Prevention Through Design

摘要

Transformative. That's what some have suggested could be the long-term impact of NIOSH's Prevention Through Design (PtD) initiative. Some believe it will lead to a fundamental shift in the practice of safety resulting in greater emphasis being given to the higher and more effective decision-making levels in the hierarchy of controls. The goal of this initiative, founded on the need to "create a sustainable national strategy for prevention through design," is to "reduce the risk of occupational injury and illness by integrating decisions affecting safety and health in all stages of the design process." To move toward fulfillment of this mission, John Howard, M.D., 2002-08 director of NIOSH, said, "One important area of emphasis will be to examine ways to create a demand for graduates of business, architecture and engineering schools to have basic knowledge in occupational health and safety principles and concepts."