NIOSH

NIOSH Board of Scientific Counselors

Charter

New Guidance: Approved January 31, 2011

Purpose

The Secretary, the Assistant Secretary for Health, and by delegation the Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are authorized under Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. Sections, 241 and 242m); and the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health pursuant to Sections 20 and 21 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. Sections 669 and 670); and Sections 427 and 501 of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Amendments Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. Sections 937 and 951), to conduct directly or by grants or contracts, research, experiments, and demonstrations relating to occupational safety and health and to mine health.

Authority

42 U.S.C. 217a (Section 222 of the Public Health Service Act). The Board is governed by the provisions of Public Law 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2), which sets forth standards for the formation and use of advisory committees.

Function

The Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, shall provide advice to the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, on National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health research and prevention programs. Specifically, the Board shall provide guidance on the Institute's research activities related to developing and evaluating hypotheses, systematically documenting findings, and disseminating results. The Board shall evaluate the degree to which the activities of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: (1) conform to those standards of scientific excellence appropriate for Federal scientific institutions in accomplishing objectives in occupational safety and health; (2) address currently relevant needs in the fields of occupational safety and health either alone or in conjunction with other known activities inside and outside of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; and (3) produce their intended results in addressing important research questions in occupational safety and health, both in terms of applicability of the research findings and dissemination of the findings.

Structure

The Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, shall consist of 15 members, including the Chair. Members and the Chair shall be selected by the Secretary, or designee, from authorities knowledgeable in the pertinent disciplines involved in occupational safety and health, such as occupational medicine, occupational nursing, industrial hygiene, occupational safety and engineering, toxicology, chemistry, safety and health education, ergonomics, epidemiology, biostatistics, and psychology. Of the appointed members, four may be representatives of industry and labor who are knowledgeable in occupational safety and health research and dissemination of scientific research findings.

Members shall be invited to serve for overlapping terms up to 4 years; terms of more than 2 years are contingent upon the renewal of the Board by appropriate action prior to its termination. Members shall serve after the expiration of their term until their successors have taken office.

Subcommittees composed of members of the parent committee may be established from time to time. The Department Committee Management Officer will be notified upon establishment of each subcommittee, and will be provided information on its name, membership, function, and estimated frequency of meetings.

Management and support services shall be provided by the Office of the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meetings

Meetings shall be held approximately two times per year at the call of the Chair with the advance approval of a government official, who shall also approve the agenda. A government official shall be present at all meetings.

Meetings shall be open to the public except as determined otherwise by the Secretary, HHS, or other official to whom the authority has been delegated; notice of all meetings shall be given to the public.

Meetings shall be conducted, and records of the proceedings kept, as required by applicable laws and Departmental regulations.

Compensation

Members who are not full-time Federal employees shall be paid at the rate of $250 per day, plus per diem and travel expenses in accordance with Standard Government Travel Regulations.

Annual Cost Estimates

Estimated annual cost for operating the Board, including compensation and travel expenses for members, but excluding staff support, is $39,807. Estimate of annual person-years of staff support required is .30, at an estimated annual cost of $31,696.

Reports

In the event a portion of a meeting is closed to the public, a report shall be prepared annually, which shall contain, at a minimum, a list of members and their business addresses; the Board's function, dates and places of meetings; and a summary of Board activities and recommendations made during the fiscal year. A copy of the report shall be provided to the Department Committee Management Officer.

Termination Date

Unless renewed by appropriate action prior to its expiration, the Board of Scientific Counselors, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, will terminate on February 3, 2005.