Public Safety Program

Program Goals

A key leadership role for the Public Safety Program is the development of goals for the public safety population. The Public Safety Program is in the process of developing goals to guide NIOSH research and partnership efforts over the next decade.

NIOSH Program Portfolio Approach

NIOSH organizes its research, guidance, information, and service efforts into specific programs that can be readily communicated, strategically governed, and evaluated. Ten sector programs represent different industrial areas; and seven cross-sector programs are organized around health and safety outcomes. There are also numerous core and specialty programs that represent special emphasis areas, methodological approaches, core activities, and legislatively mandated programs.

The sector programs intersect with cross-sector programs in a matrix-like fashion, with relevant core and specialty programs playing a supporting role. For example, an Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Program goal of reducing farm-related deaths and injuries due to tractor rollovers and trucks would likely be a shared goal with the Traumatic Injury Prevention Program, and if appropriate, would be adopted by both programs. This approach provides an added advantage and will allow multiple programs to work towards accomplishment of intersecting NIOSH goals.

Below are the current goals for the Nation developed during the second decade of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA).

Public Safety Program Strategic Goals for Intramural Research:

• Strategic Goal 1: Chronic and Acute Disease Reduction: Reduce the incidence of chronic and acute diseases in firefighters that may be related to occupational exposures such as heat, combustion products, and other stressors.
• Strategic Goal 2: Structural Firefighting Injury and Fatality Reduction: Reduce injuries and fatalities associated with structural firefighting operations.
• Strategic Goal 3: Vehicle-Related Death and Injury: Reduce the incidence of vehicle-related traumatic injuries and fatalities in firefighters.
• Strategic Goal 4: Musculoskeletal Disorders: Reduce the incidence and severity of acute and chronic musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and injuries in the fire service.
• Strategic Goal 5: Law Enforcement Health and Safety Surveillance: Evaluate information sources collected by partners or stakeholders that may be enhanced or expanded to conduct effective occupational health and safety surveillance among law enforcement workers.
• Strategic Goal 6: Vehicle-Related Death and Injury: Reduce traumatic injuries and fatalities resulting from vehicle collisions involving law enforcement personnel.
• Strategic Goal 7: Injuries and Fatalities Due to Criminal Assaults: Reduce injuries and fatalities in law enforcement personnel from criminal assaults.
• Strategic Goal 8: Cardiovascular Disease Disabilities and Fatalities: Reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease disabilities and fatalities in law enforcement personnel.
• Strategic Goal 9: Injury and Fatality Reduction: Reduce occupational injuries and fatalities in corrections personnel.
• Strategic Goal 10: Illnesses and Injuries from Infectious Disease: Reduce illnesses and injuries in corrections personnel from infectious disease exposures.
• Strategic Goal 11: Correction Personnel Stress Factor Reduction: Reduce occupational stressors in corrections personnel.
• Strategic Goal 12: Vehicle-Related Death and Injury: Reduce traumatic injury and fatalities among emergency medical service (EMS) personnel associated with vehicle crashes.
• Strategic Goal 13: Patient Transfer Technologies: Reduce traumatic injuries among EMS personnel that occur during movement of patients and equipment.
• Strategic Goal 14: EMS Exposure Hazards: Reduce infectious disease and other hazardous exposures to EMS personnel during patient treatment and transport with engineering controls, effective design and use of PPE, and proper work practices.
• Strategic Goal 15: EMS Work Policies: Identify and implement effective policies among EMS agencies regarding work organization factors to reduce related illnesses and injuries.
• Strategic Goal 16: EMS Health and Safety (H&S) Surveillance: Create an integrated occupational health and safety surveillance data system for EMS personnel and evaluate risks for their exposures, illnesses, injuries and fatalities.
• Strategic Goal 17: Exposures, Injuries, and Illnesses: Reduce incidence of exposures, injuries, and illnesses among wildland firefighters in all aspects of wildland fire (e.g., wildland fire, prescribed fire, and Wildland-Urban Interface).
• Strategic Goal 18: Health and Safety: Improve wildland firefighter health and safety in all aspects of wildland fire (e.g., wildland fire, prescribed fire, and Wildland-Urban Interface).

Public Safety Program Priority Strategic Goals for Extramural Research

The NIOSH Public Safety Program selected the following strategic goals as particularly suited and prioritized for extramural research during fiscal year 2017. Goals are presented in order of priority (highest to lowest).

• Strategic Goal 15: EMS Work Policies: Identify and implement effective policies among EMS agencies regarding work organization factors to reduce related illnesses and injuries.
• Strategic Goal 7: Injuries and Fatalities Due to Criminal Assaults: Reduce injuries and fatalities in law enforcement personnel from criminal assaults.
• Strategic Goal 1: Chronic and Acute Disease Reduction: Reduce the incidence of chronic and acute diseases in firefighters that may be related to occupational exposures such as heat, combustion products and other stressors.
• Strategic Goal 17: Exposures, Injuries and Illnesses: Reduce incidence of exposures, injuries, and illnesses among wildland firefighters in all aspects of wildland fire (e.g., wildland fire, prescribed fire, and Wildland-Urban Interface).
• Strategic Goal 11: Correction Personnel Stress Factor Reduction: Reduce occupational stressors in corrections personnel.

Those seeking NIOSH grants to conduct studies related to the Public Safety Sector are invited to view the current funding opportunities .

NIOSH is interested in your opinions about the relevance and value of these strategic goals for the Public Safety Sector. We encourage you to consider partnering with us on issues of interest to you and your organization.