With nearly 126 million full-time U.S. workers at risk of occupational illness and injury, it is critical to prioritize our research efforts to address the most important issues. One approach used by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its partners to establish priorities is to consider the burden, need, and impact of potential research topics. This method allows us to identify the most important and impactful research to conduct and helps to ensure we are being good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. Another method of maximizing resources to efficiently address the most important safety and health needs is to examine issues relevant to multiple industries, thereby broadening the potential impact.
The construction and mining industries share many similar work processes—such as ground clearing, drilling, blasting, trenching, tunneling, excavating and transporting earth, and vehicular and pedestrian traffic—that can create health and safety hazards. They also share hazards related to use of heavy equipment for earth moving and exposures to contaminants. Because of these similarities, we are evaluating how the mining and construction industries can share and benefit from NIOSH research conducted in each sector.