The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is in the process of establishing and evaluating performance measures for each of its research programs. As a part of the process, NIOSH requested that the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine review the programs and assess their impact, relevance, and future directions on improving occupational safety and health.

The framework committee established a series of metrics which were used to evaluate:

• progress in reducing workplace illness and injuries through occupational safety and health research;
• progress in targeting new research to the areas of occupational safety; and
• significant emerging research areas that appear especially important in terms of their relevance to the mission of NIOSH.

Individual study committees examined the following specific research programs:

• Hearing Loss Prevention
• Mining Safety and Health
• Respiratory Disease
• Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing
• Traumatic Injury
• Health Hazards Evaluation Program
• Construction
• Personal Protective Technology