The College of Public Health and Human Sciences has established a formal partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies to work together to improve safety and health conditions in maritime workplaces in the United States.
The college’s researchers will work with the federal agency, which falls under the umbrella of the Centers for Disease Control, to study and address occupational and safety issues in the maritime industry; turn research results into practice to prevent workplace injuries; and share their findings with other researchers and within the industry.
Laurel Kincl, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at OSU, and current and past graduate students have been working with NIOSH for several years on maritime safety issues, including health and safety in the commercial fishing and seafood processing industries.
The new partnership, which runs through March 2022, formalizes Laurel’s connections with NIOSH researchers and provides more opportunities for OSU to participate in the federal agency’s national research and outreach programs.
“This partnership elevates the college and the university’s research program in marine studies and provides additional visibility and recognition for the work Laurel and other OSU researchers are doing in this arena,” says Marie Harvey, associate dean for research and graduate program in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences. “It’s a wonderful opportunity.”