NIOSH highlights achievements, upcoming work of small business program

Washington — NIOSH has released a list of recent accomplishments by its Small Business Assistance Program, an initiative intended to help organizations with fewer than 50 employees limit occupational illnesses, injuries and fatalities through research and prevention.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the rate of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in small businesses dropped to 2.7 per 100 full-time employees in 2016, from 3.3 in 2010. According to a NIOSH, the program has:

• Co-hosted – with the Center for Health, Work and Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health – the Understanding Small Enterprises Conference.
• Published five peer-reviewed journal articles exploring small business occupational safety and health issues, including access to training, workforce diversity, OSH information needs and employers’ readiness to change OSH programs.
• Discussed practices for finding and acting on safety and health information with more than 250 small business employers and intermediaries at national and regional events.
• Partnered with two NIOSH Total Worker Health Centers of Excellence with regional small business emphasis to achieve greater outreach through intermediaries.

NIOSH also highlights various upcoming projects:

• Helping to effectively circulate safety mobile apps among small construction businesses.
• Adding industry-specific content to NIOSH’s small business website.
• Publishing peer-reviewed scientific journals covering small construction business intervention needs, Total Worker Health for small business, and updated surveillance of small business injury and illness burden.
• Helping to organize the 2019 Understanding Small Enterprises Conference in Campinas, Brazil.