RTI International, the Research Triangle Park think-tank, won a contract to identify ways to reduce and prevent workplace injuries and illnesses.
The 5-year contract with the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety is worth up to $3.7 million. RTI researchers will provide NIOSH with analytical and technical support, conduct research and analysis, and evaluate existing programs.
In 2007, more than 4 million U.S. workers were injured or sick as a result of their work and more than 5,500 people died as a result of work-related injuries. RTI reported. These injuries include slips and falls, needle stick puncture wounds, workplace violence, hearing loss, and motor vehicle accidents, as well as illnesses ranging from asthma to cancer.
"The more we can understand about how and why workplace injuries and illnesses occur, the better we will be able to develop ways to reduce and prevent such accidents and injuries in the future," said Kristina Peterson, a senior survey manager at RTI and the project's director, in a prepared statement.
RTI will team up with occupational ergonomists, industrial hygienists, occupational nurses and others. RTI is also partnering with the Ergonomics Center of North Carolina, the Ergonomics Laboratory of Iowa State University, and the WORKSAFE IOWA Occupational Medicine Associates Network to provide specialized services.
Assistant Business Editor Alan M. Wolf joined the N&O in 1999 covering the business of health care. He became an editor in 2001, and helps oversee the paper's daily business coverage and Sunday Work&Money section. He lives in Clayton with his wife and two children. Reach him at 919-829-4572 or