XII. Environmental and Occupational Health

FY 2000 Performance Plan - Revised Final FY 1999 Performance Plan

Occupational Safety and Health

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in CDC, is charged with conducting a national program of biomedical research in occupational safety and health. The purpose of this program is to establish and disseminate scientific and public health information necessary to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for 127 million American working men and women. NIOSH's corps of multi-disciplinary teams comprising engineers, epidemiologists, industrial hygienists, physicians, and toxicologists perform five basic public health functions to improve the safety and health of workers: (1) determines the nature and extent of the occurrence and causes of work injuries and diseases to target research and prevention activities; (2) detects and investigates workplace health and safety problems, identifying their causes and effects; (3) conducts studies and demonstrations to identify effective engineering solutions, personal protective equipment, work organization and practices, and health communications strategies to prevent work injuries and diseases; (4) develops and disseminates recommendations for assuring the safety and health of workers; and (5) provides leadership and training in occupational safety and health, establishing national research agendas to leverage the impact of government and private sector resources, and training professionals and scientists.

In 1996, NIOSH and the occupational safety and health community developed the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). More than 500 organizations and individuals outside NIOSH provided input into the development of the Agenda. This attempt to guide and coordinate research nationally is responsive to a broadly perceived need to systematically address those topics that are most pressing and most likely to yield gains to the worker and the nation. The following four performance objectives provides a STRONGfoundation from which to implement NORA and assure progress in improving worker safety and preventing occupational disease, injury and disability.

The performance objectives systematically provide leadership and the creation of systems, guidelines, and interventions that will lead to the ultimate goal of reducing worker disease, injury, and disability. These are innovative and challenging objectives that when accomplished will result in heightened support for occupational safety research, increased awareness of worker safety, and ultimately in a decrease in occupational disease and injury. These objectives motivate and stimulate research and interventions in occupational safety and health through investments in research, the development of a national surveillance system for occupational disease and injury, assessments and application of recommended interventions, and broad-based communication efforts. NIOSH began in FY 1998 to foster and support NORA. Many of the immediate performance measures will provide a frame of reference, capacity assessment, and baseline information before appropriate disease- and injury-specific measures can be developed.

Performance Goals and Measures

Performance Goal: Conduct a targeted program of research to reduce morbidity, injuries, and mortality among workers in high priority areas and high-risk sectors.

Performance Measures:

FY Baseline	FY 1999 Appropriated	FY 2000 Estimate
To be determined.	Current levels of NIOSH and other federal agencies' intramural and extramural research funding in NORA areas will be determined as a baseline and annual increases will be calculated.	In FY 2000, annual increases in funding of other federal agencies will be demonstrated.
To be determined.	A protocol on the use of biblio metrics and other research proxy measures to evaluate the level of research in the occupational safety and health community of NORA and other targeted research will be developed.	In FY 2000, baseline bibliometric amounts for all NORA areas will be completed.

Validation/Verification of Performance Measures: This information will be reported through the Project Planning System of the CDC Integrated Resources Information System (IRIS). A team of NIOSH's senior scientists will review all data reported for accuracy.

Performance Goal: Ensure safe and healthful working conditions by developing a system for surveillance for major occupational illnesses, injuries, exposures, and health hazards.

Performance Measure:

FY Baseline	FY 1999 Appropriated	FY 2000 Estimate
N/A	Undertake a comprehensive surveillance planning process with NIOSH partners at the State and Federal levels to establish surveillance priorities and define roles for various agencies.	In FY 2000, a comprehensive surveillance planning process will be completed and efforts will begin in implementing recommendations for NIOSH.
N/A	Collect, analyze, and disseminate information on the distribution of occupational illnesses, injuries, exposures, and health hazards to target and evaluate intervention and prevention effectiveness.	In FY 2000, NIOSH will collect, analyze, and disseminate information on selected occupational illnesses and health hazards.1

¹ This project is in progress and results will be produced in stages. The first results available are outlined in FY 2000.

Validation/Verification of Performance Measures: This information will be reported through the Project Planning System of the CDC Integrated Resources Information System (IRIS). A team of NIOSH's senior scientists will review all data reported for accuracy.

Performance Goal: Promote safe and healthful working conditions by increasing occupational disease and injury prevention activities through workplace evaluations, interventions, and NIOSH recommendations.

Performance Measures:

FY Baseline	FY 1999 Appropriated	FY 2000 Estimate
N/A (Survey results will be available in late FY 2000 and final reports, including analysis will be available in FT 2001).	By working with the occupational safety and health community, develop a system for assessing, determining a baseline amount, and increasing the extent to which NIOSH recommendations are utilized by employers, workers, and government agencies at both the work site and industry-wide standard setting levels.	NIOSH will begin conducting an evaluation of the extent to which recommendations are being implemented.
N/A (Assuming expected progress, data will be available in September, FY 2000).	Implement targeted evaluation of the effectiveness of a prevention program (i.e. latex allergy, agriculture-related injuries to children) by tracking prevalence and level of exposure and behavior before and after intervention/ prevention program.	NIOSH will complete evaluation of effectiveness targeted prevention programs and develop lessons for other similar efforts.

Validation/Verification of Performance Measures: Data will be obtained from surveys conducted using a representative sample of the occupational safety and health community and an evaluation study reports for targeted intervention programs.

Performance Goal: Foster safe and healthful working conditions by providing workers, employers, the public, and the occupational safety and health community with information, training, and capacity to prevent occupational diseases and injuries.

Performance Measures:

FY Baseline	FY 1999 Appropriated	FY 2000 Estimate
N/A	A review of the most widely distributed existing and new training materials will be conducted to ensure that they are written in plain language and are designed for the intended user.	Complete a review of a sample of new and existing documents, training materials and communication efforts and begin implementation of findings.
N/A	Two model information dissemination and training programs for key target hazards or populations (i.e., silicosis) will be designed and implemented.	Complete model information dissemination and training programs and develop lessons for other similar efforts.
Total Program Funding	$200,000	$211,849

Validation/Verification of Performance Measures: Data will be obtained from internal reviews.

Links to DHHS Strategic Plan

These performance measures are related to DHHS Goal 1: Reduce major threats to the health and productivity of all Americans, Goal 5: Improve public health systems, and Goal 6: Strengthen the Nation's health sciences research enterprise and enhance its productivity.

Additional Linkage

CDC and ATSDR coordinate activities in the area of environmental health. CDC's National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) is responsible for providing leadership in the prevention and control of disease, birth defects, disability and death resulting from interactions between people and their environments. The mission of CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is to ensure that Americans are safe and healthy at work. By contrast, the focus of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is on the prevention of exposure and adverse human health effects associated with exposure to hazardous substances from waste sites, unplanned releases, and other sources of pollution present in the environment.

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