Getting back on track – NIOSH focus on health
Covid-19 interrupted and disrupted many concepts in health science plans. NIOSH Strategic Plan: FYs 2019-2026, Version 6: October 2022 (5), for example, was adjusted to reflect time and resources that NIOSH researchers devoted to Covid-19 demands. Now is the time for NIOSH to get back on track. OHS pros should be aware that only one of NIOSH’s seven strategic goals address traumatic injury. NIOSH’s strategic plan is weighted almost entirely toward health science objectives such as reduce occupational cancer, reduce occupational hearing loss, reduce occupational immune, infectious, and dermal disease, and reduce occupational respiratory disease. Given NIOSH’s research direction, an OHS pro’s future efforts e.g., training and skills should align more toward health concerns.
Cancer “Moonshot”
With Covid-19 winding down, a renewed focus on health improvement, partly described above, is emerging. This past February 2022, President Biden, for example, reignited his call for a “moonshot to end cancer as we know it.” The moonshot, with collective efforts by many, hopes to reduce the age-adjusted death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years.
It is important for OHS pros to be aware that NIOSH’s Strategic Goal 1 begins with “reduce occupational cancer.” NIOSH focus is to reduce cancer in the following work settings: agricultural forestry and fishing, healthcare, manufacturing, mining, and public safety. OHS pros should establish a priority to better understand types of occupational cancer and exposure controls.
NASA moonshot achievements
NASA is the world’s leading scientific organization. Modern day camera phones, scratch-resistant lenses, CAT Scans, mobile computers, computer mouse, wireless headsets, water purification systems, ear thermometers, home insulation, freeze dried food, baby formula – and so much more – originally began from NASA inventions. Recent deployment of NASA technologies such as the James Webb Space Telescope, Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) to redirect asteroids that may threaten earth, and the Artemis missions - true moonshots (and next to Mars) - are phenomenal achievements. NASA’s advancement of health science rivals any organization. OHS pros may highly benefit from an understanding of how NASA operates.
NASA Procedural Requirements (NPR)
Corporate policy establishes a destination that should be reached. Individual procedures are like one part of a map that leads to the specified destination.
As a tax funded, federal agency, NASA’s NPRs are laid bare for anyone to examine – or imitate as the situation allows. NASA’s NPRs can be found at NASA Online Directives Information System i.e., NODIS Library (8). While NPRs are not generally written for public consumption. Many of the NPRs, however, are written in plain language to conform to the Plain Writing Act of 2010 (8). Plain writing allows for better understanding and use when information is intended for a public audience. Even where the NPR is not intended for public consumption, they are mostly written for employee use, and most NPRs are well written and worthy of imitation.
NPR 1800.1D
While it is important for an OHS pro to scan all NPRs that may be of interest to your organization, the NPR that should be of prime health science interest to OHS pros is NPR 1800.1D, NASA Occupational Health Program Procedures, active to December 6, 2022. Be aware that an NPR may reference requirement(s) in one or more of other NPRs