Currently, our research projects cover the programmatic areas listed below. See NIOSH Mining Downloadable Publications for papers related to these programmatic areas. Our portfolio of research projects is based on analysis of surveillance data, customer/stakeholder input, and risk analysis/loss control. Surveillance data show how workers are being killed, injured, or impaired. Customers and stakeholders identify their needs and the value of our products and services. Risk analysis techniques are used to assess low probability, high impact events such as mine explosions. While our top-level goal is to improve mining safety and health, this will only be achieved by eliminating fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. Accordingly, our Strategic Goals, based on these inputs, are:
These same inputs also allow us to target research areas, set priorities, and assess impact. We then use an external peer-review process to evaluate our research proposals and ensure the scientific merit of our work. Our goal is to ensure that our research portfolio responds to the greatest needs of our customers, that our work is of the highest quality, and that our limited resources will have the greatest impact. |