Public Comment on NIOSH Mining, Hearing Loss Programs is Sought by National Academies

Contact: Fred Blosser (202) 401-3749
March 6, 2006

Comments wanted! The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) encourages its stakeholders to respond to a request by the National Academies, seeking public input to help inform reviews of the NIOSH research programs on mining safety and health, and hearing loss.

NIOSH asked the National Academies last year to evaluate the Institute’s research programs for their impact, relevance, and future direction (www.cdc.gov/niosh/nas/). Fifteen NIOSH programs will be evaluated, beginning with the mining and hearing loss programs. The evaluations are being performed by two panels of internationally recognized scientists. Some of the panelists have expertise in the respective subject area while other panelists have related and/or evaluation expertise.

Details of this public appeal from the National Academies come from a letter to over 200 stakeholders in the NIOSH Hearing Loss Research program from Dr. Bernard Goldstein, chair of the Hearing Loss Research program Evaluation Committee, who wrote in part:

It would be valuable for the committee to know whether you are familiar with NIOSH activities and products related to occupational hearing loss and noise control and what kind of experience you may have had working with the agency or its products. The committee would be particularly interested in comments you may have on the relevance and impact of NIOSH’s work on occupational hearing loss and noise control over the past 10 years in any of the four areas of research it has defined.

In addition, we would value your views on two other matters included in the committee’s charge. First, what do you see as having been the major research needs and challenges over the past 10 years in occupational hearing loss and noise control? Second, what do you see as significant emerging research needs or opportunities concerning occupational hearing loss and noise control?

In a similar letter to stakeholders in the NIOSH Mining Research program, Dr. Raja Ramani, chair of the Mining Research program Evaluation Committee, wrote:

The National Academies have set up web-based input forms for the convenience of interested stakeholders and NIOSH staff. You may submit comments anonymously if you wish, however all comments will be made available to the public.

A form for submitting comments on the hearing loss prevention research program online can be found at www8.nationalacademies.org/survey/iom/iomhearingloss.htm. Comments also may be submitted to Dr. Lois Joellenbeck, Institute of Medicine, Keck 775, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20001; E-Mail: ljoellen@nas.edu; tel: 202-334-1715; fax 202-334-2685.

The mining research program input form may be found at www8.nationalacademies.org/survey/dels/mining.htm. Submissions by other channels about the mining research program should be sent to Dr. Evan Douple, Board of Earth and Life Sciences, Sixth Floor, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20001; E-Mail: edouple@nas.edu, tel: 202-334-2836; fax: 202-334-1639.