Assessment of Occupational Health and Safety Needs in U.S. Public Health Region 6: National Implications for Research, Training, and Outreach
Sarah Felknor, Rebecca Klaff, George DelclosObjective.
Assess occupational health and safety (OHS) workforce needs across Public Health Region 6 (PHR 6)—Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas—to identify gaps, priorities, and capacity-building opportunities and to inform national OHS priorities.
Methods.
A mixed-methods needs assessment integrated stakeholder engagement, national OHS professional and alumni surveys, federal dataset analysis, Education and Research Center (ERC) program records, literature review, and job market surveillance.
Results.
Demand for OHS professionals is projected to grow, particularly for safety specialists and industrial hygienists. Key unmet needs include mental health, workplace violence prevention, and exposure assessment. PHR 6 also experiences high occupational fatality rates and climate-related environmental burdens.
Conclusions.
Sustained investment in workforce development, interdisciplinary training, and outreach is essential to advance worker health equity and inform national OHS priorities.