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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee Information Gathering." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. The Health Hazard Evaluation Program at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12475.
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Page 188
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee Information Gathering." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. The Health Hazard Evaluation Program at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12475.
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Page 189
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee Information Gathering." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. The Health Hazard Evaluation Program at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12475.
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Page 190
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee Information Gathering." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. The Health Hazard Evaluation Program at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12475.
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Page 191
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee Information Gathering." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. The Health Hazard Evaluation Program at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12475.
×
Page 192
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee Information Gathering." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. The Health Hazard Evaluation Program at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12475.
×
Page 193
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee Information Gathering." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. The Health Hazard Evaluation Program at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12475.
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Page 194
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Committee Information Gathering." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2009. The Health Hazard Evaluation Program at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12475.
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Page 195

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C Committee Information Gathering T his appendix provides additional detail regarding the methods used by the National Academies’ Committee to Review the National Institute for O ­ ccupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Health Hazards Evaluation (HHE) Program to gather information to carry out its work. COMMITTEE MEETINGS As described in Chapter 1, the committee held four meetings during the course of this study. The first three meetings included open sessions for information gathering. The agendas for these open sessions appear in Boxes C-1, C-2, and C-3 below. The fourth meeting was held in closed session. COMMITTEE REQUESTS FOR INPUT To receive a broader range of stakeholder input, the evaluation committee re- quested public input via an online questionnaire (see Chapter 1 for more detailed discussion). The questionnaire was announced via e-mail to over 500 stakehold- ers, and responses could be submitted online, by e-mail, or by standard mail. The option to respond anonymously was available. A second questionnaire specifically related to HHE Program emergency response activities was also distributed. The questionnaires are included as Boxes C-4 and C-5. A summary of responses can be found in Appendix D. 188

A pp e n d i x C 189 BOX C-1 Meeting 1, October 18-19, 2007 The National Academy of Sciences Building 2101 Constitution Avenue Washington, D.C. 20418 OPEN SESSION AGENDA Thursday, October 18 NIOSH BRIEFINGS: The HHE Program 10:45 a.m. S  tudy Context and Goals, NIOSH Perspective (Lewis Wade, Ph.D., Senior Science Advisor) 11:00 a.m. H  HE Overview: Introduction, Strategic Goals, and Evaluation (Teresa Schnorr, Ph.D., Director, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies) 11:20 a.m. H  HE Overview: Management, Activities, and Outcomes (Allison Tepper, Ph.D., Chief, Hazard Evaluations and Technical Assistance Branch [HETAB]) 11:45 a.m. Lunch 12:45 p.m.  HE Program Goal 1:  Prevent occupational illnesses through reduced H exposure to workplace hazards •  iological Hazards (Teresa Seitz, M.P.H., C.I.H., Supervisory Industrial B Hygiene Team Lead, HETAB) •  hemical Hazards (Teresa Seitz) C •  hysical Hazards (Ken Wallingford, C.I.H., Deputy Chief, HETAB) P •  Mixed Hazards (Ken Wallingford) 1:25 p.m. Q  uestion-and-Answer Session: Committee and NIOSH Briefers 1:40 p.m. H  HE Program Goal 2:  Promote occupational safety and health research on emerging issues (Kay Kreiss, M.D., Chief, Field Studies Branch) 2:00 p.m. Q  uestion-and-Answer Session: Committee and NIOSH Briefers 2:15 p.m. B  reak 2:25 p.m. H  HE Program Goal 3:  Protect the health and safety of workers during public health emergencies (Bruce Bernard, M.D., M.P.H., Supervisory Medical Team Lead, HETAB) 2:45 p.m. Q  uestion-and-Answer Session: Committee and NIOSH Briefers 3:00 p.m. H  HE Program Future Directions (Allison Tepper) 3:10 p.m. C  losing Question-and-Answer Session: Committee and NIOSH Briefers 3:30 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION 4:00 p.m. End of Open Session

190 T h e H e a l t h H a z a r d E v a l u a t i o n P r o g r a m a t NIOSH BOX C-2 Meeting 2, December 10-11, 2007 The Keck Center of the National Academies 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20001 OPEN SESSION AGENDA Monday, December 10 10:15 a.m. P  ublic Welcome and Brief Committee Member Introductions (Rogene Henderson, Chair) 10:20 a.m. Committee’s task and importance of stakeholder input STAKEHOLDER PANELS Each session will include a question-and-answer session among committee and discussants 10:30 a.m. Workplace Sector Panel Moderator:  Rosemary Sokas, committee member Discussants: Shelley Davis, Farmworker Justice, Washington, DC Janie Gittleman, Center to Protect Workers’ Rights, Silver Spring, MD José Olíva, Interfaith Worker Justice, Chicago, IL Frank Renshaw, Rohm and Haas Company, Corydon, PA 11:45 a.m. Lunch 1:00 p.m. Public Sector Panel Moderator:  Barbara Silverstein, committee member Discussants: Marthe Kent, OSHA Region 1, Boston, Massachusetts Andrea Kidd-Taylor, Community Health and Policy, Morgan State University, Baltimore Kenneth Rosenman, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore City Health Department 2:15 p.m. Break DISCUSSION WITH NIOSH 2:30 p.m. D  iscussion and clarification of NIOSH responses to committee questions posed after the first meeting 4:00 p.m. End of open session

A pp e n d i x C 191 BOX C-3 Meeting 3, January 15-16, 2008 Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies, Board Room 100 Academy Drive Irvine, CA 92617 OPEN SESSION AGENDA Tuesday, January 15 10:15 a.m. P  ublic Welcome and Brief Committee Member Introductions (Rogene Henderson, Committee Chair) 10:20 a.m. C  ommittee’s task and importance of stakeholder input 10:30 a.m. I  nput regarding HHE conducted for the Alameda County Public Authority for In-Home Services (HETA 2001-0139-2930) Linda Ayala, Training and Outreach Coordinator, Public Authority for In- Home supportive Services in Alameda County, CA (via telecom) 11:00 a.m. I  nput regarding HHEs conducted at Kaiser Permanente (HETA 2003-0280-2974) Peggy Hoffman, Kaiser Permanente, Redwood City, CA Barbara Smisko, Kaiser Permanente, Santa Teresa, CA (via telecom) 11:30 a.m. I  nput regarding HHE conducted at U.S. Magnesium (HETA 2004-0169-2982) Tom Tripp, Technical Services Coordinator, U.S. Magnesium, Rowley, Utah (via telecom) Bryant Hardy, Union Representative, U.S. Magnesium, Rowley, Utah Michael Wright, Director, Health Safety and Environment, United Steelworkers of America 12:00 p.m. Lunch 1:00 p.m. Barbara Materna, Ph.D., Chief, Occupational Health Branch, California  Department of Public Health 1:30 p.m. I  nput regarding HHE conducted at Carmi Flavor and Fragrance Company (HETA 2006-0303-3043) Roger Speakman, VP Manufacturing, Carmi Flavor and Fragrance Company Barbara Materna, Ph.D., Chief, Occupational Health Branch, California Department of Public Health 2:00 p.m. Opportunity for Comments from NIOSH 2:30 p.m. End open session

192 T h e H e a l t h H a z a r d E v a l u a t i o n P r o g r a m a t NIOSH BOX C-4 Text of Broadcast Questionnaire Opportunity for Input to the National Academies Committee to Review the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program Dear Colleague: The Committee to Review the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program was formed by the National Research Council to review the impact, relevance, and future directions of the program. The study is being conducted under the auspices of the Division of Earth and Life Studies. The committee’s first meeting was held October 18-19, 2007. Your input would be valuable for consideration at future meetings on December 10-11, 2007, and January 15-16, 2008. In addition to evaluating what the HHE Program produces, the committee will determine whether it is appropriate to credit the program with changes in workplace practices, hazardous exposures, and/or occupational illnesses and injuries, or whether the changes are the result of other unrelated factors. In conducting its assessment, the committee will evaluate A. The impact of the HHE Program on • R  educing worker risk and preventing occupational illness in investigated workplaces; • T  ransferring program-generated information to relevant employers and employees beyond the investigated workplaces; • N  IOSH research and policy-development programs; and • T  he activities of regulatory agencies, occupational safety and health professionals and organizations, state and local health agencies, and others in the occupational health community, as achieved by transferring program-generated hazard and prevention information. B. The relevance of the HHE Program in addressing current and emerging workplace health hazards. The committee has generated a list of questions (see below) to guide your input. QUESTIONS 1.  re you familiar with the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program activities A and reports related to occupational safety and health? 2.  ow did you find out about the HHE Program (e.g., website, a recommendation)? H

A pp e n d i x C 193 BOX C-4 Continued 3. f you have made an HHE request, what kind of experience have you had? Please be I explicit in your response. 4.  ave you ever considered requesting an HHE and ultimately decided against making H the request? If so, why? 5.  o you have any suggestions about improving access to information about the D program? 6.  hat are the most serious occupational health hazards you have encountered in your W work, and how could the HHE Program help you address these issues? 7.  hat do you see as significant emerging health hazards in occupational safety and W health? 8.  hat is your occupation or to what type of organization or industry to you belong? W Please feel free to provide your name (optional). Any information you provide will help the committee understand the context for your responses.

194 T h e H e a l t h H a z a r d E v a l u a t i o n P r o g r a m a t NIOSH BOX C-5 Text of Emergency Response Questionnaire Dear Colleague: The Committee to Review the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program was formed by the National Research Council to review the impact, relevance, and future directions of the program. The study is being conducted under the auspices of the Division of Earth and Life Studies. The committee has held meetings October 18-19, 2007, December 10-11, 2007, and January 15-16, 2008. The committee’s final meeting will be held February 21-22, 2008. The committee requests your input as a stakeholder of the HHE Program’s emergency response activities. In addition to evaluating what the HHE Program produces, the committee will determine whether it is appropriate to credit the program with changes in workplace practices, hazardous exposures, and/or occupational illnesses and injuries, or whether the changes are the result of other unrelated factors. In conducting its assessment, the committee will evaluate A.  he impact of the HHE Program on T • r  educing worker risk and preventing occupational illness in investigated workplaces; • t ransferring program-generated information to relevant employers and employees beyond the investigated workplaces; • N  IOSH research and policy-development programs; and • t he activities of regulatory agencies, occupational safety and health professionals and organizations, state and local health agencies, and others in the occupational health community, as achieved by transferring program-generated hazard and prevention information. B. The relevance of the HHE Program in addressing current and emerging workplace health hazards. You can learn more about the committee and its charge at the following website: http:// www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=48818 The committee has generated a list of questions (see below) to guide your input. If you wish to contribute, please respond via email to me at your earliest convenience. Keep in mind that any written comments submitted to the committee are required to be included in the study’s public access file. If you wish your comments to remain anonymous, the committee has developed an on-line questionnaire in which providing your name and affiliation is optional (http://www8.nationalacademies.org/survey/dels/nioshhhe.htm). The

A pp e n d i x C 195 BOX C-5 Continued questions on the website, however, were not specifically designed to learn about HHE Program emergency response activities as the questions below are. Feel free to respond as you see most appropriate and to forward this request for input to other professionals. Questions regarding NIOSH HHE Program emergency response activities 1.  hat was the nature of your experience with NIOSH HHE emergency response staff W who worked with your agency? 2.  hat was the NIOSH HHE staff role in the investigation or response? Was it relevant W and/or appropriate in your opinion? How could it have been changed? What would you suggest doing in the future if similar circumstance arose? 3.  hat do you feel was the overall quality of work performed by the HHE staff W responders? Was their arrival timely? Were reports prepared in a timely fashion? 4.  hat was the overall impact of the NIOSH HHE staff involvement in the investigation W or emergency response? Please address specifically the HHE Program’s impact on protection of workers from health hazards during the incident/investigation. To what extent were they successful? Were there any measurable changes in process/ procedures/worker protection as a result of HHE Program staff involvement? 5.  hat is your occupation or to what type of organization or industry do you belong? W Please feel free to provide your name (optional). Any information you provide will help the committee understand the context for your responses.

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It is the unique mission of the Health Hazard Evaluation Program within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to respond to requests to investigate potential occupational health hazards. In contrast to other NIOSH programs, the Health Hazard Evaluation Program is not primarily a research program. Rather, it investigates and provides advice to workplaces in response to requests from employers, employees and their representatives, and federal agencies.

The National Research Council was charged with evaluating the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program and determining whether program activities resulted in improvements in workplace practices and decreases in hazardous exposures that cause occupational illnesses. The program was found to play a key role in addressing existing widespread or emerging occupational health issues. This book makes several recommendations that could improve a very strong program including more systematic use of surveillance data to facilitate priority setting, and greater interaction with a broader array of workers, industries, and other government agencies.

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