Washington — As NIOSH evaluates future opportunities for its Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program, one agency official is hopeful about expanding participation at the state level.
A national research endeavor, the FACE Program is aimed at preventing workplace injuries and deaths by investigating select fatalities and sharing hazards and prevention recommendations.
Speaking during a May 4 kickoff webinar for the 13th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, Donald Peterson, the director of the Division of Safety Research at NIOSH, responded to an attendee question about including more states in the program.
“My wish would be yes,” Peterson said. “We’re currently going through some strategy as to understanding where FACE has been in terms of the program – its successes, its gaps, limitations and so forth – and where it’s going.
“Part of that strategy and review is really understanding if there’s opportunities for us as an institute to look at engaging more states in participating in the program.”
State health and labor departments began participating in the program in 1989, conducting investigations and issuing recommendations at the state level. California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Washington currently participate.
Peterson said these states “have been great partners through the years.”
He added: “I’d like to see more states in the future become involved. And I would also like to see us – as we look at the future, the next chapter of the FACE Program for NIOSH – remain engaged with investigations and partnering with the various states.”
