Program Impact

NIOSH is strongly committed to program evaluation as a way to maximize its contributions to improved occupational safety and health. Regular review of program activities, outputs, and outcomes is essential to demonstrating program performance. The Hearing Loss Prevention Program conducts reviews and shares program impact in a variety of ways.

Program Performance One-pager

Program Performance One-Pagers (PPOPs) are a snapshot of NIOSH programs’ priorities, strategies used to make progress towards priorities, recent accomplishments, and upcoming work.

Hearing Loss Prevention Program Performance One-Pager

Impact Sheet

Impact Sheets briefly describe an occupational safety or health hazard, the specific NIOSH or NIOSH-funded research activity that was conducted to address the hazard, the resulting impact or recommendations, and relevant statistics.

Measuring How Well Earplugs Work

Program Reviews

NIOSH understands that external expert review is one of the most valid and accepted methods of evaluating research programs. Consequently, NIOSH requested that the National Academies evaluate NIOSH research programs with respect to their impact, relevance, and future directions. The National Academies was asked to evaluate what NIOSH research programs are producing and to determine the extent to which NIOSH research is responsible for changes in the workplace that reduce the risk of occupational injuries, illnesses, and deaths. More information is available at the National Academies Evaluation of NIOSH Research Programs page, including the report created by the Hearing Loss Prevention Program (then called the Hearing Loss Research Program).

In response to the National Academies recommendations, the NIOSH Hearing Loss Prevention program developed a strategic plan that was presented to the NIOSH Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) in 2007 and has been reviewed by the BSC in 2011, 2013 and 2014. The progress report contained information regarding the progress as of 2014 that has been made by the Hearing Loss Research Program on implementing select National Academies’ recommendations. The score sheet contains the scores and justifications provided by the NIOSH Board of Scientific Counselors on the Hearing Loss Research Program’s progress toward implementing select National Academies’ recommendations.