INFORMATION
Health Communication Offices
Occupational safety and health information translation and dissemination occurs primarily through the Office of Health Communication, located in Washington, DC, and the Education and Information Division in Cincinnati, Ohio. A third branch, focusing on health communication research, is part of the Health Effects Laboratory Division in Morgantown, West Virginia, which opened in October 1996. Health communication activities at NIOSH ensure optimal translation of science and dissemination to prevention partners.
Publications
During FY 1997, NIOSH was involved in numerous activities relating to the dissemination of occupational safety and health information. These activities included the publication of four technical documents, 11 Hazard Controls, one Hazard Identification document, and three Alerts. In addition to these NIOSH documents, NIOSH scientists published nearly 300 journal articles and 125 book chapters and proceedings in the scientific literature. For a complete listing of NIOSH publications, please refer to the NIOSH home page (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh).
CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR)
CDC publishes new and emerging public health findings weekly in the MMWR which is distributed to the general public health community, particularly those in state and local health departments. During FY 1997, NIOSH published the following in MMWR: 13 articles on topics including lung diseases and agriculture-related injuries; four quarterly reports of adult blood lead levels; a reprint of an article on occupational liver cancer; a surveillance summary on silicosis; and an announcement of available surveillance information from the NIOSH Report on Work-Related Lung Diseases.
Heavy Demand for Documents Addressing Musculoskeletal Disorders
NIOSH developed two documents in FY 1997 to further the science and understanding of the relationship between work and musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace: A Critical Review of Epidemiological Evidence for Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Neck, Upper Extremity, and Low Back establishes the scientific basis for the association between known risk factors in the workplace and musculoskeletal disorders. The second document, Elements of Ergonomic Programs: A Primer Based on Workplace Evaluations of Musculoskeletal Disorders gives practical solutions for controlling musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace. Approximately 20,000 copies of this document were requested by occupational safety and health professionals and the labor and business communities.
Worker-Friendly NIOSH Educational Documents
NIOSH scientists and health communication specialists collaborated to produce several non-technical, easy-to-read pamphlets for distribution to workers. The educational document, Plain Language About Shiftwork, was developed to provide general information on safety and health problems associated with shiftwork and demanding work schedules. Written in plain language, the document defines shiftwork and describes occupations that use shift schedules. A second document, Alternative Keyboards, assists people interested in purchasing keyboards of differing design. It provides information about common alternative keyboard designs and their effect on work posture. Finally, Reduce Contamination at Home, is a document designed to address the potential problem of workers unknowingly carrying hazardous substances into the home from work on their clothes, bodies, tools, and other items.
Increased Use of NIOSH 800-Number Service
The NIOSH toll-free 800-number is a service that provides technical assistance to workers, employers, and safety and health professionals. No comparable service exists in the U.S. The 800-number served more than 97,000 callers during FY 1997 (approximately 266 calls per day), a 16% increase over FY 1996. In addition, more than 21,000 fax documents were transmitted to callers by the automated fax-on-demand function of the 800-number, a 50% increase over FY 1996. The states with the greatest number of calls included: California, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois, and Florida respectively. These states accounted for more than 40% of all calls. The most frequently requested information was related to: chemicals and solvents, ergonomics, respirators and respiratory effects, sampling and analytical methods, and NIOSH databases. Call: 1-800-35-NIOSH (64674)
NIOSH 800-Number Saves Lives
In January 1997, a safety manager at a liquid bulk storage terminal in South Carolina called the NIOSH 800-number to confirm that organic vapor respirators were adequate to protect his workers from exposures to hydrogen sulfide. A NIOSH expert warned the safety manager that these types of respirators were not sufficient and that exposures could be lethal. Checking with the safety manager the following day, NIOSH staff found that in place of workers, a remote-operated video was used to complete the task. Had NIOSH not been consulted, workers might have died.
NIOSH Home Page
The NIOSH Home Page provides public access to NIOSH research and documents and provides links to other occupational safety and health home pages. The Home Page contains the full text of NIOSH Alerts, criteria documents, current intelligence bulletins, hazard controls, updates, and other NIOSH publications. Also included is information regarding the National Occupational Research Agenda, upcoming NIOSH meetings and events, NIOSH grants activities, training opportunities, the NIOSH state profiles, and the NIOSH Strategic Plan. Presently, more than 7,000 pages of information are available on the NIOSH Home Page (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh).
NIOSH Documents Available on CD-ROM
NIOSH generated three major CD-ROM products during FY 1997. The NIOSH Criteria Documents Plus CD-ROM contains the full text of all NIOSH criteria documents, Alerts, and current intelligence bulletins in a searchable format. The second CD-ROM product, Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) CD-ROM, contains the full text of 505 HHE formal final reports completed between 1990-1996. The third CD-ROM product, the 1997 Edition of the National Ag Safety Disc (NASD), contains a collection of more than 2,300 agricultural health and safety publications, video abstracts, slides, safety training modules, posters, and regulatory information from state, federal, and national organizations.
Training Activities
The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires NIOSH to assure that an adequate supply of qualified personnel are available to carry out the mandates of the Act. Since 1971, NIOSH training programs have provided support for the majority of occupational safety and health professionals trained in the U.S. Much of the training that NIOSH provides takes place in universities throughout the country and is administered via 15 Education and Research Centers and 40 Training Project Grants. This program, modest compared to other health professional training programs, is invaluable because it enables universities to provide occupational safety and health training to health professionals.
Education and Research Centers (ERCs)
Currently NIOSH provides partial funding for university programs at 15 ERCs in 14 states with a total budget of $9.2 million. These centers provide training and other resources for professionals in industry, labor, government, and academia. The number of graduate students enrolled in ERCs during the 1995-96 school year (the latest year for which data are available) was 1,099 and the number of academic graduates was 376 for the same school year. In FY 1997, NIOSH added a new Center at the College of Public Health, University of South Florida at Tampa, to serve the Southeast region of the country. Like other ERCs it will also provide research training and continuing education. In addition to outreach in their regions, the ERCs trained 37,000 students in continuing education programs. The Office of the Inspector General reviewed the NIOSH ERC program and found that 82% of the individuals trained went on to pursue careers in occupational safety and health.
Training Project Grants (TPGs)
NIOSH training project grants (TPGs) are grants awarded to universities in 26 states to fund projects and project activities in the area of occupational safety and health. In FY 1997, NIOSH spent $2.8 million on 38 single-discipline TPGs that provide training in occupational medicine and nursing, safety engineering, industrial hygiene, marine safety, construction safety, physician assistance, health promotion, and ergonomics, and two lead based paint abatement projects. In the academic year 1995-96, NIOSH-supported programs graduated 360 occupational safety and health professionals and provided training for 1,512 students.
Vocational Education Safety and Health Training Curricula
In FY 1997, NIOSH hosted two meetings of national vocational educators and occupational safety and health professionals to solicit input for NIOSH's vocational education safety and health initiative. This initiative is a large-scale effort to incorporate occupational safety and health information into the nation's vocational education system. As part of the initiative, training modules pertinent to occupational safety and health practices for vocational education are being developed. These modules are being completed through agreements with universities and vocational educational associations.
NIOSH sponsored two $1,000 awards for high schools participating in an Occupational Safety and Health Skills Competition at the 1997 Annual Skill U.S.A. Championships of the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America. The awards were presented to the top two schools submitting projects in the area of occupational safety and health.
CAPACITY BUILDING
Helping Flood Victims
The flooding of the Ohio River in March 1997 caused extensive damage and loss in Ohio and northern Kentucky. Researchers from NIOSH were dispatched to Lexington, Kentucky, to work with Kentucky State health officials and ensure the safety of workers involved with the rescue, clean-up, and reconstruction operations. As part of this effort, NIOSH staff worked closely with state health departments and the regional Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In addition, approximately 20,000 copies of the NIOSH Flood Update were distributed to sheriff's offices, fire departments, health departments, and local and county government offices in areas affected by the flooding. By creating a front page spotlight item (icon above) for the hazards associated with flood clean-up work, the NIOSH Home Page significantly increased its national visibility. The NIOSH Home Page became a hotlink to several other emergency information websites, including FEMA, the American Red Cross, and OSHA.
Preventing Take-Home-Toxins
The Health Effects Laboratory Division led a creative health information outreach project at a machining plant in Alabama designed to protect employees and their families from exposure to beryllium dust. Workers can unknowingly transfer occupational toxins to their homes and family members if practical safeguards are not followed. Using customized presentations and materials designed in a user-friendly format, the importance of safeguards in preventing the unintentional contamination of workers' cars and homes with beryllium dust was emphasized.
Occupational Safety and Health in Mining Communities
Both the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (PRL) and the Spokane Research Laboratory (SRL) participated in educational and community functions to teach members of the community about mine safety and health issues in FY 1997. The Silver Kid Mine at SRL is a mock-up demonstration mine used to educate children about the importance of mining, the dangers associated with mining and milling processes and the dangers associated with entering abandoned mines. While touring the Silver Kid, children are given the opportunity to wear and handle mine safety equipment, such as safety glasses, hard hats, self-rescuers, mine lamps, and steel-toed boots. Each year the PRL holds an open house for individuals interested in mine safety and health. Typically, 1000 to 2000 people attend. Additionally, the experimental mines at PRL are popular sites for school field trips.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) continues to be committed to reducing work-related disease, injury, and death. In FY 1997, the Institute's research programs resulted in significant research findings, development of new technology, and the issuance of recommendations to increase the prevention of occupational disease and injury. Through the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), NIOSH continues to foster partnerships with the occupational safety and health broader research community, public and private. The partnerships augment resources available for funding research in relevant NORA priority areas.
Detailed information about all of NIOSH's research programs and projects is available through the Institute's toll free number: 1-800-35NIOSH (1-800-356-4674) or by visiting the NIOSH web site at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh.
