North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Centers

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PROJECT SUMMARY This is a competing renewal application for the North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center (NC OSHERC). Our unique Center builds upon the strengths of the occupational health and safety (OHS) education and research programs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State University. Nearly 62% of US adults are employed, and work exerts an independent, powerful influence on their health and safety. As we conducted needs and strengths assessments in preparation for this Center proposal, we saw how the COVID- 19 pandemic created a massive re-shaping of work, work conditions, and worker health, particularly related to safety, mental health, and well-being among essential and underserved workers. This observation has strengthened our joint efforts with both our regional Education and Research Center colleagues and other OHS partners to serve the emerging needs of occupational health professionals and the diverse workforce. The guiding mission of the NC OSHERC is to provide high- quality education and research training in the OHS sciences for the protection and promotion of worker health and well- being and to prevent occupational illness and injury in North Carolina, the southeast region, and the nation. To fulfill this mission, our goals are to (1) train future leaders to meet the nation’s OHS research needs and NIOSH priority goals and (2) bridge the gap between the innovative research being conducted in OHS within the regional universities and the needs of the region’s workforce. We will accomplish these goals through interdisciplinary OHS training, research, and service. The proposed education and research program’s specific aims are to: 1. Train practitioners, educators, and researchers in the academic disciplines of occupational exposure science and industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, safety and ergonomics, occupational epidemiology, and Total Worker Healthâ, with a specific focus given to training diverse, underrepresented, and minority practitioners and researchers. 2. Provide interdisciplinary learning experiences through coursework, practice and field projects, research activities, and seminars. Academic training and targeted research training programs guide trainees to develop skills in scientific inquiry and research to practice (r2p) to mitigate and eliminate hazards and improve working conditions. 3. Provide outreach and continuing education training programs to meet the needs of practitioners and OHS stakeholders. 4. Fund pilot research projects to support the development of young investigators and advance OHS science. The NC OSHERC is uniquely positioned to increase capacity and address the future challenges of OHS training, research, and preparedness in the Southeast and the nation by training diverse OHS practitioners and professionals in the challenging interdisciplinary OHS field and by fostering greater collaboration between academic researchers, local, state, and federal occupational professionals, as well as business and industry sector stakeholders. The NC OSHERC’s overall program responds to mandates in the OSHA Act, section 2(b)(5) and addresses the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) 2019 – 2024 priorities and critically important OHS issues in the NORA sector and cross-sector areas.