Human factors Essay

Introduction The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)’s invention of Research to practice (R2P) was a totally a new initiative, it is served with the purpose of transferring and translating the institute’s research findings, its technologies and information by using highly effective practices of prevention and most common and available products which can are easily adopted in the workplace. Its research is aimed at using the necessary methods of prevention to reduce work-related musculosketal disorders (WMSDs). The initiative encourages management commitment, the anticipation of workers, it also trains them the necessary safety practices procedures and these helps them to identify, evaluate and control risk factors that relate to WMSDs (American Meat Institute and Ergo Tech, 1990). The main objective of the initiative is to reduce illness and injury is achieved by ensuring there is effective use of its research findings at workplaces (ANSI, 1996). In ensuring that their findings are achieved effectively they work closely with other partners like center for disease control (CDC), this facilitates its product development, translating its research findings into practice, target its dissemination efforts, and in evaluating practice effectiveness (ANSI, 1986), and this is clearly demonstrated by their efforts which have improved workplace health and safety in many organizations (American Meat Institute and Ergo Tech, 1990). Their research initiative is accomplished by making use of the following techniques: (a) Prioritizing: – their researches are aimed at addressing the most important and pertinent issues occupational, safety, health and injuries. (b) Partnering: since it realizes that it cannot achieve its targets alone, it carries out its research and works closely with both international and domestic partners to encourage work place practices adoption and use of research findings. (c) Targeting: – Its research findings are channeled into information products, in different presentation reports which is tailored mainly towards meeting the targeted audience. (d) Translation: – It ensures that their research findings are transferred and translated by using appropriate tools of presentation by making use of latest technology, and all the necessary information that will ensure adoption of required prevention practices and procedures. (e) Dissemination: It uses the latest communication science in guiding the movement of its research into the workplace. (f) Evaluation: It builds data collection into each program to determine its effectiveness in preventing work place injury and illness (ANSI, 1996). In order to ensure that the above initiative objectives are met, they make use of a variety of control methods of intervention to contain workplace hazards, their methods include ergonomic hazards. The control methods are: (a) It builds strategies aimed at reducing the potential conditions for hazards by making use of engineering controls. (b) By making use of administrative controls to ensure easy transition of workplaces practices, and the general management policies. (c) they encourage the use of any necessary personal equipment Conclusion NIOSH’s practices and activities highlight hazards and prevention strategies from diverse settings of work places. Their materials of practice are flexible and can be used either as a stand-alone curriculum or they get it incorporated into the already safety programs in practice (Astrand, & Rodahl, 1986). Their practice even includes a dedicated curriculum aimed at reducing occupational injuries and illness in young people. In helping teens, its activities have been extensively involved in pilot-testing by making use of high school teachers, job trainers and work coordinators all over the country to teach the youth, the basic occupational safety and health (Astrand, & Rodahl,1986). There is need for inclusion of behavioral issues in their research as relates to corporate social responsibility, this will help greatly in office ethics. References American Meat Institute and Ergo Tech, Inc. (1990). Setting up an ergonomics program: meat industry. Arlington, VA: American Meat Institute. ANSI, (1986). American national standard: guide for the measurement and evaluation of human exposure to vibration transmitted to the hand. New York, NY: American National Standards Institute, S3. 34 1986. ANSI, (1996). American national standard: control of work-related cumulative trauma disorders. Part I: upper extremities. New York, NY: American National Standards Institute, Z-365-1996. Unpublished draft. Astrand, P. and Rodahl K. (1986). Textbook of work physiology. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.