Emergency Preparedness and Response Office

Program Goals

A key leadership role for the Emergency Preparedness and Response Office is the development of goals for the protection of workers during emergencies. While the unpredictable nature of emergency response work makes it difficult to set goals in a traditional sense, EPRO seeks to fulfill the following aims in all its work:

• Reduce occupational illnesses and injuries among emergency response workers through reduced exposure to workplace hazards during public health emergencies and recovery activities
• Enhance the occupational safety and health of workers during public health emergencies and recovery activities through collaborations.
• Incorporate occupational safety and health strategies and protective recommendations in emergency preparedness and response plans and other preparedness activities.
• Ensure NIOSH staff are prepared to respond and are integrated into public health emergency responses.
• Promote and support timely and scalable responder-based disaster research.