Program Description

The mission of the NIOSH research program for the Construction sector is to eliminate occupational diseases, injuries, and fatalities among individuals working in these industries through a focused program of research and prevention. The program strives to fulfill its mission through:

• High Quality Research: NIOSH will continually strive for high quality research and prevention activities that will lead to reductions in occupational injuries and illnesses among workers in the Construction industries.
• Practical Solutions: The NIOSH program for the Construction sector is committed to the development of practical solutions to the complex problems that cause occupational diseases, injuries, and fatalities among workers in construction. We want to tailor these solutions to fit unique Construction sector attributes.
• Partnerships: We recognize that collaborative efforts in partnership with labor, industry, government, and other stakeholders are usually the best means of achieving successful outcomes. Partners are important for identifying the most relevant problems, for developing and participating in research projects, and as intermediate customers transforming research outputs into products for use by construction employers and workers. Fostering these partnerships is a cornerstone of the NIOSH program for the Construction sector.
• Research to Practice ( r2p ): We believe that our research only realizes its true value when put into practice. Every research project within the NIOSH program for the Construction sector formulates a strategy to promote the transfer and translation of research findings into prevention practices and products that will be adopted in the workplace.

Over the years, NIOSH and its partners have completed numerous research projects to address construction safety and health issues. NIOSH supports targeted surveillance activities involving a number of state health departments on important construction topics. Support is also provided for extramural construction research projects conducted by academic and other researchers through grants and cooperative agreements.

Projects cut across a number of important construction issues. For example, past projects have addressed important causes of injuries and fatalities such as falls and electrical hazards. Projects have addressed musculoskeletal disorders associated with construction work, and health hazards such as noise, asphalt fumes, silica, and welding fumes. Research has also been conducted to address unique aspects associated with the construction setting - such as the lack of permanent work stations and continuously changing environments. NIOSH-funded researchers have developed tools and approaches such as task-based sampling to address these issues. Projects have transitioned from identifying problems to developing effective interventions, and finally to providing solutions to the construction community.