The Health Hazard Evaluation Program at NIOSH Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (2009) / Chapter Skim
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Training programs conducted by the HHE Program offer excellent opportunities for increasing expertise in occupational health, and the committee recommends more extensive tracking of alumni so that they can be called on for their expertise, assistance in identifying emerging issues, and emergency response. The consensus of the committee is that the HHE Program is highly effective in investigating and advising workplaces when requested.
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The mission of the HHE Program is to respond to written requests to in vestigate potential occupational health hazards in workplaces, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the Federal Mine and Safety Act of 1977, and in federal agencies, including the military. The law defines who may submit requests for investigations: a request must be from an employer, a union, an employee representing at least two other employees, a single employee if the work area of concern has three or fewer employees, a federal agency health and safety committee or federal employees not covered by such a committee, or the secretary of labor (NIOSH, 2007b)
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The impacts to be evaluated include the outcomes as listed in the HHE Program logic model, such as the reduction in worker risk and the prevention of occupational illness, the transfer of program-generated information to relevant employers and employees beyond the investigated workplaces, the influence of the HHE Program on NIOSH research and policy development, and the effect of the program on the general occupational health community, including activities of regulatory agencies, organizations of occupational safety and health professionals, and state and local health agencies. Overall, the committee considers the program to be highly relevant and to have a major impact on improving occupational health.
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Activities One of the most important activities of the HHE Program is its response to requests for evaluation of potential occupational health hazards. The program has been a passive recipient of such requests.
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Such quantitative evidence of impact is generally unavailable. Transferring Program-Generated Information to Relevant Employers and Employees Beyond Investigated Workplaces The HHE Program uses a wide variety of mechanisms to disseminate information, including information posted on the NIOSH website; free CDs made available to industries, workers, professors, and students; published articles in technical, trade, and scientific journals; and when required, Health Hazard Alerts to other government agencies at both state and federal levels, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
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Training program participants and alumni could be enlisted to provide expertise, assistance in identifying emerging hazards, and assistance in maintaining routine program operations during emergency response. Transfer of Program-Generated Hazard and Prevention Information to the Occupational Health Community Program-generated hazard and prevention information is transferred in part by HHE Program reports and technical assistance letters generated in response to requests for assistance.
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A "followback" program was initiated on the advice of an earlier evaluation committee, but it should be expanded to include more complete information on the impact of the program. FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF THE HEALTH HAZARD EVALUATION PROGRAM The committee's "vision" for the future of the HHE Program is that the program would serve to identify heretofore unrecognized workplace hazards, as well as known hazards for which permissible exposure limits or other control measures appear inadequate.
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HHE Program investigations must also be distinguished from OSHA compliance inspections and small-business consultations. The HHE Program is designed to address emerging hazards, not to supplement the OSHA enforcement process or small-business consultation program.
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b. mplementing, as part of the triage process, a formal technical assistance mechanism to I help requestors to formulate valid HHE requests.
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A network of HHE Program alumni could be fostered to help develop HHE opportunities. A program-level advisory board could as sist the program in leveraging resources, serve a recruiting and retention function, assist in identifying emerging issues, and provide expert advice during normal program operations and when normal program operations are interrupted by emergency response activities.
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b. evelop systematic approaches to identify hazards where OSHA permissible exposure limits D are inadequate or nonexistent, to identify unknown hazards, and to identify known hazards encountered under new circumstances.
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3 = ctivities are in high-priority or priority subject areas, but NIOSH is not engaged in ap A propriate transfer activities; or activities focus on lesser priorities but NIOSH is engaged in appropriate transfer activities. 2 = ctivities are focused on lesser priorities and NIOSH is not engaged in or planning some A appropriate transfer activities.
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