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Risk assessment activities at NIOSH: information resources and need.

Stayner LT; Meinhardt T; Hardin B

Access and Use of Information Resources in Assessing Health Risks from Chemical Exposure, June 27-29, 1990, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Oak Ridge, TN: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1993 Jun; :123-127

00232428

Risk assessment activities being conducted at NIOSH were discussed. NIOSH views quantitative risk assessment as an important component of the recommended occupational health standard development process. NIOSH was charged by OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration to recommend occupational safety and health standards and conduct research to support development of the recommended standards. Much of the data generated by NIOSH research activities in response to these mandates is relevant to risk assessment as they generally focus on one of the components of the risk assessment process: hazard detection or identification, exposure assessment, dose response assessment, or risk characterization. The structure and functions of NIOSH and their relevance to performing risk assessments were considered. At NIOSH, the Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field Study, the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, and the Division of Safety Research (DSR) have the responsibility for performing major surveillance and epidemiological studies. The Division of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences participates in these studies by assisting with biological monitoring and developing and applying improved techniques for characterizing other potentially useful biological markers of exposure or effect. DSR also conducts worksite investigations of selected traumatic occupational fatalities. The Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering conducts health hazard evaluations in any workplace when requested by an employer, employee representative, or a group of three or more employees. The Division of Training and Manpower Development involves itself in activities related to training professionals in occupational health and safety. The Division of Standards Development and Technology Transfer (DSDTT) has the responsibility for producing NIOSH policy recommendations and regulatory responses when required. Most of the divisions maintain databases. DSDTT maintains three: RTECS, a registry of more than 100,000 toxic chemicals; NIOSHTIC, an online bibliographic system containing more than 160,000 abstracts; and the Document Information Directory System, a directory of NIOSH generated publications and reports.

Information-systems; Risk-analysis; Health-standards; Epidemiology; Industrial-safety; Occupational-health; Surveillance-programs; Biological-monitoring

19930601

Conference/Symposia Proceedings

1993

DBBS; DPSE; DRDS; DSDTT; DSHEFS

Access and Use of Information Resources in Assessing Health Risks from Chemical Exposure, June 27-29, 1990, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

TN; OH; WV