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NIOSH Program Portfolio

 

Personal Protective Technology

Outcomes

Outcomes are events, occurrences, or conditions that indicate progress in achieving the purpose of the program. Outcomes reflect the results of a program activity compared with its intended purpose; or, outcomes may answer the question "Will these resources result in success or contribute to the success of what we want to accomplish?"

Outcomes can be viewed from two different perspectives--ultimate and intermediate. For an occupational safety and health research program like the NIOSH Personal Protective Technology Program, ultimate outcomes are reductions in a particular type of worker injury or illness. Injuries and illnesses have complex causes, and any effect of program activities on rates can take years to be seen. Therefore, outcomes are often measured on an intermediate timeframe. Intermediate outcomes are necessary steps that lead to ultimate outcomes--for example, reductions in the risk of a particular type of injury or illness. For occupational safety and health research programs, achieving intermediate risk reductions is as important as achieving the ultimate outcome of decreasing injury and illness incidence rates.

Intermediate Outcomes
  • NIOSH CBRN respirator standards were among the first adopted by the Department of Homeland Security. DHS now uses these standards to award grant monies for the purchase of PPE for the first responder community.
  • Use of NIOSH-Certified CBRN Respirators, as part of a personal protective ensemble, has been incorporated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) into its NFPA 1500, 1991, and 1994 standards.
  • The British Standards Institution has contacted NPPTL to discuss the potential inclusion of NIOSH CBRN respirator standard requirements into the British standards.
  • Use of CBRN respirators by emergency responders has been endorsed by the InterAgency Board for Equipment Interoperability and Standardization.
  • The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) incorporated NIOSH research results on PPE Selection into NFPA 1999 Standard on Protective Clothing for Emergency Medical Operations, 2008 Edition.
  • The Permeation Calculator program developed at NIOSH is being used by clothing manufacturers, testing labs, and research groups to perform permeation data analysis.
  • Industrial hygienists and safety professionals in industry, government, and acedemia use the breakthrough software to implement effective cartridge service life programs for their employees.


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NIOSH Program:

Personal Protective Technology

worker wearing a respirator
Page last updated: December 31, 2008
Page last reviewed: December 31, 2008
Content Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)