The Ideal Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Research Program - Agriculture Forestry and Fishing Research at NIOSH - page 18

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The Ideal Agriculture, Forestry, and
Fishing Research Program
As its first step in evaluating the National Institute of Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Research Program (AFF
Program), the committee was directed by the Framework Document to indepen-
dently identify the major program challenges for an occupational safety and health
research program in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. The committee relied on
surveillance findings and its expert judgment to determine the major components
of an “ideal” research program that would cut across the three sectors. This chap-
ter outlines the committee's deliberations regarding the ideal safety and health
research program in agriculture, forestry, and fishing and provides a methodology
for the program to fulfill its congressional mandate. The committee used the ideal
program as a benchmark to measure the goals and activities of the existing NIOSH
AFF Program, which is assessed in Chapters 3-10.
OVERARCHING PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS
The ideal NIOSH AFF Program would have adequate resources to set priorities
among and accomplish the congressionally stated goals of surveillance, research,
and intervention through (1) identification and characterization of injuries and ill-
ness and detailed characterization of populations at risk through surveillance ; (2)
identification and characterization of special populations and the unique health
and safety risks they face; (3) identification and characterization of health effects
associated with chemical, physical, and biological agents encountered in agricul-
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