Wholesale and Retail Trade
Outputs: Research to Practice
Historically, NIOSH has been a leader in applying research into workplace solutions that reduce injury and illness. Research to Practice (r2p) is a NIOSH initiative focused on the transfer and translation of research findings, technologies, and information into highly effective prevention practices and products that are adopted in the workplace.
The goal of r2p is to increase workplace use of effective NIOSH and NIOSH-funded research findings. NIOSH continues to work with our partners to focus research on ways to develop effective products, translate research findings into practice, target dissemination efforts, and evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of these efforts in improving worker safety and health.
Some examples of r2p in the Wholesale and Retail Trade Sector include:
Safety and health resource guide for small business
DHHS (NIOSH) Pub No. 2003-100
This guide helps small business owners, employers, and managers identify and manage occupational safety and health concerns. This guide contains telephone numbers, e-mail and Internet addresses, and mailing information that will connect small businesses to government agencies, private organizations, consultants, and others who can help with occupational safety and health issues. This guide has been widely distributed to small businesses who contact NIOSH through the toll-free line and the internet site.
Violence on the job (video)
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-100d
This video discusses practical measures for identifying risk factors for violence at work, and taking strategic action to keep workers safe. It is based on extensive NIOSH research, supplemented with information from other authoritative sources. The video has been sent to many employers and workers who want to learn how to reduce violence in the workplace.
Alternative keyboards
DHHS (NIOSH) Pub No. 97-148
This publication was based on studies of wrist and hand fatigue and carpal tunnel syndrome and methods to alleviate fatigue and illnesses. Keyboard work is a major job activity in both the Wholesale and Retail Trade sector. The information from these studies resulted in the development of alternative keyboards and procedures for selecting alternate keyboards and adjusting them to prevent hand, wrist, and shoulder pain. It was found that alternative keyboards may assist in keeping wrists straight, thus alleviating stress to the musculoskeletal system. Split keyboards may straighten the wrist by either increasing the distance between the right or left sides of the keyboard, or by rotating each half of the keyboard. Tented keyboards have the two keyboard halves tilted up, reducing the rotation of the forearms. As a result of this research, a number of commercial manufactures are now selling alternate keyboards.
