Key points
- The NIOSH Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Program prepares for, responds to, and researches chemical, biological, radiological and natural disasters.
- The Program integrates occupational safety and health into emergency planning and response to protect response and recovery workers.
Overview
To Learn More
The Program functions coordinates NIOSH emergency preparedness and response activities and provides occupational safety and health assistance during emergencies.
Program priorities
EPR program priorities are strongly shaped by current events. The unpredictable nature of emergency response work means the program must remain flexible and be responsive to new focus areas and objectives that emerge from newly issued federal policy, plans, and initiatives; responses to emergencies; national level exercises; and emergency supplemental funding.
The EPR program has selected research priorities on the basis of burden, need, and impact and collaborated with other NIOSH research programs to write the research goals in the NIOSH Strategic Plan for FYs 2019-2026. Priority areas include (but are not limited to):
- Reducing cancer and cardiovascular disease
- Reducing work-related respiratory diseases
- Preventing infectious disease transmission and exposure to elicit drugs
- Preventing PTSD, suicide, and depression
- Preventing pathogen transmission
- Reducing work-related asthma
- Reducing traumatic injuries
- Reducing respiratory diseases
- Reducing traumatic injuries
- Preventing zoonotic disease transmission
What we've accomplished
In 2022-2023, the Program:
- 2022 Mpox outbreak: created Workplaces and Businesses Toolkit and supported the development of Mpox risk tables, community and healthcare infection prevention control guidance.
- 2022 Ebola response: prepared NIOSH staff to deploy as part of CDC's Emergency Response Team and updated PPE and cleaning and decontamination guidance.
- Ukraine Regional Response: provided information on CBRN for rapid response teams and field responders.
- Improved ability to respond to a nuclear/radiological incident by participating in Cobalt Magnet 2022, a national-level exercise.
- Deployed 500+ NIOSH staff to the COVID-19 response who contributed 108,000+ days developing 100+ guidance and communication products.
- Created an implementation plan for the Ryan White Act Emergency Responder Notification Compliance Program.
What's ahead
In the future, the Program aims to:
- Develop a roadmap to update ERHMS™ Technical Assistance Document, promote trainings, and share new tools with partners.
- Convert COVID-19 recommendations into guidance that may be used during future emergency preparedness and response events.
- Implement Emergency Response Employee Exposures to Infectious Disease Program to encourage compliance with the Ryan White Act of 2009.
- Update DSRR Program’s Strategic Framework to incorporate lessons learned from the COVID-19 response.