Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health – Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety and Health

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hegmann KT
• Description:
  The RMCOEH is an energetic, innovative and growing Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Education and Research Center (ERC) housed at the University of Utah since 1977. We are one of only two ERCs in Region 8 (UT, CO, WY, MT, ND, SD), although these states are the worst region for occupational fatalities and thus having urgent needs for more OSH professionals. In the past grant period, we have made major progress, including multiple pieces of Legislation supporting (OSH) training [e.g., Senate Bill (S.B.) 3, 2015 Utah General Legislative Session to support initiation of a BS in OSH program], along with growth and quality of our programs. We have 5 OSH degree programs [MOH, MSOH, PhD in OEH (3 emphases: IH, OIP and general OEH); MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering]. We are uniquely honored with 2 OSH endowed chairs (one each in OSH and mining safety). The RMCOEH has academic programs in Ergonomics and Safety (E&S), Industrial Hygiene (IH), Occupational Injury Prevention Research Training (OIPRT), and Occupational Medicine (OM). We have a Research Training Core including Targeted Research Training Program (TRT) and Pilot Projects Research Training (PPRT). We have a robust Outreach Core, including Continuing Education (CE). RMCOEH curricula includes Occupational Health Nurses to emphasize their importance in OSH. The RMCOEH enjoys unparalleled collaborative relationships with businesses, trade groups, employee groups, governmental units, healthcare organizations, worker's compensation insurers, and community groups, and these interactions foster an atmosphere that facilitates state-of-the art training for OSH professionals. These relationships provide the external "laboratories" to test critical research theories and develop innovations to provide safer and healthier workplaces. RMCOEH also has the requisite infrastructure to support the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), and Research to Practice (r2p) research missions. RMCOEH's steadily growing Outreach and CE programs promote and publicize efficacious strategies, helping ensure knowledge is translated into practice. RMCOEH is primarily housed in the Department of Family & Preventive Medicine (DFPM), University of Utah (UofU) School of Medicine. The RMCOEH's E&S Program and one-half of each of the OIPRT Program (the Occupational Safety Emphasis) and TRT are housed in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. The Center's Statistical and Economic Evaluation Unit (SEEU) is housed in the Department of Internal Medicine, while including other faculty with biostatistical, economic, epidemiological and business expertise. RMCOEH has collaborative relationships with other UofU entities that include the College of Nursing, College of Health (Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Community Health, Exercise and Sport Science, Foods and Nutrition, Health Promotion and Education), Public Health Programs (DFPM), School of Business, College of Mining, and the Departments of Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and numerous other departments at the School of Medicine. The RMCOEH also has collaborative ties with the sole Training Program Grantee (TPG) in Region 8 (Montana Tech), the other ERC (Mountains & Plains), and with the next seven largest universities (Boise State, BYU, BYU-ID, Idaho, Utah State, UVU, and Weber State Universities). These extensive collaborative ties support our training, research and service missions. The RMCOEH has seven Program Directors (CE, IH, E&S, OIPRT, OM, and Outreach; Dr. Handy also directs the TRT). Along with the Center Director, Deputy Director and SEEU Director (Dr. Murtaugh), they constitute the Center Executive Committee (CEC), which meets monthly and as needed between meetings. Ad hoc CEC members are the Associate Director, IT Professional and Technical Writer. The RMCOEH has a large, active and robust Advisory Board that includes representatives from all major stakeholders. The Advisory Board meets at least twice a year. The Director, Deputy Director, or other faculty meet with the Advisory Board Executive Committee periodically as circumstances necessitate. The vibrancy of the RMCOEH is hard to translate onto paper, but perhaps it may be best exemplified by three major facts. First, our students are highly sought after, with nearly all placements occurring prior to graduation. The feedback from both our alumni and their supervisors, including those in major U.S. governmental organizations, is that they are better prepared than counterparts trained elsewhere. Second, our research programs have expanded in scope and impacts, with a tripling of our rates of publications. Third, the importance of this ERC and its students is exemplified by the continuing passage of a series of nine unsurpassed legislative bills in support of OSH! These legislative efforts are the brainchildren of RMCOEH Advisory Board members. These are then translated into draft legislation and successfully passed by other RMCOEH Advisory Board members [the late Senator Ed Mayne (D), Senator Karen Mayne (D) and/or Senator Curt Bramble (R)] including assistance from three members who are lobbyists. This has already resulted in over $5.8 M in support that has allowed expansion of our programs. These legislative bills are groundbreaking. Other ERCs are discussing templating these methods. It is only through the major interactions between the RMCOEH Center Administration, Center Executive Committee, Advisory Board, and the business, labor, trade, governmental and employee communities that we are able to achieve support of our mission, address regional needs, and achieve our goals and produce a vibrant RMCOEH. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Education And Research Centers ERCs Industrial Hygiene Occupational Medicine Training Worker Health
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 8 ; Utah
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-61
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067276
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, T42-OH-008414, 2018 Sep; :1-61
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Utah
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:688633f57b1d054b37c1f76c251c0ed363489ac5df1bd42ee3135b5168d0eb74a2d0fe35c62a55455b0481ea1baecb91aac16fbab511905c6cf5a64d805f91bf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219192/cdc_219192_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 620.98 KB ]