Program Goals

A key leadership role for the Hearing Loss Prevention Program is the development of goals for preventing hearing loss through exposure to occupational noise and other occupational hearing hazards. The Hearing Loss Prevention Program is in the process of developing goals to guide NIOSH research and partnership efforts over the next decade.

NIOSH Program Portfolio Approach

NIOSH organizes its research, guidance, information, and service efforts into specific programs that can be readily communicated and strategically governed and evaluated. Ten sector programs represent industrial sectors, and seven cross-sector programs are organized around health and safety outcomes. There are also numerous core and specialty programs that represent special emphasis areas, methodological approaches, core activities and legislatively mandated programs.

The sector programs intersect with cross-sector programs in a matrix-like fashion, with relevant Core and Specialty Programs playing a supporting role. For example, an Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Program goal of reducing farm-related deaths and injuries due to tractor rollovers and trucks would likely be a shared goal with the Traumatic Injury Prevention Program and if appropriate would be adopted by both programs. This approach provides an added advantage and will allow multiple Programs to work towards accomplishment of intersecting NIOSH goals.

Below are the current goals for the Nation developed during the second decade of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA).

Hearing Loss Prevention Program Strategic Goals for Intramural Research

• Strategic Goal 1: Improve surveillance
• Strategic Goal 2: Reduce Noise emission levels from equipment
• Strategic Goal 3: Develop hearing protector technology
• Strategic Goal 4: Develop best practice for hearing loss prevention programs
• Strategic Goal 5: Identify hearing loss risk factors
• Strategic Goal 6: Develop updated hearing damage risk criteria that are predictive of hearing thresholds resultant from noise exposures incurred during youth and adolescence as well as adulthood.

Hearing Loss Prevention Program Priority Strategic Goals for NIOSH-funded Extramural Research

The NIOSH Hearing Loss Prevention Program selected the following strategic goals as particularly suited for extramural research during fiscal year 2017:

• Strategic Goal 2: Reduce noise emission levels from equipment.
• Strategic Goal 3: Develop hearing protector technology.
• Strategic Goal 4: Develop best practices for hearing loss prevention programs.

Those seeking NIOSH grants to conduct studies related to the Hearing Loss Prevention Program can view the current funding opportunities.