The survey built on the 2011 National Assessment of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce, also called the Westat report, which had similar findings. In 2017, investigators at the NIOSH Education and Research Centers identified new workforce training needs and interests since the 2011 Westat report. They developed a 27-question survey that included similar questions to the Westat report, addressing newer safety and health topics emerging within the last decade. These topics included work across disciplines, or work both within a primary profession and outside of it, and Total Worker Health®, which comprises policies and practices that protect workers and promote health and safety. The survey also asked about preferences for training topics in continuing education.