The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Construction Sector Council (Sector Council) brings together individuals and organizations to share information, form partnerships, and promote adoption and dissemination of solutions that work. The sector council seeks to facilitate the most important research, understand effective intervention strategies, and learn how to implement those strategies to achieve sustained improvements in workplace practice.

To further these efforts, the Sector Council meets twice a year and continues its work between meetings through work groups established to address priority areas.  There are currently two work groups:

• Preventing Falls
• Preventing Struck-by Injuries/Fatalities

 

If you are interested in joining one of these work groups, please reach out to the Construction Sector Coordinator or NORA Coordinator to volunteer.

NORA Construction Sector Council Meetings

At each meeting, presentations are made on the priority areas and issues facing the industry. To make the materials covered more readily accessible, starting with the November 20-21, 2019 Sector Council meeting, links to publicly available presentations and supporting documentation will be posted on this web page.

 

Wednesday, May 15, 2024 – Presentations/Topics

• NIOSH Construction Program Update
• National Construction Center: Opioids and Suicides Plan
• Prevention Through Design Research
• Field Robotics on Construction Sites
• Reproductive Hazards in Construction
• Mental Health Interventions and Suicide 
• Work-Related Fatigue 

 

Tuesday, November 28 and Wednesday, November 29, 2023– Presentations/Topics

• National Construction Center Update
• NIOSH Construction Program Update
• OSHA  Construction Update
• NIOSH Mining Program
• NIOSH Noise Control Project
• Ladder Safety Research at the University of Pittsburgh
• Expanding NORA Construction Sector Program Impact Discussion
• Evaluation of Knee Savers for Reducing Joint Load during Squatting
• Respond Ready Workplace: Engage Workplace Leaders in Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
• Noise exposure in steel stud construction: Characterizations and Tool Limit Guidance

 

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 – Presentations/Topics

• National Construction Center Update
• NIOSH Construction Program Update
• Reaching Hispanic Construction Workers
• Psychosocial Factors in Construction
• OSHA Directorate of Construction Update
• Hardhat and Helmet Research
• NIOSH Mining program/MSHRAC   
• The Hispanic Workforce Perception

 

Wednesday, November 16, and Thursday, November 17, 2022– Presentations/Topics

• National Construction Center Update
• Protecting Temporary Workers: Best Practices 
• Opioid Guidelines and the Construction Industry
• Preventing Suicide and Promoting Mental Health 
• Combatting Suicide and Overdose Fatalities
• PtD approaches US vs. UK 
• OSHA Directorate of Construction Update
• KY Labor Cabinet OSH
• Enhanced Pre-task Planning: Electrical Tasks

 

Wednesday, June 8, 2022 – Presentations/Topics

• National Construction Center Update
• NIOSH Construction Program and NORA
• NIOSH Construction Program Update
• Heat Related Illness
• Heat Illness in the Workplace: Unexpected Places
• OSHA Directorate of Construction Update
• Falls Work Group Update
• Struck-by Work Group Update
• Prevention through Design (PtD) in Construction
• Opioids and Mental Health
• Opioids and Mental Health: Combat Opioid and Suicide Epidemic
• BLS Data Collection and Sharing Issues
• WTW Construction Safety and Risk Control
• Breakdown of Funding from IIJA

 

Tuesday, November 16, and Wednesday, November 17, 2021 – Presentations/Topics

• National Construction Center Update
• NIOSH Construction Program Update
• Silica Health Hazard Evaluations
• Falls Work Group Update
• Struck-by Work Group Update
• COVID-19 Work Group Update
• OSHA Directorate of Construction Update
• NIOSH Update on Personal Protection Equipment and Technology Initiatives
• COVID-19 
• Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings
• Title 8: Protection from Wildfire Smoke
• FACE Update
• NORA Construction Sector Council

 

Tuesday, November 17 and Wednesday, November 18, 2020 – Presentations/Topics

• National Construction Center Update
  • Heat-related deaths among construction workers in the United States
• NIOSH Construction Program Update
• NIOSH Work on Respirators/Masks
• FACE Update
  • Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program
• DSR Fall Safety Research
• COVID-19 Work Group Update
  • Efficacy of face masks, neck gaiters and face shields for reducing the expulsion of simulated cough-generated aerosols
  • White Paper – Proposed Ventilation and Energy Efficiency Verification/Repair Program for School Reopening
• ANSI/ISEA 107-2020 Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel and Headwear
• OSHA Directorate of Construction Update
  • OSHA’s Variance Program
• MSD Prevention in Construction
• Falls Work Group Update
• Struck-by Work Group Update
  • OSHA Construction Incidents Investigation Engineering Reports
• Ladder Safety Work Research
• Close Call Reporting and Leading Indicators
  • Characterising near misses and injuries in the temporary agency construction workforce: qualitative study approach
• Smoking Cessation and Total Worker Health
  • Managing Cultural Diversity at U.S. Construction Sites: Hispanic Workers’ Perspectives
  • Satisfying the Need for Diversity Training for Hispanic Construction Workers and Their Supervisors at US Construction Workplaces: A Case Study

 

Wednesday, November 20 and Thursday, November 21, 2019 – Presentations/Topics

• CPWR – National Construction Center Update
• Laborers’ Health and Safety Issues
• Virtual Safety Consultant Update and Small Business Interviews
• FACE Update
• Helmet/Hard Hat Research Update
• NECA and Electrical Safety in Construction
• Aging Workers in Construction
• Recent CPWR Quarterly Date Report (QDR) Highlights
  • 3^rd Quarter 2019 QDR Trends of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Interventions in the Construction Industry
• NIOSH Update
  • Wearable Technologies for Improved Safety and Health on Construction Sites
  • The Safety Climate Assessment Tool (S-CAT) for Construction
  • Preventing Trenching Fatalities
• FACE Report Analysis-Ladder Falls
• OSHA Update
  • The OSHA Inspection Process (English and Spanish)
• NIOSH Occupational Exposure Banding Process and e-Tool