NIOSH Program Portfolio : Healthcare and Social Assistance : Program Description

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Healthcare and Social Assistance

Program Description

The HCSA sector program covers healthcare and social assistance (NAICS 62, except ambulance services, NAICS 62191, which is covered by the NORA Public Safety industry sector) and veterinary services (NAICS 54194). Industries included in the NIOSH HCSA Sector Program are arranged on a continuum starting with those providing medical care exclusively, continuing with those providing healthcare and social assistance, and finally finishing with those providing only social assistance plus those providing veterinary services. The services in this sector are delivered by trained professionals. All industries in the sector share this commonality of process, namely, labor inputs of health practitioners or social workers with the requisite expertise. Many of the industries in the sector are defined based on the educational degree held by the practitioners included in the industry.

The mission of the NIOSH HCSA research program is to eliminate occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among workers in these industries through a focused program of research and prevention. The program strives to fulfill its mission through the following methods:

High-Quality Research: NIOSH will continually strive for high quality research and prevention activities that will lead to reductions in occupational injuries and illnesses among workers covered by the NIOSH program for the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector.
Practical Solutions: The NIOSH program for the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector is committed to the development of practical solutions to the complex problems that cause occupational diseases, injuries, and fatalities among workers in this sector. One source of practical recommendations is the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) program. NIOSH conducts HHEs at individual worksites to find out whether there are health hazards to employees caused by exposures or conditions in the workplace.
Partnerships: Collaborative efforts in partnership with labor, industry, government, and other stakeholders are usually the best means of achieving successful outcomes. Fostering these partnerships is a cornerstone of the NIOSH program for the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector.
Research to Practice: We believe that our research only realizes its true value when put into practice. Every research project within the NIOSH program for the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector formulates a strategy to promote the transfer and translation of research findings into prevention practices and products that will be adopted in the workplace.

We apply these important methods both to intramural research that is conducted within NIOSH and to extramural research that is funded by NIOSH but conducted by others. Our priorities are guided by our core mission and by considerations such as surveillance data and stakeholder input that document the need for research. To assure high quality, our projects are subjected to rigorous scientific peer review. To assure coordination, we actively communicate across organizational lines and with our extramural partners. In all our efforts, we seek to optimize the quality, relevance, and impact of NIOSH-funded activities in the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector program.

Healthcare (NAICS 621 Ambulatory Health Care Services, 622 Hospitals, 623 Nursing and Residential Care Facilities) has always been an important priority area for NIOSH. Together with the rest of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NIOSH has worked to prevent occupational transmission of infectious diseases to healthcare personnel. Especially since the advent of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic in the late 1980s, prevention of needlestick injuries and transmission of bloodborne pathogens has been a key priority. Encouraging adoption of engineering controls, such as needleless and safe needle systems has been a major focus, as has been vaccination against Hepatitis B. NIOSH has also worked together with the rest of CDC to develop multidisciplinary guidelines to prevent airborne transmission of diseases such as tuberculosis (TB). NIOSH has worked to prevent back and other musculoskeletal injuries, another important problem of the HCSA sector. Stress and fatigue associated with organization of work has been an important priority, as has been the elimination of violence in the workplace. Reducing hazardous chemical exposures, such as to chemotherapeutic and anesthetic agents, has also been an important concern. Reductions in incidence of latex allergy have been an important achievement.

Social assistance (NAICS 624) experiences many of the same health and safety concerns found in healthcare, including workplace violence, stress, and physical demands which lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Social workers and counselors are particularly vulnerable to violence and stress. MSDs are common among vocational rehabilitation service workers and child care workers.

Veterinary services (NAICS 54194) also share some of the same occupational safety and health concerns found in healthcare in addition to other health and safety hazards including transmission of zoonotic diseases, injuries associated with assaults by animals (bites, kicked by, crushed by), musculoskeletal injuries including strains and back injuries, potential reproductive hazards associated with use of diagnostic radiographic equipment, anesthetic gases and hazardous drugs, physicals hazards including noise and heat and cold stress. Inclusion of goals in the HCSA research agenda focus on promoting a positive safety culture and use of best practices within veterinary medicine and animal care establishments with the ultimate goal of preventing occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities. These goals focus on hazards faced by veterinary medicine and animal care personnel in this industry and in many other types of establishments in which they work, for example, zoos, nature parks, and settings offering a variety of pet care.

Page last updated: February 23, 2012
Page last reviewed: February 23, 2012
Content Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Division of Respiratory Disease Studies

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Healthcare and Social Assistance

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	NIOSH Programs > Healthcare and Social Assistance > Program Description Healthcare and Social Assistance Program Description The HCSA sector program covers healthcare and social assistance (NAICS 62, except ambulance services, NAICS 62191, which is covered by the NORA Public Safety industry sector) and veterinary services (NAICS 54194). Industries included in the NIOSH HCSA Sector Program are arranged on a continuum starting with those providing medical care exclusively, continuing with those providing healthcare and social assistance, and finally finishing with those providing only social assistance plus those providing veterinary services. The services in this sector are delivered by trained professionals. All industries in the sector share this commonality of process, namely, labor inputs of health practitioners or social workers with the requisite expertise. Many of the industries in the sector are defined based on the educational degree held by the practitioners included in the industry. The mission of the NIOSH HCSA research program is to eliminate occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among workers in these industries through a focused program of research and prevention. The program strives to fulfill its mission through the following methods: High-Quality Research: NIOSH will continually strive for high quality research and prevention activities that will lead to reductions in occupational injuries and illnesses among workers covered by the NIOSH program for the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector. Practical Solutions: The NIOSH program for the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector is committed to the development of practical solutions to the complex problems that cause occupational diseases, injuries, and fatalities among workers in this sector. One source of practical recommendations is the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) program. NIOSH conducts HHEs at individual worksites to find out whether there are health hazards to employees caused by exposures or conditions in the workplace. Partnerships: Collaborative efforts in partnership with labor, industry, government, and other stakeholders are usually the best means of achieving successful outcomes. Fostering these partnerships is a cornerstone of the NIOSH program for the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector. Research to Practice: We believe that our research only realizes its true value when put into practice. Every research project within the NIOSH program for the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector formulates a strategy to promote the transfer and translation of research findings into prevention practices and products that will be adopted in the workplace. We apply these important methods both to intramural research that is conducted within NIOSH and to extramural research that is funded by NIOSH but conducted by others. Our priorities are guided by our core mission and by considerations such as surveillance data and stakeholder input that document the need for research. To assure high quality, our projects are subjected to rigorous scientific peer review. To assure coordination, we actively communicate across organizational lines and with our extramural partners. In all our efforts, we seek to optimize the quality, relevance, and impact of NIOSH-funded activities in the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector program. Healthcare (NAICS 621 Ambulatory Health Care Services, 622 Hospitals, 623 Nursing and Residential Care Facilities) has always been an important priority area for NIOSH. Together with the rest of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NIOSH has worked to prevent occupational transmission of infectious diseases to healthcare personnel. Especially since the advent of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic in the late 1980s, prevention of needlestick injuries and transmission of bloodborne pathogens has been a key priority. Encouraging adoption of engineering controls, such as needleless and safe needle systems has been a major focus, as has been vaccination against Hepatitis B. NIOSH has also worked together with the rest of CDC to develop multidisciplinary guidelines to prevent airborne transmission of diseases such as tuberculosis (TB). NIOSH has worked to prevent back and other musculoskeletal injuries, another important problem of the HCSA sector. Stress and fatigue associated with organization of work has been an important priority, as has been the elimination of violence in the workplace. Reducing hazardous chemical exposures, such as to chemotherapeutic and anesthetic agents, has also been an important concern. Reductions in incidence of latex allergy have been an important achievement. Social assistance (NAICS 624) experiences many of the same health and safety concerns found in healthcare, including workplace violence, stress, and physical demands which lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Social workers and counselors are particularly vulnerable to violence and stress. MSDs are common among vocational rehabilitation service workers and child care workers. Veterinary services (NAICS 54194) also share some of the same occupational safety and health concerns found in healthcare in addition to other health and safety hazards including transmission of zoonotic diseases, injuries associated with assaults by animals (bites, kicked by, crushed by), musculoskeletal injuries including strains and back injuries, potential reproductive hazards associated with use of diagnostic radiographic equipment, anesthetic gases and hazardous drugs, physicals hazards including noise and heat and cold stress. Inclusion of goals in the HCSA research agenda focus on promoting a positive safety culture and use of best practices within veterinary medicine and animal care establishments with the ultimate goal of preventing occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities. These goals focus on hazards faced by veterinary medicine and animal care personnel in this industry and in many other types of establishments in which they work, for example, zoos, nature parks, and settings offering a variety of pet care. Page last updated: February 23, 2012 Page last reviewed: February 23, 2012 Content Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Division of Respiratory Disease Studies Program Description \| Sector Description >				NIOSH Program: Healthcare and Social Assistance Program Description Inputs Sector Description Economic Factors Occupational Risks National Research Agenda (NORA) NIOSH Strategic Goals Emerging Issues Partners NIOSH Contacts Activities NIOSH Research Projects NIOSH Funded Research Grants Outputs Publications Topic Pages Products Research to Practice Conferences Outcomes
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