Top Construction Problems and the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) to address them

1
Top Construction Problems and the National
Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) to address
them

• Matt Gillen, MS, CIH
• NIOSH/CDC
• NIOSH Construction Program
• Coordinator

ICOH International Scientific Committee in the
Construction Industry April 25, Washington, DC
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Overview

• NIOSH and NORA
• Utility of Strategic Goals
• Methodology Highlights
• Resulting Draft goals
• Suggestions for
• International collaboration?
• Disclaimer The findings and conclusions in this
  presentation
• have not been formally disseminated by the
  National Institute
• for Occupational Safety and Health and should not
  be
• construed to represent any agency determination
  or policy

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NIOSH role in the U.S. Occupational Safety and
Health Framework
3
Research and Prevention Recommendations
Regulation/Enforcement
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Department of Labor (DOL)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSH
A)
National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH)
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First decade of NORA 1996-2006(National
Occupational Research Agenda)
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• NIOSH-supported national partnership
• Defined research priorities
• Expanded resources and effort on the priority
  topics
• 21 Research Priorities
• 8 on Disease and Injury
• 5 on Work Environment and Workforce
• 8 on Research tools and Approaches

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Second Decade of NORA 2006-2016
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• Why reorient NORA around sectors?
• Research increasingly being judged by impact
• Moving research into practice through
• partnerships is key to making an impact
• Industry and employee group partners
• are organized by sector

Making An Impact !
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Utility of Strategic Goals and a National
Construction Agenda ?

• Vehicle for
• Stakeholder input on the most relevant problems
• Encouraging and fostering sector-wide
  partnerships and activities on a manageable
  subset of important issues
• Steering research towards cohesive relevant topic
  areas

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Overview of process
Stakeholder NORA Comments
NORA Sector Council Member Input
Surveillance and research findings
Sector Council Discussions to identify Top 10
Problems and issues
10 workgroups convert problem topics into Draft
Goals
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NORA Construction Sector Council Categories
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Criteria for looking at potential topics

• What evidence supports this as a top problem?
• Who is affected? (what trades or industry
  divisions)
• Why does the problem persist?
• What would be the ideal situation?
• What stage are we at in our knowledge and
  understanding of this construction problem?
• Can the problem be described using common
  priority-setting criteria?
• -Severity, Incidence or Prevalence -Size of
  exposed population
• -Need to improve current performance -Likelihood
  that research will
• -How much change is needed for near make a
  difference for term
  improvement? addressing this problem?
• From a construction practice perspective, what
  stage is the problem at?
• -For Construction Safety and Health
  Practitioners?
• -For Contractors and Workers?

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Two broad categories emerged

• OUTCOMES - 3 topics reflecting the most
• Important types of injuries, fatalities,
  illnesses,
• disorders and causes
• Reducing Major Sources of Injuries and Fatalities
• Falls, Electrocution, Struck by and caught
  between
• Reducing Major Health Exposures and Sources of
  Illness
• Silica, Welding fumes, Noise
• Reducing Major Sources of Musculoskeletal
  Disorders

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CONTRIBUTING FACTORS - 7 topics reflecting
positive or negative influences affecting the
likelihood that prevention and control measures
are taken on a construction job

• Construction Culture
• Management of Safety and Health in Construction
• Construction Industry and Work Organization
• Training Issues
• Vulnerable worker issues
• Design for Safety and Prevention Issues
• Improved Surveillance for hazards and outcomes

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How to convert top problems into goals?

• Use Logic Model framework for shared
  understanding on
• How research leads to impact
• Key roles of construction groups
• Different types of goals needed
• Use workgroups that include corresponding members
  
• Use common goal template

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Logic Model
Traditional research planning direction
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Logic Model Insights.

• Impact occurs when final customers (workers and
  contractors) change practices
• Researchers have fewer direct contacts with these
  final customers
• Intermediate groups (unions, trade associations,
  professionals, others) are in the pivotal middle
  position
• Primary customers for research
• Key influence on workers and contractors
• Ideal partners for Research and R2P

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Approach for developing goals
Research and R2P Goals should reflect these
activities
Intermediate Goals Should reflect these
activities
Strategic Goals Should reflect impact
Develop strategic goals first, then work backwards
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Goal template

• Strategic Goal 1
• Performance Measure 1
• Narrative
• Intermediate Goal 1
• Performance Measure
• Narrative if needed
• Research Goal 1
• Research Goal 2
• Research to Practice Goal 3

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Resulting goals

• SG 1.0 - Reduce Construction Worker fatalities
• and serious injuries caused by falls to a lower
  level (4 IG, 15 R/R2P)
• SG 2.0 - Reduce fatal and nonfatal injuries from
  contact with electricity
• among construction workers. (4 IG, 10 R/R2P)
• SG 3.0 - Reduce fatal and serious injuries
  associated with struck-by
• incidents associated with objects, vehicles, and
  collapsing materials and
• structures. (8 IG, 20 R/R2P)
• SG 4.0 Reduce hearing loss among construction
  workers by increased
• use of noise reduction solutions, practices, and
  hearing conservation
• programs by the construction community (4 IG, 13
  R/R2P)
• SG 5.0 Reduce silica exposures and future
  silicosis risks among
• Construction workers by increasing the
  availability and use of silica dust
• controls and practices for tasks associated with
  important exposures.
• (5 IG, 15 R/R2P)

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• SG 6.0 Reduce welding fume exposures and future
  related health risks
• among construction workers by increasing the
  availability and use of
• welding fume controls and practices for welding
  tasks (5 IG, 16 R/R2P)
• SG 7.0 - Reduce the incidence and severity of
  work-related Musculoskeletal
• disorders among construction workers in the U.S
  (4 IG, 14 R/R2P)
• SG 8.0 - Increase understanding of factors that
  comprise both positive and
• negative construction safety and health cultures
  and, expand the
• availability and use of effective interventions
  to maintain safe work
• practices100 of the time in the construction
  industry. (3 IG, 22 R/R2P)
• SG 9.0 - Improve the effectiveness of safety and
  health management
• programs in construction and increase their use
  in the industry. (5 IG 24 R/R2P)
• SG 10.0 - Improve understanding of how
  construction industry
• organization factors relate to injury and illness
  outcomes and increase
• the sharing and use of industry wide practices,
  policies, and partnerships
• that improve safety and health performance. (7 IG
  22 R/R2P)

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Resulting goals

• SG 11.0 Increase the recognition and awareness
  of
• construction hazards and the means for
  controlling them
• through broad dissemination of quality training
  for construction
• workers, including non-English speaking workers.
  (4 IG, 13 R/R2P)
• SG 12.0 - Increase understanding of how
  vulnerable worker groups
• experience disproportionate risks in construction
  work and expand
• the availability and use of effective
  interventions to reduce injuries
• and illnesses among these groups. (3 IG, 13
  R/R2P)
• SG 13.0 Increase the use of prevention through
  design (PtD)
• approaches to prevent or reduce safety and health
  hazards in construction.
• (5 IG, 13 R/R2P)
• SG 14.0 - Improve surveillance at the Federal,
  State, and private
• level to support the identification of hazards
  and associated illnesses and
• injuries the evaluation of intervention and
  organizational program
• effectiveness and the identification of emerging
  health and safety
• priorities in construction. (3 IG, 14 R/R2P)

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Key issues

• Currently in process of finalizing goals
• Getting intermediate goals right is key
• WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT
• ACTIVITIES AND SOLUTIONS THAT
• WILL LEAD TO ACHIEVING
• STRATEGIC GOALS?
• Developing Performance Measures
• is challenging
• Participation and partnering needed
• to achieve goals

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Encouraging Research on the NORA goals

• NORA National Agenda NIOSH
  Construction Program Review
  Recommendations
• As main input to
• Next 5 year Cooperative Agreement RFA (late 2008)
• NIOSH intramural construction goals and guidance
• Partner research using NORA goals
• Driving research direction from 2009-2014

NA input
RFA and intramural guidance
NORA 2 generated research
NORA Agenda
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
2016
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International Collaboration

• How can international collaboration on common
  construction goals/priorities be encouraged?
• Can we encourage more development of R2P products
  based on research results originating from other
  countries? How?
• What are best practices for national strategic
  planning?
• What is the best way to engage the industry to
  meet national goals?

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Thanks for any comments and suggestions!
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• NORA Construction Sector webpage
• http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/councils/const/
• NORA Construction Sector News
• http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/news/nora/
• construction/NORAconstNewsV1N1.html
• NORA National Construction Agenda
• http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/councils/const/pubpr
  od.html
• NIOSH eNEWs http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/
• NIOSH Home Page www.cdc.gov/niosh

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Contact information

• Matt Gillen
• NIOSH/CDC
• Construction Program Coordinator
• NORA Construction Sector Council Co-Chair
• 395 E St SW
• Washington, DC 20201
• 202 -245-0651
• MGillen_at_cdc.gov

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Supplemental slides additional goal detail

• Strategic goals for Health
• SG 4 Noise/Hearing Loss
• SG 5 - Silica exposures and illnesses
• SG 6 - Welding fumes and associated
  illnesses
• These three share a common template

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Side by Side look at Intermediate Goal 1
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Side by Side look at Intermediate Goal 2
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Side by Side look at Intermediate Goal 3
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Side by Side look at Intermediate Goal 4
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Side by Side look at Intermediate Goal 5
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IG 6.4 Develop model practices and programs and
promote their use by construction owners,
governmental groups, professional groups, and
best practice employers. (Goals continue on next
page)

• RG 6.4.1 Portable health testing program
  component - Develop, evaluate, and promote
  portable (that is, transferable from one
  employer to another) options for respirator fit
  testing to include key information such
  as fit-certified respirator models, respirator
  training records, respirator medical evaluations,
  and welding fume related medical testing that can
  be maintained for workers as part of a health
  surveillance program across multiple employers.
  Develop and disseminate guidance on suitable
  welding medical surveillance approaches.
• RG 6.4.2 Emission factor and field screening
  component - Evaluate the feasibility and use of
  1) welding emission factor data and 2)
  available direct reading field instruments, for
  use in a construction-user friendly system to
  provide pre-job exposure estimates for safe job
  planning.
• RG 6.4.3 Welding fume exposure database
  component - Develop and promote the use of a
  welding fume exposure task database that can be
  used by safety and health professionals,
  contractors and competent persons for pre-job
  exposure estimation and for planning the use of
  controls.

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IG 6.4 Develop model practices and programs and
promote their use by construction owners,
governmental groups, professional groups, and
best practice employers. (Goals continued)

• RG 6.4.4 Pre-job planning component Develop,
  evaluate, and promote a straightforward 3-5 step
  pre-job welding fume hazard review/plan that can
  be used by competent persons to estimate and plan
  for project-specific welding exposure hazards.
• RG 6.4.5 Policy driver component - Improve
  understanding of the economic and policy factors
  that support or discourage the use of model
  programs and practices for welding fume control
  in construction.
• R2PG 6.4.6 Develop demonstration projects to
  evaluate the effectiveness of program components
  and practices in addressing needs of key
  construction stakeholders. Incorporate results
  into guidance on model practices and programs.
• R2PG 6.4.7 Partner with construction
  stakeholders and groups to promote the use of
  model programs and practices by construction
  owners and best practice employers of all sizes
  throughout the industry.

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SG1.0 - Reduce Construction Worker fatalities and
serious injuries caused by falls to a lower level

• IG1.1 - Identify the top three fall-related
  problems requiring technical engineering
  solutions and develop and evaluate options to
  fill these gaps.
• IG1.2 - Expand awareness and use of existing
  effective fall prevention and protection
  solutions by construction employers and workers
• IG1.3 - Expand the use of safe-by-design
  practices for fall prevention via demonstration
  projects and guidance.
• IG1.4 - Develop and implement a national campaign
  to reduce fatal and serious injuries associated
  with construction falls to a lower level.

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IG 1.1 - Partner with construction stakeholders
and safety professionals to identify the top
three fall-related problems requiring technical
engineering solutions and develop and evaluate
options to fill these gaps.

• RG 1.1.1 Inventory existing fall protection
  technologies and identify three gaps where
  technical engineering guidance needs to be
  developed or modified further for fall
  protection.
• RG 1.1.2 Develop and evaluate engineering
  interventions and guidelines to address the three
  fall protection gaps.
• R2PG 1.1.3 Disseminate these solutions and
  guidelines throughout the industry

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IG 1.2 - Partner with Construction stakeholders
to expand awareness and use of existing effective
fall prevention and protection solutions by
construction employers and workers

• RG 1.2.1 Work with insurance companies and
  consultation organizations to identify small
  contractor implementation obstacles associated
  with existing fall prevention and protection
  measures.
• RG 1.2.2 Develop additional protective and cost
  effective solutions
• R2PG 1.2.3 Develop simple pre-job planning
  tools for use by small and medium size
  contractors to improve identification of the most
  common fall hazards and solutions.
• R2PG 1.2.4 Partner with construction
  stakeholders to disseminate widely.
• R2PG 1.2.5 Utilize existing information about
  fall prevention and protection solutions to
  develop and disseminate trade- specific materials
  for the major categories of falls from heights
  associated with fatal and serious injuries to
  include awareness materials, implementation
  guidance, business case studies, and training
  materials in paper and electronic media.

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IG 1.3 - Partner with architects, engineers, and
construction organizations to expand the use of
safe-by-design practices for fall prevention
via demonstration projects and guidance.

• RG 1.3.1 Identify and evaluate 3 existing safe
  by design practices that address falls to lower
  levels and develop case study materials.
• RG 1.3.2 Identify and evaluate 3 new safe by
  design practices that address falls to lower
  levels and develop case study materials.
• R2PG 1.3.3 Partner with OSHA, international
  construction groups, professional societies,
  trade associations and unions, architect-engineer-
  and-designer firms, and insurance companies to
  disseminate case study materials and to expand
  the use of safe by design approaches
• R2PG 1.3.4 Within 6 years, document
  effectiveness of implementation of these
  safe-by-design practices.

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IG 1.4 - Work with construction partners to
develop and implement a national campaign to
reduce fatal and serious injuries associated with
construction falls to a lower level.

• RG 1.4.1 Evaluate the potential for a National
  Construction Fall Prevention Campaign by
  assessing 1) the components and effectiveness of
  U.S. campaigns on related public health injury
  topics and 2) the components and effectiveness
  of internationally based campaigns on
  construction injury topics. Prepare a proposal
  for a U.S. campaign.
• R2PG 1.4.2 Convene a meeting of construction
  stakeholders and industry leaders to discuss a
  proposal for a U.S. National Construction Fall
  Prevention Campaign. If support is provided,
  develop an action plan for implementation.
• R2PG 1.4.3 If support is provided, implement
  the action plan in conjunction with construction
  industry stakeholders and evaluate the resulting
  impact.