Overall Program Assessment - Agriculture Forestry and Fishing Research at NIOSH - page 32

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Overall Program Assessment
INTRODUCTION
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing are three distinct sectors with disparate work-
force populations, relevant stakeholders, and occupational concerns. The commit-
tee initially attempted to conduct a separate evaluation of the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) research program in each of those
sectors. After considering information provided by the NIOSH Agriculture, For-
estry, and Fishing Research Program (the AFF Program) and discovering that
agricultural safety and health represented nearly 99% of the program's resources,
the committee decided instead to evaluate the AFF research program as a whole.
The committee focused its evaluation on research in agricultural safety and health
but also assessed safety and health efforts in forestry and fishing to the extent that
information was provided by NIOSH.
The committee provides an overall evaluation of the AFF Program's strategic
goals, including “external” factors that, although beyond the program's control,
affect its activities and performance. It then identifies other important activities
that the AFF Program ought to pursue and is pursuing: identifying and engag-
ing stakeholders, conducting health services research and training, carrying out
program evaluation initiatives, and providing input to public policy. Finally, the
committee highlights an element that in many ways has the characteristics of the
ideal AFF Program described in Chapter 2.
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