NIOSH Announces NORA Competition Winners
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently announced the winners of the Fiscal Year 2009 Intramural National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) competition. Demonstrating a high level of scientific merit and a focus on translating research into practice, awards were given to 17 projects in diverse areas covering some of the many priority needs in each of the NORA sectors.
"As we advance through the second decade of NORA, this year's proposals continue to demonstrate our researchers' abilities in focusing on the priority needs of our stakeholders, working with diverse partners, and meeting high standards of scientific excellence," said Christine M. Branche, Ph.D., NIOSH acting director.
The approved projects are expected to make substantial contributions to workplace safety and health. Some focus on research addressing the highest priority occupational safety and health issues, as determined by injury and illness surveillance information and the ongoing work of the NORA Sector Councils to draft strategic plans for the nation, such as deaths due to falls, injuries from contact with equipment, and safety issues in emergency vehicle design.
Others will develop additional needed surveillance information or will identify and disseminate best practices to improve worker safety and health, such as preventing back injuries and other strains among health care workers from handling patients, and translating NIOSH rest break research into safety and health practice.
Forty-seven project proposals were peer reviewed by experts in four panels. The NORA Secondary Review Committee reviewed the external peer review results, along with input from NIOSH laboratories and divisions and from NIOSH program leaders, and made funding recommendations based on this information.
Further information is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora.