National Academies: NIOSH Research Review

September 27 2007

Safety and Health

To do this, the NA has established a framework committee of eminent scientists. The framework committee is chaired by David Wegman, MD, of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Biographies of Dr. Wegman and the other 14 members of the framework committee are available at the NA website.

The framework committee met for the first time on May 5-6, 2005 in Washington. They set the standards and methods to be applied by specialty panels for each NIOSH research program evaluated. Up to fifteen programs will be evaluated by this framework, and the framework committee will advise all NA evaluation committees. Reports from each review will include a qualitative and a quantitative component. NIOSH has asked the evaluation committees to rate the research programs quantitatively on a scale of 1 to 5.

The review of the NIOSH Construction Research Program is what TAUC Safety and Health Committee Chairman Bill Hering of S.M. Electric was involved with on Wednesday, September 26, 2007.

Each evaluation committee will review the program’s impact, relevance, and future directions. The evaluation committee will evaluate not only what the NIOSH research program is producing, but will also determine whether it is appropriate to credit NIOSH research with changes in workplace practices, hazardous exposures, and/or occupational illnesses and injuries, or whether the changes are the result of other factors unrelated to NIOSH.

The program reviews focused on evaluating the program’s impact and relevance to health and safety issues in the workplace and make recommendations for improvement. In conducting the review, the evaluation committee will address the following elements:

1. Assessment of the program’s contribution through occupational safety and health research to reductions in workplace hazardous exposures, illnesses, or injuries through:

a. an assessment of the relevance of the program’s activities to the improvement of occupational safety and health, and

b. an evaluation of the impact that the program’s research has had in reducing work-related hazardous exposures, illnesses, and injuries.

The evaluation committee will rate the performance of the program for its relevance and impact using an integer score of 1 to 5. Impact may be assessed directly (e.g., reductions in illnesses or injuries) or, as necessary, using intermediate outcomes to estimate impact. Qualitative narrative evaluations should be included to explain the numerical ratings.

2. Assessment of the program’s effectiveness in targeting new research areas and identifying emerging issues in occupational safety and health most relevant to future improvements in workplace protection. The committee will provide a qualitative narrative assessment of the program’s efforts and suggestions about emerging issues that the program should be prepared to address.

This project is sponsored by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

The approximate start date for the project is June 1, 2007.

A report will be issued at the end of the project in approximately 11 months.

To find out more visit http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=48822

TAUC is constantly working to advance and enhance the union construction industry in any way available to us, and working strategically with other organizations to accomplish this is vital to our success.

If you are interested in joining TAUC as a member please contact Mike Dorsey, Manager of Membership at mdorsey@tauc.org or (703) 524-3336 ext. 122.

If you are currently a TAUC member and would like to participate on the TAUC Safety and Health Committee please contact Todd Mustard, Executive Director of Association Services at tmustard@tauc.org or (703) 524-3336 ext. 112.