Supporting State Part A (1220-0133)

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

Supporting Statement

Part A. Justification

1. Necessity of the Information Collection

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was delegated responsibility by the Secretary of Labor for implementing Section 24(a) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. This section states that "the Secretary shall compile accurate statistics on work injuries and illnesses which shall include all disabling, serious, or significant injuries and illnesses..."

Prior to the implementation of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), the BLS generated estimates of occupational fatalities for private sector employers from a sample survey of about 280,000 establishments. Studies showed that occupational fatalities were underreported in those estimates as well as in those compiled by regulatory, vital statistics, and workers' compensation systems. Estimates prior to CFOI varied widely, ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 fatal work injuries annually. In addition, information needed to develop prevention strategies was often missing from these earlier systems.

In the late 1980s, the National Academy of Sciences study, Counting Injuries and Illnesses in the Workplace, and another report, Keystone National Policy Dialogue on Work-Related Illness and Injury Recordkeeping, emphasized the need for the BLS to compile a complete roster of work-related fatalities because of concern about using a sample survey to estimate the incidence of occupational fatalities. These studies also recommended the use of all available data sources to compile detailed information for fatality prevention efforts.

In 1989 and 1990, the BLS, in conjunction with the Texas and Colorado Departments of Health and the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission, tested the feasibility of collecting fatality data in this manner. These studies, which can be found in Appendix A: Development of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries of BLS Report 845, April 1993, concluded that:

• multiple sources are needed to yield a comprehensive count of fatal occupational
  injuries;

• collecting data from multiple sources is feasible;

• detailed information is commonly available from administrative sources; and

• follow-up verification is necessary for instances where only one source document
  identified the death as work related.

The resulting CFOI was implemented in 32 States in 1991. National data—covering all 50 States, New York City, and the District of Columbia—have been compiled and published annually for years 1992 through 2011, approximately eight months after the end of each calendar year.

2. Use of Information

The CFOI compiles comprehensive, accurate, and timely information on fatal work injuries needed to develop effective prevention strategies. The system collects information about the worker, the employer, and the fatal incident. (Data elements collected are listed in Attachment 1A.).

Various public and private safety and health organizations, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as well as many employers and worker advocates, use CFOI data to:

• develop employee safety training programs;

• assess and improve workplace safety standards;

• develop safety equipment;

• prioritize safety efforts;

• conduct research for developing prevention strategies; and

• compare fatal work injuries between States to evaluate safety programs.

In addition, State partners use the data to publish State reports, to identify State-specific hazards, to allocate resources for promoting safety in the workplace, and to evaluate the quality of work life in the State.

CFOI data are also used by the Department of Health and Human Services to measure fatal workplace injuries in their Healthy People 2020 initiative. The National Safety Council and other organizations have adopted the CFOI as the sole source of a comprehensive count of fatal work injuries for the U.S. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) now uses CFOI data for the majority of its fatal injury research. This official, systematic, verifiable count mutes controversy over the various counts from different sources. If this information were not collected, the confusion over the number and patterns in fatal occupational injuries would hamper prevention efforts. In 2011, 4,693 workers lost their lives as a result of fatal injuries on the job.

During 2012, the BLS national office alone responded to approximately 1,000 requests for CFOI data from various researchers and organizations, including manufacturers, insurance companies, engineering firms, security services, universities, business associations, trade unions, government organizations, and news services. (This figure excludes requests received by the BLS regional offices and States.) In addition, the CFOI page of the BLS website averaged about 9,000 users per month in 2012.

The CFOI research file, made available to safety and health groups under letters of agreement to protect confidentiality, is currently being used by 19 organizations to conduct studies on specific topics. (Attachment 1B lists data elements included on the research file.) Study topics include: fatalities by worker demographic category (young workers, older workers, Hispanic workers); by occupation or industry (construction workers, police officers, firefighters, landscaping workers, workers in oil and gas extraction); by event (heat-related fatalities; fatalities from workplace violence, suicides, and falls from ladders); or other research such as safety and health program effectiveness, the impact of fatality risk on wages, cost estimates of fatal injuries, and the value of a statistical life.

A list of research articles and reports that include CFOI data can be found here: http://www.bls.gov/iif/publications.htm.

Beginning with data for 2011, some additional data elements were coded by the States on a trial basis. Some of these have become permanent and required data elements, while others remain on a trial basis and optional:

• whether the deceased was working as a contractor at the time of the injury, and if so, the industry and ownership of the contracting firm (required);

• whether the incident was a result of a CFOI-designated disaster (required);

• whether the deceased was covered by a bargaining unit (optional);

• whether the fatality involved a confined space incident (required);

• whether alcohol or drugs were present in the decedent at the time of incident (optional); and

• whether seat belts were used (for motor vehicle incidents) (optional).

These data are coded using source documents that are already received for the case. Moreover, some of this information has historically been contained in the case narrative. Therefore, no additional burden to the public is associated with this collection. These changes prompt only minor modifications to the CFOI followback questionnaire to help establish contractor status.

3. Use of Electronic Collection Methods

To reduce employer burden, the CFOI primarily uses existing administrative documents (e.g. death certificates, workers' compensation reports, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation reports) and news reports to identify and compile information on fatal occupational injuries. States are encouraged to use as many existing data sources as are available and necessary to compile a complete count of fatal occupational injuries. Instead of the administrative form itself, some agencies provide computer files or listings of the fatal work injury information. In addition, participating State partners make use of various websites to gather information on fatal work injuries. The lack of standardization in data among the various data sources and between States impedes additional computerization.

State agencies use a followback questionnaire, BLS CFOI-1 (Attachment 2A), to substantiate work relationship when only one source document is available as well as to obtain missing data as needed. This questionnaire is used for roughly 20 percent of total initiated cases. The BLS CFOI questionnaire is designed so that respondents are only asked to complete parts of the questionnaire needed to obtain missing or more detailed data. As most respondents only complete one section of the questionnaire, developing an electronic form to replace the current paper questionnaire, is not cost-efficient. Respondents submit the completed followback questionnaire by post or fax.

Each of the participating State and territorial partners collect and process data for an average of about 110 fatal occupational injuries per year, or about 140 fatalities, including illnesses. States enter data into a web-based system provided by the BLS and code the variables using a uniform coding structure. The BLS validates the coding and publishes the results.

4. Efforts to identify duplication

During the development of the CFOI, the BLS met with representatives from OSHA, NIOSH, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The BLS keeps these and other agencies informed of CFOI data collection and availability.

On September 9, 1992, a CFOI National Conference was held in Washington, DC to: 1) introduce the CFOI to potential data users; 2) solicit suggestions on how to improve CFOI; and 3) encourage the active participation of data users and providers. Representatives from various Federal and State agencies attended the one-day conference. The conference summary is available on request. Research papers presented at the conference were published in BLS Report 845, dated April 1993.

On May 15 and 16, 2013, the BLS Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program held a National Data Users’ Conference in Washington, DC to: 1) encourage active dialogue between data users and providers in order to improve CFOI as well as other data collected by the OSHS program; and 2) highlight current research through presentation of findings by various data users, researchers, and stakeholders. Representatives from various Federal and State agencies, as well as from private industry, labor, and academia, attended the two-day conference. Several papers from the conference will be published in a special issue of the BLS Monthly Labor Review Online.

The BLS also keeps abreast of developments in this area by reviewing current literature, publishing articles, working closely with OSHA and NIOSH surveillance staff, and actively participating in national safety and health conferences and meetings. Staff members regularly make presentations at the annual National Safety Council Congress and American Public Health Association meeting as well as other selected safety and health conferences.

As mentioned previously, the CFOI has been adopted by virtually all organizations involved in occupational health as the sole source of a comprehensive count of fatal work injuries for the U.S. The CFOI data is far more comprehensive and timely than the previous national fatal work injury surveillance system. The only other major national occupational fatality surveillance system has been discontinued. NIOSH operated the National Traumatic Occupational Fatality (NTOF) program which relied solely on information contained on death certificates marked “at work” and excluded fatalities occurring to individuals under 16 years of age.

The BLS receives and provides fatality reports to State partners from the following Federal agencies: OSHA, the Employment Standards Administration (ESA) (specifically the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation and Federal Employee Compensation Divisions), the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the Department of Transportation (specifically the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)). Fatality reports from other Federal agencies, such as MSHA, NIOSH, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Social Security Administration, are accessed by the participating State partners from the Federal agencies’ websites. States have also made arrangements to obtain source documents, such as death certificates, workers’ compensation reports, medical examiner reports, and highway fatality reports, within their States.

Employers are not required to report fatalities to both the relevant regulatory agency and to the State partners operating the CFOI. Thus, the CFOI system is based primarily on administrative records received from Federal, State, and local governmental agencies as well as from some private sector organizations. Employers or individuals are contacted only to clarify data or obtain missing information.

Using multiple data sources and followback techniques, the CFOI:

• compiles the most complete count of work-related fatal injuries in the United States;

• substantiates work relationship using a consistent definition;

• includes fatal occupational injuries to workers of all ages;

• identifies the industry, occupation, demographic information (such as race, ethnicity and gender), and circumstances related to the fatal injury;

• provides detailed information about these fatal incidents on a timely basis to assist with developing and implementing prevention strategies; and

• allows policymakers, researchers, and other users to conduct research using a single database, which assists in identifying relationships in serious workplace hazards that may not have otherwise been recognized.

5. Impact on Small Businesses

The burden on small businesses is minimal because the CFOI relies on existing data sources for much of the information related to a fatal work injury. Employers are not the sole source used to substantiate work-relationship or to obtain required data elements missing from source documents. Followback questionnaires may also be sent to the certifying physician or coroner/medical examiner or the informant named on the death certificate. An estimated 962 (58%) of the total (1,651) followback respondents are private sector employers. Data are not compiled to determine how many of these employers are small businesses.

Followback questionnaires to small employers are often necessary to ensure that fatal injuries occurring to workers in smaller establishments are included in the count of fatal work injuries and that information concerning these deaths is accurately reflected in the CFOI database.

6. Consequences of less frequent data collection

Data collection occurs on an ongoing basis throughout the year so that the CFOI can compile and publish data in a timely manner and on a consistent schedule, usually eight months after the end of the calendar year. By providing timely fatal occupational injury data, the CFOI provides employers, workers, and safety and health professionals the information necessary to respond to emerging workplace hazards. A number of organizations use CFOI data annually in their publications, in their research, and for strategic planning or performance measurement.

The CFOI has also been able to provide work-related fatal injury data for unexpected multiple-fatality events, such as the Oklahoma City bombing and the September 11 terrorist attacks, which would not be possible if data were collected less frequently.

7. Special circumstances relating to 5 CFR 1320.5

The BLS asks that followback respondents complete and return the CFOI questionnaire as soon as possible in order to both reduce the number of nonrespondents due to relocation and to minimize recall problems for respondents.

Survey studies have shown that one's retention of information about an event declines over time. (See M. Warner, et al., “The effects of recall on reporting injury and poisoning episodes in the National Health Interview Survey,” Injury Prevention, 11, October 2005, pp. 282-7, for a discussion of recall of information in survey studies.) Timely followback is, therefore, essential for collecting accurate fatality data.

8. Federal Register Notice and Consultation outside the BLS

No comments were received as a result of the Federal Register notice published in 78 FR 41958 on July 12, 2013.

The BLS meets annually with the State partners receiving grants to conduct the fatality census and meets semiannually with the BLS Data Users Advisory Committee to solicit their respective views on data availability, frequency of collection, data elements collected, and recommendations for program enhancements.

During the past several years, BLS staff participated in numerous national conferences and presented CFOI data to the following major organizations: National Safety Council, American Public Health Association, Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association, Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, International Safety Equipment Association, National Academy of Sciences, and the NIOSH National Occupational Injury Research Symposium.

Because of the usefulness of CFOI data in developing injury prevention programs, CFOI staff are often asked to participate in National workgroups, such as NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda task forces and the Hispanic Forum.

These exchanges provide the BLS with input from data users to improve the CFOI, promote the use of CFOI data, and provide the BLS with information about other data systems. Researchers who use the CFOI research file also frequently provide feedback for improving information on the research file.

In addition, the BLS meets with or periodically consults with representatives from the following user groups:

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration and their advisory committees

• Mine Safety and Health Administration

• U.S. Department of Transportation

• United States Coast Guard

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

• National Center for Health Statistics

• Association of Vital Records and Health Statistics

• Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

• International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC)

• Medical examiner associations

• Center for Construction Research and Training

• American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations

• Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association

• International Association of Chiefs of Police

• National Safety Council

• State health agencies

• Universities

• Hispanic safety groups

• Oil and gas extraction safety groups

9. Payments to respondents

The BLS does not pay followback respondents to complete the questionnaire. However, some agencies providing source documents, such as the State vital statistics agencies, require a nominal fee to cover copying costs.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality

The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA)  safeguards the confidentiality of individually identifiable information acquired under a pledge of confidentiality for exclusively statistical purposes by controlling access to, and uses made of, such information. CIPSEA includes fines and penalties for any knowing and willful disclosure of individually identifiable information by an officer, employee, or agent of the BLS.

 

Based on this law, the BLS provides respondents to the followback questionnaire with the following confidentiality pledge/informed consent statement:

 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent.

 

BLS policy on the confidential nature of respondent identifiable information (RII) states that “RII acquired or maintained by the BLS for exclusively statistical purposes and under a pledge of confidentiality shall be treated in a manner that ensures the information will be used only for statistical purposes and will be accessible only to authorized individuals with a need-to-know.”

The partner State agencies adhere to this policy and with any confidentiality provisions that the source agencies such as the vital statistics agency, workers' compensation agency, and other organizations that supply information may require. Documents supplied by these agencies are maintained by State partners. The BLS does not have access to these documents.

Those requesting the CFOI research file must complete BLS confidentiality training (annually) and sign a letter of agreement stating that they will comply with the BLS’s confidentiality and computer security provisions. Some data elements on the research file are masked to further reduce the risk of identifying individual decedents or companies.

11. Sensitive questions

No questions of a sensitive nature are asked on the CFOI followback form.

12. Estimated respondent burden hours and costs

The burden of providing information on fatal injuries falls on two primary groups: Federal, State, local, and tribal government agencies that provide the majority of source documents, and employers and individuals whom States may request to fill out the followback questionnaires when additional information is required. Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies may also be requested to provide information in a followback questionnaire if the fatally-injured person is a government employee. Because of the varying arrangements among the State, local, and tribal government agencies to provide fatality reports, the total number of source documents and followback questionnaires received is being used for the number of responses. All burden hours and costs were calculated using five-year maximum values during the period 2007-2011 in order to best account for any possible fluctuation in the number of occupational fatalities.

The CFOI requires that two or more independent source documents be collected to substantiate work-relationship for each fatality. When only one source document has been obtained for a fatality, the State agency mails a followback questionnaire (Attachment 2A) to a business or person named on one of the source documents. The followback questionnaire is used to substantiate work relationship or to obtain missing information for roughly 20 percent of total cases.

Source agency burden

During the startup of the CFOI, the BLS provided a template (Attachment 2B) to the State partners for use in setting up arrangements to obtain source documents from other agencies within the State. States occasionally use this template to confirm these arrangements—particularly during periods of staff turnover. Significant modifications to the letter are discussed with the BLS regional office beforehand. Some States use the fax form (Attachment 2C) to obtain a source document for a fatality that has been identified by another source.

We estimate a total of about 7,643 potentially work-related fatalities (injuries and illnesses combined) are identified by the State partners participating in the CFOI. Source agencies (including vital statistics agencies, workers' compensation agencies, and other State and Federal regulatory agencies) provided almost 17,000 source documents annually for reference years 2007-2011. This total excludes media reports and documents obtained from websites, which the participating State partners collect themselves, and therefore do not result in public burden.

The burden to the government source agencies providing hardcopy reports includes retrieving and reproducing the necessary documents. For State, local, and tribal agencies, we estimate an average of 10 minutes per document provided. For Federal agencies providing computerized files, we estimate an average of 10 hours per year per agency or division providing these files. Note that some source agencies require a nominal fee to cover copying costs and some provide computerized files or microfiche. The burden hours and associated costs shown should, therefore, be considered a maximum estimate.

Burden to followback respondents

The followback questionnaire (BLS CFOI-1) is used to determine whether fatalities identified by only one source document are work-related or to gather additional information about the fatality. About one-fifth of the fatalities need a followback questionnaire. Some cases require that a followback questionnaire be sent to more than one respondent. Based on previous years’ counts, the total number of questionnaires for all respondents combined is estimated to be about 1,651 annually.

The BLS CFOI-1 has been designed so that only those sections pertinent to the respondent will be completed. The respondent completes only those questions relating to data that the State is missing. Therefore, the respondent burden may vary between 10 and 30 minutes, depending upon the information requested. This burden averages 20 minutes.

Burden costs

We have changed the methodology used for estimating the costs associated with respondent burden. In previous submissions, we used the average wage rate for the affected occupations and sectors. We will now use the total compensation rate to account for the cost of employee benefits in the burden cost estimate. In some cases, different occupational categories were used because of the unavailability of data for some of the more detailed categories previously used. Compensation rates used are from Employer Costs for Employee Compensation—March 2013, USDL-13-1140.

1. Federal government

Source document letter

Number of respondents: In response to the letter requesting source documents, seven Federal agencies or divisions currently provide data files containing fatality reports to the CFOI for fatalities that occur under the agency’s jurisdiction. (BLS and State agencies access reports from an additional six Federal agencies through their websites.)

Number of responses: One of the Federal agencies provides a file each calendar quarter as well as one annual file (totaling five data files per year) while the others each provide a single annual file (totaling six data files per year)—for a grand total of 11 data files (or Federal responses) each year.

Time and cost burden: The Federal agencies providing data files to the BLS do so by extracting the pertinent records from their administrative database and sending the information to BLS. We estimate that this takes on average 10 hours per agency or division per year—resulting in a total burden of 70 hours a year. We also estimate that the typical Federal employee performing this work to be a GS 12/1, with a total compensation rate of $46.57 per hour. (Total compensation rate was calculated using the hourly wage rate of $35.88 plus 29.8% to account for employer-paid benefits.) The annual cost burden for Federal agencies submitting these files is estimated to be $3,260 (70 hours x $46.57).

BLS CFOI-1

Number of respondents: Each year, about 12 Federal agencies respond to the CFOI followback questionnaire pertaining to a fatally-injured employee of the agency.

Number of responses: Each agency typically responds to one questionnaire per year, for a total of 12 Federal agency responses to the CFOI-1.

Time and cost burden: We estimate the Federal agency burden to respond to the followback questionnaire to be a total of 4 hours (12 x 20 minutes). We estimate that the typical Federal employee performing this work to be a GS 12/1, with a total compensation rate of $46.57 per hour. (Total compensation rate was calculated using the hourly wage rate of $35.88 plus 29.8% to account for employer-paid benefits.) The cost burden is therefore $186 (4 hours x $46.57).

2. Individuals or Households

Participating State partners are instructed to pursue other avenues for obtaining the necessary information before contacting individuals or households. If, however, these attempts fail, the State sends a followback questionnaire to one of the individuals listed on the source document(s) that has been received. (Some States have policies against contacting the next-of-kin or other individuals and so do not conduct these followbacks.) Individuals and households respond to an estimated 566 followback questionnaires annually. The burden hours for this response are estimated to be approximately 189 hours (566 x 20 minutes), and the cost burden is estimated to be $5,866 annually. This estimate is based on a total compensation rate of $31.09 per hour, which is the average hourly total compensation rate for all civilian workers (National Compensation Survey, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – March 2013, Table 1).

2. Private Sector

Private sector employers (including businesses, nonprofit institutions, and farms) respond to an estimated 962 followback questionnaires annually. The burden hours for this response are estimated to be about 321 hours (962 x 20 minutes), and the cost burden is estimated to be $15,116 annually. This estimate is based on a total compensation rate of $47.14 per hour, which is the average hourly total compensation rate for all professional and related workers in private industry (National Compensation Survey, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – March 2013, Table 9).

2. State, Local, or Tribal Governments

State, local, and tribal government agencies provide source documents for potentially work-related fatalities to the CFOI. Some agencies require a nominal fee to cover copying costs and some provide computerized files or microfiche. Because these arrangements vary from State to State, it is difficult to adjust the burden estimates for reports sent electronically as was done for reports submitted by the Federal agencies. The burden hours and associated costs shown should, therefore, be considered a maximum estimate.

Source document letter

Number of respondents: There are approximately 220 State, local, and tribal government agencies providing the CFOI with source documents (55 participating States/cities/territories x an average 4 source agencies per State).

Number of responses: State, local, and tribal government agencies provide an estimated 17,086 source documents.

Annual time and cost burden: A total of 220 State, local, and tribal government agencies actively provide an estimated 17,086 source documents to the CFOI, resulting in a burden of 2,848 hours a year (17,086 x 10 minutes), for which the cost burden is estimated to be $83,010 annually. This estimate is based on a total compensation rate of $29.15 per hour, which is the average hourly total compensation for all office and administrative workers in State and local government (National Compensation Survey, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – March 2013, Table 4).

BLS CFOI-1

Number of respondents: We estimate 111 followback questionnaires completed by State, local, or tribal government agencies for fatally-injured employees.

Number of responses: We estimate 111 responses to the followback questionnaires completed by State, local, or tribal government agencies for fatally-injured employees.

Annual time and cost burden: State, local, and tribal government agencies undergo an estimated burden of roughly 37 hours (111 x 20 minutes) in order to respond to the followback questionnaires, for which the cost burden is estimated to be $1,860 annually. This estimate is based on a total compensation rate of $50.28 per hour, which is the average hourly total compensation rate for all professional and related workers in State and local government (National Compensation Survey, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – March 2013, Table 4).

2. Information Collection Request (ICR) Summary of Burden

The following tables summarize the estimated annual burden for the various types of submission and types of respondent.

Total burden by document type
Type of document	Number of respondents	Number of responses	Burden hours	Average response time	Total cost burden
TOTAL Form BLS CFOI-1	1,651	1,651	551		$ 23,028
TOTAL Source documents	227	17,097	2,918		$ 86,270
TOTAL	1,878	18,748	3,469		$ 109,298

Total burden by respondent type
Type of respondent	Number of respondents	Number of responses	Burden hours	Average response time	Total cost burden
TOTAL Federal government	19	23	74		$ 3,446
Federal government -Form BLS CFOI-1	12	12	4	20 minutes per document	$ 186
Federal government -Source documents	7	11	70	10 hours per agency per year	$ 3,260
TOTAL Individuals & households	566	566	189		$ 5,866
Individuals & households -Form BLS CFOI-1	566	566	189	20 minutes per document	$ 5,866
TOTAL Private Sector	962	962	321		$ 15,116
Private sector -Form BLS CFOI-1	962	962	321	20 minutes per document	$ 15,116
TOTAL State, local, and tribal governments	331	17,197	2,885		$ 84,870
State, local, and tribal governments -Form BLS CFOI-1	111	111	37	20 minutes per document	$ 1,860
State, local, and tribal governments -Source documents	220	17,086	2,848	10 minutes per document	$ 83,010
TOTAL	1,878	18,748	3,469		$ 109,298

13. Costs resulting from information collection

There are no additional costs to respondents or record keepers resulting from the information collection.

14. Estimated annual costs to the Federal government

Collection costs for the CFOI are funded on a 50/50 Federal-State matching basis. The Federal share of collection costs in Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 is $1.6 million, an amount that is being matched by participating States. An additional $2.4 million in FY 2013 non-collection expenses is being incurred by the BLS, for the purpose of providing and maintaining the computers, telecommunications capacity, and software needed to capture the data, as well as retaining the staff who refine the scope of the fatality census, maintain data quality standards, produce and distribute counts and rates to the States, and publish the national data. Due to sequestration, the FY 2013 expenses outlined above do not reflect the long-term annual costs of the program. Specifically, FY 2013 expenses reflect curtailed spending as well as a hiring freeze, both of which may impact the quality and quantity of some BLS data.

15. Changes in respondent burden

The decrease in the annual number of responses is due in part to the use of revised methodology for counting Federal source document responses. To better reflect the Federal agency burden, the number of data files submitted by a Federal agency is used for the number of responses rather than the total number of fatality reports as was done in previous estimates. The methodology for estimating Federal (and other) followback forms has not changed.

Burden and cost estimates are based on the maximum value over the five-year period from 2007-2011 to account for any additional increase in future years. The overall decrease in burden hours reflects an overall decrease in the number of fatal occupational injuries during this period, which resulted in fewer source documents and followback questionnaires received. The increase in burden cost estimates reflect the use of total compensation rates rather than the simple wage rates used in previous estimates.

16. Plans for tabulation and publication

Data collection for each reference year begins January 1 and continues through May of the following year. State partners enter and code the data. The BLS reviews the coding and data to validate the accuracy of State data collection. Approximately eight months after the end of the year, the BLS combines data from all 50 States, New York City, and the District of Columbia, generates various tabulations, and publishes preliminary reference year data for the entire nation.

BLS products of the CFOI include:

• a press release (annual);

• update materials (annual);

• brochures (biannual);

• a data wheel (biannual);

• research articles on special topics published in national publications (occasional); and

• the CFOI limited-access research file (annual).

The press release for a reference year contains preliminary data for that year and revised figures for prior reference years. The preliminary data are released the August after the completion of the reference year and the revised figures are published the spring after the release of the preliminary data.

State partners also publish CFOI data in various formats similar to those listed above. Published data are distributed to individuals attending various State and national safety conferences, those requesting a specific publication, and those included on the CFOI mailing list. Press releases, charts, tabulations (both BLS- and user-generated), and research articles are available through the BLS website. An electronic data retrieval tool called Online Profiles is also available to users on the BLS website. This system generates national and State profile and publication tables of fatal work-related injuries based on user selections.

In addition to published tables, the BLS and participating State partners produce various data aggregations to fulfill data requests. In 2012, the BLS national office alone responded to approximately 1,000 requests for published and unpublished CFOI data. This figure excludes requests received by the BLS regional offices and State partners.

Each year, the CFOI creates a complete file of all work-related fatal injuries and makes most of this file available, upon written request and for statistical use only, to universities and safety and health organizations that conduct research on workplace injury. Data are masked to the extent possible to protect confidentiality of data sources without losing the details needed for research. State codes and personal identifiers have been removed from the file so that individual cases cannot be matched to other data sources.

The NIOSH currently has approximately 60 staff members registered to use the CFOI Research File. NIOSH has requested additional data elements beyond those available on the regular Research File for their use in conducting State-specific research and developing prevention programs. NIOSH has requested the following additional data elements: State codes, date of birth, date of death, death certificate identification number, and industry and occupation narrative descriptions. BLS partners have agreed that the additional information could be provided to NIOSH for meeting NIOSH's education and research mission. To safeguard against unauthorized use of the file, each research organization, as well as all authorized researchers, requesting the file must complete BLS confidentiality training (annually) and agree in writing to adhere to the BLS confidentiality policy. (See Attachment 1B for a list of data elements made available to researchers.)

17. Display of expiration date

The CFOI requests permission not to display the expiration date on the BLS CFOI-1. This will allow the forms to be used in subsequent years and save printing costs and personnel time.

18. Exception to certification statement

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.