Notice2021-23853
The Need To Establish Personal Protective Technology Centers of Excellence To Address Research and Practice Gaps
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 2, 2021
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Abstract
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is soliciting public comment on the need to establish centers of excellence to address research and practice needs in the area of personal protective technology (PPT), including personal protective equipment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 209 (Tuesday, November 2, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 209 (Tuesday, November 2, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60462-60463]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23853]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Docket Number CDC-2021-0115, NIOSH-343]
The Need To Establish Personal Protective Technology Centers of
Excellence To Address Research and Practice Gaps
AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS.
ACTION: Request for information.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
is soliciting public comment on the need to establish centers of
excellence to address research and practice needs in the area of
personal protective technology (PPT), including personal protective
equipment.
DATES: Comments must be received by January 31, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted through either of the following
two methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>
(follow the instructions for submitting comments), or
<bullet> Mail: NIOSH Docket Office, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, MS C-34,
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226-1998.
Instructions: All written submissions received in response to this
notice must include the agency name (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, HHS) and docket number (CDC-2021-0115; NIOSH-343). All
relevant comments received will be posted without change to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick G. Dempsey, Ph.D.; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3a555e5b5e5753547a595e59145d554c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3a555e5b5e5753547a595e59145d554c">[email protected]</span></a>; telephone 412-386-6480 [not a toll-free number].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Within NIOSH, the National Personal
Protective Technology Laboratory is charged with preventing disease,
injury, and death among the millions of American workers who rely on
PPT. To accomplish this mission, NIOSH conducts scientific research,
leads PPT conformity assessment efforts, develops guidance and
authoritative recommendations, disseminates information, and responds
to requests for workplace health hazard evaluations.
Personal protective technology--such as respirators, protective
clothing, gloves, eyewear, hearing protection, helmets, fit testing
equipment, and fall harnesses--is instrumental in protecting the health
and safety of workers in the United States and globally. Due to the
comprehensive and inter-/multi-disciplinary nature of PPT, innovative
thinking and approaches are necessary to advance and maximize its role
in enhancing occupational safety and health.
In 2008, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research
Council (NRC) of the National Academies convened a committee to
appraise the NIOSH intramural PPT Program to ``evaluate the relevance
and impact of a dozen specific elements of the PPT Program in
preventing work-related injury and illness, identify important future
considerations for scientific investigation, and provide
recommendations for program improvement.'' \1\ The committee offered
five recommendations; Recommendation 2 suggested that NIOSH ``should
establish and sustain extramural PPT centers of excellence and work to
increase other extramural research opportunities.'' Specifically, the
committee recommended that the intramural PPT Program ``[d]evelop and
support research centers of excellence that work closely with the NIOSH
intramural research program to improve PPT, increase field research,
and explore and implement research to practice interventions.'' \2\
Benefits and advantages of this approach include increased
interdisciplinary expertise and improved ability to evaluate
interventions (e.g., emerging technologies), extending the scope of
scientific inquiry to include the behavioral sciences, and increasing
field research.
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\1\ Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. 2008.
The Personal Protective Technology Program at NIOSH. Committee to
Review the NIOSH Personal Protective Technology Program. Rpt. No. 5,
Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health. Washington, DC: The National
Academies Press, at ix.
\2\ Id at 13-14.
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Request for Information
In response to the IOM/NRC recommendation, NIOSH is exploring the
establishment of centers of excellence dedicated to advancing PPT and
serving as knowledge hubs where experts from multiple disciplines,
industry representatives, and other interested parties/groups
collaborate on PPT research and practice. To accomplish that goal,
NIOSH is seeking input from any interested party regarding the scope of
future centers of excellence that could play critical roles in
identifying research needs, conducting research, disseminating
information including education and outreach activities, and
translating research findings and technologies into products and
practices that will enhance safety and health. The NIOSH National
Personal Protective Technology Laboratory has identified the following
three broad focus areas to be addressed by one or more future centers
of excellence:
<bullet> Research and development of new technologies and
approaches to PPT including sensor technology to increase efficacy;
<bullet> human factors/ergonomics approaches to evaluating the
factors that influence the adoption and usage of PPT such as
performance, comfort, fit, and usability; sociotechnical systems
analyses of the influences of factors such as health and safety
management systems, safety culture, and regulatory requirements; and
<bullet> innovative approaches to the design, manufacture, and
maintenance of PPT that enhance factors such as the effectiveness and
acceptance of PPT in varied user populations, availability, and the
ability to rapidly customize and produce PPT during crises.
In addition to input on the three topic areas described above,
NIOSH is seeking input on the following questions:
(1) What are the perceived needs for and benefits of establishing
centers of excellence to advance PPT research and practice as it
relates to your organization or for you personally?
(2) Are there specific PPT research and practice needs for certain
industry sectors and/or occupations?
(3) Are there specific PPT research and practice needs for
different types of hazards (e.g., biological, chemical, gas and vapor,
thermal, physical)?
(4) Are there specific PPT research and practice needs for certain
anatomical categories of protection (e.g., dermal, vision, hearing,
respiratory)?
(5) Which particular academic disciplines, research domains, or
technical expertise should contribute to addressing PPT research and
practice needs? Describe multi- or inter-disciplinary needs to most
effectively advance research and practice.
(6) Describe emerging or novel technologies that can be
investigated with respect to increasing the effectiveness of PPT.
(7) How well do the three broad focus areas described above
identify critical needs? Are there alternate or additional needs that
have not been identified in this notice?
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(8) NIOSH anticipates that future PPT centers of excellence will
include at least three functional core areas: planning and evaluation,
which includes center of excellence administration; research, which can
be comprised of pilot projects, small projects, and large projects; and
outreach, which can include communication and dissemination activities,
education activities, and implementation activities. An academic
training functional core area is optional. How important are the
different core areas and activities within core areas to the ability of
centers of excellence to advance PPT research and practice?
Disclaimer and Important Notes
This notice is intended for planning purposes; it does not
constitute a formal announcement for comprehensive applications. In
accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 48 CFR 15.201(e),
responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the
Government to form a binding award. NIOSH will not provide
reimbursement for costs incurred in commenting on this notice.
NIOSH will not respond to individual public comments or publish
publicly a compendium of responses. An informational submission in
response to this notice does not create any commitment by or on behalf
of CDC or HHS to develop or pursue any program or ideas discussed.
John J. Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and
Human Services.
[FR Doc. 2021-23853 Filed 11-1-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
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