Risk Evaluation in Occupational Safety and Health Research: Results from a Benchmarking Exercise of Federal and Academic IRBs

Sarah A Felknor; Jessica M K Streit; Angela M Morley; John D Piacentino

doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000003083

Risk Evaluation in Occupational Safety and Health Research: Results from a Benchmarking Exercise of Federal and Academic IRBs

J Occup Environ Med. 2024 Feb 29. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003083. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Sarah A Felknor¹, Jessica M K Streit², Angela M Morley³, John D Piacentino⁴

Affiliations

¹ Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
² Office of Research Integration, Office of the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA.
³ Associate Director for Science Office, Office of the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, DC 20024, USA.
⁴ Deputy Director for Program, Office of the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, DC 20024, USA.

PMID: 38437688
DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003083

Abstract

Objective: Research involving working populations can pose unique ethical and risk evaluation challenges. The purpose of this benchmarking project was to assess how federal agencies and academic institutions approach the interpretation and application of key risk evaluation concepts in research involving workers in their places of employment.

Methods: Key informant interviews were conducted to ascertain current practices related to assessing soundness of research design, determining risk reasonableness and research-relatedness of risks, and evaluating the risk of non-invasive clinical tests in occupational settings.

Results: There were noteworthy commonalities among the approaches described to review and address critical aspects of risk evaluation for OSH research involving human participants.

Conclusions: The insights gleaned may help guide Institutional Review Boards and Human Research Protection Programs as they consider the ethical issues of human subjects research in occupational settings.