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Best Practices in Workplace Surveillance

A Multi-Component Model for Effective Special Topic Surveys
The Example of the Survey of Respirator Use and Practices

Kelley Frampton and Sylvia Fisher

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Office of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is conducting a survey of private U.S. establishments on respirator use and practices for the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) Respirator Program. This project allowed BLS to test an operational model to conduct special purpose surveys. This presentation describes a systematic approach to developing special topic surveys.

The first goal of the model was to identify the survey sponsor's purpose and goals for the survey. Specifically, NIOSH wanted to learn about the prevalence of respirator use in U.S. industries, as well as typical respirator practices in the workplace. BLS and the survey sponsor delineated project tasks, which ranged from instrument development to final production, analysis of results, and ending with final publication of results. The model emphasized management and oversight of explicitly defined tasks, which are distinguished by whether they involved internal (BLS), external (non-BLS), and joint (BLS and non-BLS) activities:

• COMPONENT I - INTERNAL INSTRUMENT DESIGN: instrument design, pre-testing (including cognitive and field-testing), forms production.
• COMPONENT II - CREATING INTERNAL SYSTEMS: sample design, internal systems (creation of survey editing and estimation systems).
• COMPONENT III - MANAGING STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS: managing relations with external bodies, including survey sponsor, sub-contractors, external reviewers, and OMB.
• COMPONENT IV - MANAGING EXTERNAL DATA COLLECTION: managing data collection activities including non-response follow-up and data entry.
• COMPONENT V - INTERNAL DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYIS: editing and refining collected data, follow-up activities, data estimation, and data analytic procedures.
• COMPONENT VI - JOINT PUBLICATIONS: publication of results in several venues.

We will document procedures conducted, impediments encountered, areas where improvements can be made, and lessons learned that have implications for the future development of special topic surveys.

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NOTE: This document is provided for historical purposes only.