GLOBAL COLLABORATIONS

Program Description

The mission of the NIOSH Global Collaborations Program is to contribute to the reduction of occupational diseases, injuries, and fatalities among all workers employed in the U.S. and globally through cultivating international partnerships and sharing of pertinent information. The program strives to fulfill its mission through:

• High Quality Research: NIOSH and its international partners continually strive for high-quality research and prevention activities that will lead to reductions in occupational injuries and illnesses among all workers.
• Practical Solutions: NIOSH and its international partners are committed to developing practical solutions to the complex problems that cause occupational diseases, injuries, and fatalities among all workers.
• Partnerships and International Partners: NIOSH is committed to building and maintaining collaborative partnerships with international organizations in labor, industry, and government, as well as with other interested stakeholders. Fostering these partnerships is a cornerstone of the NIOSH Global Collaborations Program and is essential for achieving successful outcomes.
• Research to Practice (r2p): The NIOSH Global Collaborations Program contributes to a strategy of transferring and translating research findings into prevention practices and products that will be adopted in occupational settings. This contribution occurs through international research, technical assistance, capacity building, and information sharing.

The NIOSH Global Collaborations Program addresses the third strategic goal of the NIOSH Strategic Plan 2010–2015. The Program serves as the coordinating focal point for working with international partners and organizations on research, technical assistance, information, communication, and education issues.

Goal 3: Enhance global occupational safety and health through international collaborations

• Take a leadership role in developing a global network of occupational health centers.
• Investigate alternative approaches to reducing occupational illness and injury and provide technical assistance to put solutions in place.
• Build global professional capacity to address occupational hazards through training, information sharing, and research experience

Cross Sector Program Relationship to Sectors

The NIOSH Global Collaborations Program benefits the NORA Sector Research Councils in many ways. It provides information about the efforts being conducted by international organizations and international partners to develop solutions to cross-cutting occupational safety and health problems. It also provides the Councils with an opportunity to partner with these organizations and work together to reduce diseases, injuries, and fatalities in occupational settings. This collective sharing of information and solutions benefits workers in the U.S. and abroad.

Workplace issues important to U.S. workers are also critically important for workers in other countries. The Global Collaborations Program benefits workers nationally and globally from collaborations addressing the strategic goals of the ten NORA Sectors and of the twenty-four NIOSH Cross-Sector Programs that were developed with a focus on U.S. workers. Collaborations, partnerships, and information exchange with global partners on sustainable specific projects and in areas of mutual interest can advance the filling of knowledge gaps and enhance the health and safety of workers both in the U.S. and in other countries. U.S. workers in formal employment benefit especially from the occupational health and safety advances occurring in other developed nations. U.S. workers in small enterprises and the informal sector have always been challenging to reach successfully; new approaches become apparent from occupational health and safety activities in emerging and developing nations. Special benefit is possible for immigrant workers in the U.S., as culturally appropriate information and approaches are needed. The sharing of NIOSH and other U.S. successes in occupational health and safety provides benefits to workers everywhere.

Resources:

NAICS Sectors
The work of the NIOSH Global Collaborations Program to prevent occupational disease and injury contributes to all North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Sectors of formal employment in the U.S.

International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC-Rev.3)
Global data by sector are organized by the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities (ISIC-Rev.3). The NIOSH Global Collaborations Program contributes to the informal sector [PDF - 623 KB] where the majority of workers in developing nations, and some workers in industrialized nations, are working.

Bureau of Labor Statistics “Industry at a Glance” Profile
The “Industry at a Glance” profile from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides detailed information on employment, wages, productivity, and outlook for employment in all sectors in the U.S.

LABORSTA
Similar data for over 200 countries and territories can be found in LABORSTA, an International database on labor statistics of the International Labor Organization (ILO).