that women and racial and
ethnic groups will be included in CDC supported research projects
involving human subjects, whenever feasible and appropriate. Racial and
ethnic groups are those defined in OMB Directive No. 15 and include
American Indian, Alaskan Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Black and
Hispanic. Applicants shall ensure that women and racial and ethnic
minority populations are appropriately represented in applications for
research involving human subjects. Where clear and compelling rationale
exists that inclusion is not feasible, this situation must be explained
as part of the application. In conducting the review of applications
for scientific merit, review groups will evaluate proposed plans for
inclusion of minorities and both sexes as part of the scientific
assessment and assigned score. This policy does not apply to research
studies when the investigator cannot control the race, ethnicity and/or
sex of subjects. Further guidance to this policy is contained in the
Federal Register, Vol. 60, No. 179, Friday, September 15, 1995, pages
47947-47951.
Application Submission and Deadlines
A. Preapplication Letter of Intent
Although not a prerequisite of application, a non-binding letter of
intent-to-apply is requested from potential applicants. The letter
should be submitted to the Grants Management Officer (whose address is
reflected in section B., ``Applications''). It should be postmarked no
later than June 9, 1997. The letter should identify the announcement
number, name of the principal investigator, and specify the priority
area to be addressed by the proposed project. The letter of intent does
not influence review or funding decisions, but it will enable CDC to
plan the review more efficiently, and will ensure that each applicant
receives timely and relevant information prior to application
submission.
B. Applications
Applicants should use Form PHS-398 (OMB Number 0925-0001) and
adhere to the ERRATA Instruction Sheet for Form PHS-398 contained in
the Grant Application Kit. Please submit an original and five copies on
or before July 15, 1997 to: Ron Van Duyne, Grants Management Officer,
Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE.,
Room 321, MS-E13, Atlanta, GA 30305.
C. Deadlines
1. Applications shall be considered as meeting a deadline if they
are either:
A. Received at the above address on or before the deadline date, or
B. Sent on or before the deadline date to the above address, and
received in time for the review process. Applicants should 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 shall not be accepted as proof of timely mailings.
2. Applications which do not meet the criteria above are considered
late applications and will be returned to the applicant.
Where To Obtain Additional Information
To receive an application kit, call (404) 332-4561. You will be
asked to leave your name, address, and telephone number and will need
to refer to announcement 736. You will receive a complete application
kit. Business management information may be obtained from Joanne
Wojcik, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch,
Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., MS-E13, Atlanta, GA
30305, telephone (404) 842-6535; fax: (404) 842-6513; Internet:
jcw6@cdc.gov.
Programmatic technical assistance may be obtained from Roy M.
Fleming, Sc.D., Associate Director for Grants, National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), 1600 Clifton Road, NE., Building 1, Room 3053, MS-
D30, Atlanta, GA 30333, telephone (404) 639-3343; fax: (404) 639-4616;
Internet: rmf2@cdc.gov.
Please Refer to Announcement Number 736 When Requesting Information and
Submitting an Application
This and other CDC Announcements can be found on the CDC home page
at http://www.cdc.gov.
CDC will not send application kits by facsimile or express mail.
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) through the Superintendent
of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325,
telephone (202) 512-1800.
Dated: May 1, 1997.
Diane D. Porter,
Acting Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 97-11879 Filed 5-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P
