NORA 2008 Partnering Award Honors Research Teamwork for Safe Lifting of Patients, Protecting Beryllium Workers

Contact: Fred Blosser (202) 245-0645
July 29, 2008

The NORA Partnering Award 2008 was presented on July 29 for two collaborations that represent exemplary teamwork, innovative thinking, and strong science in conducting and applying research for the prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses.

The award was presented at NORA Symposium 2008, sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Mountains and Plains Education and Research Center. The symposium convened researchers and practitioners from across the country representing government, industry, labor, and academia. The researchers and practitioners have teamed under the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) to stimulate, develop, and use the products of new research to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths.

Recipients of the NORA Partnering Award 2008 are:

• A team effort that developed, applied, and evaluated a curriculum for schools of nursing in techniques and mechanical aids for lifting and moving patients safely. Partners included the American Nurses Association, the Veterans Health Administration, NIOSH, 29 schools of nursing (including the University of Nevada, the University of Washington, and Kent State University), and six vendors. The evaluation of the curriculum found that educators’ and students’ knowledge of risks and interventions improved significantly when it was used, as did their intention to use mechanical lifting devices for preventing back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders.
• A partnership by scientists from NIOSH and Brush Wellman Inc that included study design, data gathering, data analysis, manuscript preparation and the design of research-to-work practice efforts relating to a new model for working safely with beryllium and materials that contain beryllium. This partnership actively included workers who provided direct counsel and information to both Brush Wellman and NIOSH scientists, both together and separately. The partnership emphasized research-to-practice in implementing the model for reducing beryllium sensitization in new employees.

“Progress in keeping men and women safe and healthy on the job is impossible without smart research, and research in turn depends on partnerships to leverage scarce resources,” said NIOSH Acting Director Christine Branche, Ph.D. “We are proud that NORA continues to be the national blueprint and driving force for building such partnerships, and for moving the products of research into workplace practice.”

More information about the NORA Partnering Award 2008 is available at www.cdc.gov/nora/symp08/award08.html . Further information about NORA can be found at www.cdc.gov/nora/.