National Occupational Research Agenda

Last updated

The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) is a partnership program developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The program was founded in 1996 to provide a framework for research collaborations among universities, large and small businesses, professional societies, government agencies, and worker organizations. Together these parties identify issues in the field of workplace safety and health that require immediate attention based on the number of workers affected, the seriousness of the hazard, and the likelihood that new safety information and approaches can effect a change. [1]

Contents

Developing the first research agenda

Dr. Linda Rosenstock, appointed director of NIOSH in 1994, saw the Institute as an agency that yielded strong scientific research but needed stronger connections to the real-world workforce. [2] To remedy this, Rosenstock sought to develop stronger relationships with other organizations and agencies. NIOSH moved its headquarters from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., where the Institute could enjoy closer contact with labor and industry representatives. [3] NIOSH's effort to build partnerships inside and outside of the government culminated in the development of the National Occupational Research Agenda.

To form the agenda, NIOSH leaders petitioned stakeholders in industry, labor, and health care for input. Organizations including General Motors, IBM, Mobil, the United Auto Workers, and the American Public Health Association joined NIOSH in developing the agenda. NIOSH sought additional aid through a series of public town meetings held in Chicago, Seattle, and Boston. [3] In total, nearly 500 organizations and individuals provided the input that resulted in the research agenda. [4]

NORA in practice

NIOSH announced NORA's 21 priority research areas in 1996. On the strength of industry support and bipartisan backing, Congress increased funding for NIOSH and investment in NORA grew from $15.4 million in 1996 to $72.3 million in 1999. [2] Following Rosenstock's resignation in 2000, Dr. John Howard continued to press and expand the NORA approach as NIOSH's new director. [5] Periodically, the structure of the program is evaluated and updated as needed. Since 1996, NORA's projects have covered topics such as slip, trip, and fall (STF) injuries; green tobacco sickness; extended work hours; latex allergies; vehicle and mobile equipment-related injury; silica, lung cancer, and respiratory disease; and biomechanical stress in drywall installation. [6]

NORA's Research Organization: Sectors and Cross-Sectors

Since 2006, the program has been organized by industrial sector as defined in the North American Industry Classification System. NORA sector councils help to implement the national research agenda. [7] The accomplishments of the second decade of NORA are described in a report published in 2017. [8] NORA councils consists of participants from various backgrounds, affiliations and expertise, including stakeholders from universities, large and small businesses, professional associations, government agencies, and worker organizations. Councils present the opportunity to maximize resources towards improved occupational safety and health nationwide. They help build close partnerships among members and broader collaborations between councils and other organizations. The resulting information sharing and leveraging efforts helps promote widespread adoption of improved workplace practices based on research results. The NORA industry sector councils for the 2016-2026 decade are as follows: [9] [10] [11]

In addition, NIOSH identified seven cross-sectors which focus on the health and safety issues affecting workers. The current NORA health outcome cross-sectors include: [22]

NORA priorities

The following types of information help inform NORA's priority setting process: [7]

NORA results

Every ten years, NIOSH reviews the activities, outcomes, and impacts of work completed over the past NORA decade and completes a report of those accomplishments. The first decade report evaluated contributions from 1996-2006, [23] while the second decade report reviewed activities from 2006-2016. [24] NORA's third decade covers the period from 2016-2026.

NORA symposia

To ensure a continued focus on the practical application of the research, NIOSH cosponsored NORA Symposia in 1999, 2003, 2006, and 2008. The 2008 NORA Symposium—"Public Market for Ideas and Partnerships"—was the first not held in the Washington, D.C., area. Instead it was hosted in Denver, reflecting NIOSH's desire to expand occupational research collaborations in the Western United States. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal protective equipment</span> Equipment designed to help protect an individual from hazards

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, electrical, heat, chemical, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter. Protective equipment may be worn for job-related occupational safety and health purposes, as well as for sports and other recreational activities. Protective clothing is applied to traditional categories of clothing, and protective gear applies to items such as pads, guards, shields, or masks, and others. PPE suits can be similar in appearance to a cleanroom suit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health</span> US federal government agency

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Despite its name, it is not part of either the National Institutes of Health nor OSHA. Its current director is John Howard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational hazard</span> Hazard experienced in the workplace

An occupational hazard is a hazard experienced in the workplace. This encompasses many types of hazards, including chemical hazards, biological hazards (biohazards), psychosocial hazards, and physical hazards. In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conduct workplace investigations and research addressing workplace health and safety hazards resulting in guidelines. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establishes enforceable standards to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. In the EU, a similar role is taken by EU-OSHA.

Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM), previously called industrial medicine, is a board certified medical specialty under the American Board of Preventative Medicine that specializes in the prevention and treatment of work-related illnesses and injuries.

The Global Environmental and Occupational Health e-Library or GeoLibrary is a database of occupational safety and health and environmental health training materials and practice tools. The library is divided into three sections: Environmental Health; Occupational Health and Safety; and a specialty library on Road Safety at Work.

The Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health (CASH) are a set of 12 NIOSH-funded agencies focused on occupational health in industry involving food or plant products, such as fishing, forestry, and agriculture. The agencies were established in 1990 under the Agricultural Health and Safety Initiative.

The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health funds the Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) program, a state-based surveillance program of laboratory-reported adult blood lead levels. In 2009, the ABLES program updated its case definition for an Elevated Blood Lead Level to a blood lead concentration equal or greater than 10 micrograms per deciliter (10 μg/dL). This chart shows CDC/NIOSH/ABLES Elevated blood lead level case definition in perspective.

Workplace health surveillance or occupational health surveillance (U.S.) is the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and dissemination of exposure and health data on groups of workers. The Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health at its 12th Session in 1995 defined an occupational health surveillance system as "a system which includes a functional capacity for data collection, analysis and dissemination linked to occupational health programmes".

Prevention through design (PtD), also called safety by design usually in Europe, is the concept of applying methods to minimize occupational hazards early in the design process, with an emphasis on optimizing employee health and safety throughout the life cycle of materials and processes. It is a concept and movement that encourages construction or product designers to "design out" health and safety risks during design development. The process also encourages the various stakeholders within a construction project to be collaborative and share the responsibilities of workers' safety evenly. The concept supports the view that along with quality, programme and cost; safety is determined during the design stage. It increases the cost-effectiveness of enhancements to occupational safety and health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Donald Millar</span> American public health administrator

John Donald Millar was a physician and public health administrator who rose to prominence as the director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health from 1981 through 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Howard (NIOSH director)</span>

John Jackson Howard is an American physician, professor, and public health administrator who served a 6-year term as the director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and was appointed to be a special coordinator to respond to the health effects of the September 11 attacks. In this role, Howard advocated for rescue workers, introducing a program to provide screening, medical exams, and treatment for them. In 2009, Howard was again appointed as director of NIOSH and as World Trade Center Programs coordinator for HHS. In 2011, Howard became the Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program. In 2016, he became the first person to be appointed to a third 6-year term as NIOSH director, and was reappointed to a fourth term in 2021.

NIOSH Education and Research Centers are multidisciplinary centers supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for education and research in the field of occupational health. Through the centers, [NIOSH] supports academic degree programs, research, continuing education, and outreach. The ERCs, distributed in regions across the United States, establish academic, labor, and industry research partnerships. The research conducted at the centers is related to the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) established by NIOSH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Physical hazard</span> Hazard due to a physical agent

A physical hazard is an agent, factor or circumstance that can cause harm with contact. They can be classified as type of occupational hazard or environmental hazard. Physical hazards include ergonomic hazards, radiation, heat and cold stress, vibration hazards, and noise hazards. Engineering controls are often used to mitigate physical hazards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radiation dose reconstruction</span>

Radiation dose reconstruction refers to the process of estimating radiation doses that were received by individuals or populations in the past as a result of particular exposure situations of concern. The basic principle of radiation dose reconstruction is to characterize the radiation environment to which individuals have been exposed using available information. In cases where radiation exposures can not be fully characterized based on available data, default values based on reasonable scientific assumptions can be used as substitutes. The extent to which the default values are used depends on the purpose of the reconstruction(s) being undertaken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational safety and health</span> Field concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people at work

Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work. OSH is related to the fields of occupational medicine and occupational hygiene and aligns with workplace health promotion initiatives. OSH also protects all the general public who may be affected by the occupational environment.

Total Worker Health is a trademarked strategy defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. It was conceived and is funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Total Worker Health is tested and developed in six Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safe-in-Sound Award</span>

The Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award is an occupational health and safety award that was established in 2007 through a partnership between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA). In 2018, the partnership was extended to include the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mine safety</span> Practice of controlling mining hazards

Mine safety is a broad term referring to the practice of controlling and managing a wide range of hazards associated with the life cycle of mining-related activities. Mine safety practice involves the implementation of recognised hazard controls and/or reduction of risks associated with mining activities to legally, socially and morally acceptable levels. While the fundamental principle of mine safety is to remove health and safety risks to mine workers, mining safety practice may also focus on the reduction of risks to plant (machinery) together with the structure and orebody of the mine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational hearing loss</span> Form of hearing loss

Occupational hearing loss (OHL) is hearing loss that occurs as a result of occupational hazards, such as excessive noise and ototoxic chemicals. Noise is a common workplace hazard, and recognized as the risk factor for noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus but it is not the only risk factor that can result in a work-related hearing loss. Also, noise-induced hearing loss can result from exposures that are not restricted to the occupational setting.

An occupational infectious disease is an infectious disease that is contracted at the workplace. Biological hazards (biohazards) include infectious microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria and toxins produced by those organisms such as anthrax.

References

  1. ↑ National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Retrieved on 2008-08-10.
  2. 1 2 "From Washington to Westwood: New Dean Brings Her Public Health Vision to UCLA", UCLA School of Public Health Newsletter Volume 21, Number 1, Winter 2001.
  3. 1 2 Washam, Cynthia. "Working Toward a New NIOSH", Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 104, Number 5, May 1996. Retrieved on 2008-08-12
  4. ↑ Rosenstock, Linda. "Remarks of Dr. Linda Rosenstock, Howard-Fawcett award recipient", Chemical Health and Safety Volume 7, Issue 2, March-April 2000, pp. 7–9. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
  5. ↑ Nash, James. "John Howard Appointed New Director of NIOSH", Occupational Hazards, 2002-06-25. Retrieved on 2008-08-12.
  6. ↑ "Celebrating NORA, 1996–2006", National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Retrieved on 2008-08-10.
  7. 1 2 "About NORA". CDC. May 3, 2023. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023.
  8. ↑ Felknor, S; Williams, DF; Soderholm, SC (2017). "National Occupational Research Agenda: second decade in re-view" (PDF). NIOSH. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ "The Nation's Investment in Occupational Safety and Health Research", DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-118. Retrieved on 2008-08-12.
  10. ↑ "Sector Programs". CDC – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - National Occupational Research Agenda. August 13, 2013. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  11. ↑ "CDC – National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA): Sectors". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  12. ↑ "NORA Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Sector Council". CDC. May 12, 2023. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023.
  13. ↑ "NORA Construction Sector Council". CDC. May 3, 2023. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023.
  14. ↑ "NORA Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector Council". CDC. May 12, 2023. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023.
  15. ↑ "NORA Manufacturing Sector Council". CDC. May 23, 2022. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023.
  16. ↑ "NORA Mining Sector Council". CDC. March 28, 2018. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023.
  17. ↑ "NORA Oil and Gas Extraction Council". NORA. CDC. April 28, 2023. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Public Safety Sector Council". National Occupational Research Agenda. CDC. May 23, 2022. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023.
  19. ↑ "NORA Services Sector Council". CDC. March 28, 2018. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023.
  20. ↑ "NORA Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities Sector Council". CDC. March 28, 2018. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023.
  21. ↑ "NORA Wholesale and Retail Trade Sector Council". CDC. April 24, 2018. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023.
  22. ↑ "CDC - National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA): Cross-sectors". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  23. ↑ "CDC - NIOSH Publications and Products - NORA: The Team Document (2006-121)". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2006. doi: 10.26616/NIOSHPUB2006121 . Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  24. ↑ "National Occupational Research Agenda: Second Decade in Review | 2006–2016". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July 18, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  25. ↑ "NORA Symposium to Highlight Safety Research Partnerships", Occupational Health & Safety Magazine 2008-07-15. Retrieved on 2008-08-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.