NORA Services Sector Council

The National Occupational Research Agenda for Services is intended to identify the knowledge and actions most urgently needed to identify occupational risk factors to prevent avoidable adverse health outcomes among workers. This Agenda provides a vehicle for interested parties to describe the most relevant issues, research gaps, and safety and health needs for the Services sector. It is meant to be broader than any one agency or organization.

Jobs in the Services sector are highly diverse. Work environments in the Services industries include offices, hotel rooms, outdoor and indoor entertainment facilities, restaurant kitchens, classrooms, automotive garages, public roads, and private households. This diversity means that an extraordinarily large variety of occupational hazards potentially affect the health and safety of these workers.

This version of the research agenda for the third decade of NORA is based in part on: the second decade NORA National Services Agenda; NIOSH surveillance on the Services sector; current information from the scientific literature; expertise, experience, and discussion within and among the Services Sector Council members. The final version incorporated input from the general public received via responses to a request for comments posted in the Federal Register.

Objective 1: Reduce the incidence and severity of traumatic injuries in the Services sector

Objective 2: Develop, test and disseminate intervention programs for musculoskeletal disorders

Objective 3: Reduce injuries and illnesses among contingent workers

Objective 4: Reduce incidence of chronic disease among Services sector workers

Objective 5: Reduce hearing loss among Services sector workers