"The purpose of this publication is to provide an overview of current research projects that are conducted or funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that focus on reducing work-related hazards in the health care industry. These projects have been divided into three main categories: 1. Research projects focused on achieving a better understanding of workplace hazards. 2. Intervention projects intended to develop prevention strategies for creating a safer work environment. 3. Surveillance projects to collect, analyze, and interpret data for use in establishing priorities for investigation and intervention. The research projects have been further subdivided according to their particular area of study within these categories: 1. Biological hazards studies focus on health care workers' occupational exposures to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other bloodborne pathogens (BBP), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB), respiratory diseases, and several other biological hazards. 2. Chemical hazards research projects concern health care workers occupational exposures to natural rubber latex (NRL), glutaraldehyde, ethylene oxide (EtO), and other hazardous chemicals. 3. Physical hazards studies examine the effects of physical stressors or physical work factors, ionizing/ nonionizing radiation, and violence in the workplace. 4. Psychosocial hazards research projects examine the possible occupational hazards that health care workers may encounter due to factors such as work schedules and socioeconomic position. At the end of the document, projects that are focused on a specific health care worker population (e.g., home health care worker) or a particular workplace setting (e.g., dental office) are listed for ease in identifying projects related to specific interests. NIOSH-funded health care worker projects are either conducted by NIOSH researchers or in cooperation with outside research institutions, or through research grants. Those projects being conducted through the NIOSH grant program have the Principal Investigator listed as the project contact. All other projects list the NIOSH researcher as the project contact." - NIOSHTIC-2

NIOSTIC No 20022314