Department  of Health  and Human  Services 
OFFICE  OF 
INSPECTOR  GENERAL 
CENTERS  FOR  DISEASE  CONTROL  AND 
PREVENTIONS  EDUCATIONAL 
RESOURCE  CENTERS  OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL 
The  mission of the  Office of Inspector  General  (OIG),  as mandated  by Public  Law 95-452, as 
amended,  is to protect  the  integrity  of the  Department  of Health  and Human  Services (HHS) 
programs  as well as the  health  and welfare  of beneficiaries  served by those  programs.  This 
statutory  mission  is carried  out  through  a nationwide  network  of audits,  investigations,  and 
inspections  conducted  by three  OIG  operating  components:  the  Office of Audit  Semi=,  the 
Office of Investigations,  and the  Office of Evaluation  and Inspections.  The  OIG  also informs 
the  Secretary  of HHS  of program  and management  problems  and recommends  courses  to 
correct  them. 
OFFICE OF AUDIT  SERVICES 
The  OIGS  Office of Audit  SeMces  (OAS)  provides  all auditing  semices  for HHS,  either  by 
conducting  audits with its own audit  resources  or by overseeing  audit work  done  by others. 
Audits  examine  the  performance  of HHS  programs  and/or  its grantees  and contractors  in 
carrying out  their  respective  responsibilities  and are intended  to provide  independent 
assessments  of HHS  programs  and operations  in order  to reduce  waste,  abuse,  and 
mismanagement  and to promote  economy  and efficiency throughout  the  Department. 
OFFICE OF INVESTIGATIONS 
The  OIGS  Office of Investigations  (01)  conducts  criminal,  civil, and administrative 
investigations  of allegations  of wrongdoing  in HHS  programs  or to HHS  beneficiaries  and of 
unjust  enrichment  by providers.  The  investigative  efforts  of 01  lead to criminal  convictions, 
administrative  sanctions,  or civil money  penalties.  The  01  also ovecsees  State  Medicaid  fraud 
control  units which investigate  and prosecute  fraud  and patient  abuse  in the Medicaid  program. 
OFFICE OF EVALUATION  AND  INSPECIIONS 
The  OIGS  Office of Evaluation  and Inspections  (OEI)  conducts  short-term  management  and

program  evaluations  (called  inspections)  that  focus on issues of concern  to the  Department,

the  Congress,  and the  public.  The  findings  and recommendations  contained  in these  inspection

reports  generate  rapid,  accurate,  and up-to-date  information  on the  efficiency, vulnerability,

and effectiveness  of departmental  programs.

OEIS Atlanta  Regional  Office prepared  this report  under  the  direction  of Jesse  J. Flowers,

Regional  Inspector  General,  and Christopher  Koehler,  Deputy  Regional  Inspector  General.

Principal  OEI  staff included:

Atlanta  Retzion  Headmmrtem

Pegg  Daniel,  Project  Leader  Mary Beth  Clarke,  Program  Specialist

Ron  Kalil, Team  Leader  Dave  Wright,  Program  Specialist

Paula  Bowker,  Program  Analyst

Tammy Bonney,  Program  Analyst

To obtain  a copy of this report,  call the Atlanta  Regional  Office at 404-331-4108.
 Department  of Health  and Human  Services 
OFFICE  OF 
INSPECTOR  GENEML 
CENTERS  FOR  DISEASE  CONTROL  AND

PREVENTIONS  EDUCATIONAL

RESOURCE  CENTERS

psSERVIC&8 
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7 
GIBBS BROWN 
JUNE 
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%>d~a  OEI-04-92-00900  EXECUTIVE  SUMMARY

PURPOSE 
To  determine  the  extent  that  Educational  Resource  Center  graduates,  supported  by 
the  National  Institute  for Occupational  Safety  and  Health,  pursued  careers  in the 
occupational  safety  and  health  field. 
BACKGROUND 
The  National  Institute  for Occupational  Safety  and  Health  (NIOSH),  Centers  for 
Disease  Control  and  Prevention  (CDC),  provides  grant  funds  to  14 university-affiliated 
centers  that  provide  training  on occupational  safety  and  health.  The  centers,  known  as 
Educational  Resource  Centers  (ERCS),  were  initiated  in 1977 in response  to the 
Occupational  Safety  and  Health  Act  of 1970.  The  Act  mandated  that  the  Secretary  of 
Health  and  Human  Semites  ensure  an adequate  supply  of trained  professionals  for 
the  occupational  safety  and  health  field.  NIOSH  funding  for the  Centers  was $9 
million  in FY  1994. 
We  surveyed  all 14 ERCS  to determine  the  extent  that  Educational  Resource  Center 
graduates,  supported  by NIOSH,  pursued  occupational  safety  and  health  careers.  All 
14 ERCS  responded  to our  survey.  We  also randomly  sampled  205 graduates  to 
obtain  their  perception  on the  overall  effectiveness  of training  they  received.  About 
55 percent  (112)  of the  205 sampled  graduates  completed  and  returned  our  survey 
instrument. 
FINDINGS 
Most NIOSH-supprted gradiutmpureed  occupationalsafetyandhealthcareen 
According  to both  our  survey of ERCS  and  graduates,  at least  eighty-two  percent  of 
the  graduates  obtained  work  in the  occupational  safety  and  health  field.  At  9 of the 
14 ERCS,  over  90 percent  of NIOSH-supported  graduates  pursued  occupational  safety 
and  health  careers.  Of those  students  who graduated  during  the  5-year  period  (1989-
1994), 80 percent  are  still working  in their  chosen  occupational  safety  and  health  field. 
About halfof theNIOSH-supportedgraduatespumuedoccupationalsafetyandheakh 
careersiiaprivateogantitions 
Of the  928 NIOSH-supported  ERC  graduates  pursuing  occupational  safety  and  health 
careers  between  1989-1994, about  52 percent  pursued  careers  in private  organizations. 
Forty-five  percent  of the  graduates  pursued  careers  in government  or academia.  A 
very small  percentage  of graduates  are  in settings  other  than  private,  government,  or 
academia. 
i  NIOSH-suppti  graduutesconsiiikredEkihcatkmdResoume Cen&rtminbzgto be high 
Pm 
Seventy  percent  of the  responding  graduates  rated  the  quality  of educational  resource 
center  training  as excellent.  Ninety-four  percent  of graduates  told  us that  the  ERC 
training  adequately  prepared  them  for an occupational  safety  and  health  career. 
CONCLUSION 
As mandated  by the  Occupational  Safety  and  Health  Act  of 1970, ERCS  successfully 
train  and  graduate  students  for careers  in occupational  safety  and  health.  We  are 
making  no recommendations  but  have  included  in our  report  a number  of suggestions 
from  graduates  for improving  the  curriculum. 
AGENCY  COMMENTS 
The  CDC/NIOSH  concurred  with the  findings  of our  report.  Appendix  C shows the 
full text  of CDCS comments. 
ii  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS

PAGE 
ExEcumm  SUMMARY 
INTRODUCTION  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...   Qo.  co  o.  1

.................0 
FINDINGS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Most  NIOSH-Supported  Graduates  Pursued

Occupational  SafetyandHealth  Careers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...3

About  Halfof  NIOSH-Supported  Graduates  Pursued

Careers  in Private  Organizations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..000.6

NIOSH-Supported  Graduates  Considered  Trainingto

be  High  Quality  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...  .-.*6

Educational  Resource  Centers  Are  Successful  in

Supplementing  NIOSHFunding.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...8

CONCLUSION  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...8

AGENCY  CO Moment  s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...8

APPENDICES 
NIOSH-Funded  Educational  Resource  Centers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  A-1

Analysis  of Respondents  vs. Non-Respondents  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  B-1

CDC  Comments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..C-l  INTRODUCTION

PURPOSE

To determine  the  extent  that  Educational  Resource  Center  graduates,  supported  by

the  National  Institute  for Occupational  Safety  and  Health,  pursued  occupational  safety

and  health  careers.

BACKGROUND

The  National  Institute  for Occupational  Safety  and  Health  (NIOSH),  Centers  for

Disease  Control  and  Prevention  (CDC),  provides  grant  funds  to  14 university-affiliated

centers  that  provide  training  on occupational  safety  and  health.  The  centers,  known  as

Educational  Resource  Centers  (ERCS),  were  initiated  in  1977 in response  to the

Occupational  Safety  and  Health  Act  of 1970.  The  Act  mandated  that  the  Secretary  of

Health  and  Human  Services  ensure  an adequate  supply  of trained  professionals  for

the  occupational  safety  and  health  field.

The  Educational  Resource  Centers  administer  four  core  academic  programs
 --
industrial  hygiene,  occupational  medicine,  occupational  health  nursing,  and

occupational  safety.  Educational  Resource  Centers  provide  full and  part-time  career

training  for  students  pursuing  masters  and  doctoral  degrees  in occupational  safety  and

health.  The  Centers  also provide  cross-training  for practitioners  and  for students

pursuing  degrees  in other,  related  fields.

Grant  funds  are  awarded  to either  one  institution  or a consortia  of schools  which  must 
meet  requirements  for academic  training  in three  of the  four  core  programs.  The 
Centers  must  also provide  continuing  education  for practicing  professionals,  an 
outreach  program  to other  private  and  public  educational  institutions,  and 
multidisciplinary  interaction  among  students. 
Over  the  past  three  fiscal years,  NIOSH  funding  to ERCS has remained  fairly constant. 
For  example,  NIOSH  funded  the  ERCS  at $8.6, $9.1, and  $9.0 million  respectively  for 
FYs  1992, 1993, and  1994. 
METHOIXXDGY 
We  surveyed  all  14 ERCS.  We mailed  survey instruments  to  11 ERCS,  and  obtained 
information  from  the  3 remaining  ERCS  through  on-site  interviews.  Appendix  A 
identifies  the  14 NIOSH-supported  ERCS. 
To  determine  whether  or not  ERC  graduates  pursued  careers  in occupational  safety 
and  health  fields, we first asked  officials  at all 14 ERCS  to provide  data  showing 
number  of students  graduated  and  their  career  choices  over  the  last five years  (1989-
1
 1994).  Westratified  that  data  by(l)  core  program  [Industrial  Hy@ene,  Occupational 
Health  Nursing,  Occupational  Safety,  and  Occupational  Medicine],  (2) year,  and 
(3)individual  ERC.  Wethencalculated  percentage  ofstudents  pursuing  careersin 
the  occupational  safety  and  health  field. 
Next,  to obtain  graduates  perceptions  on ERC  training,  we randomly  selected  205 
graduates  from  13 of the  14 ERCS  during  the  5-year  period  (1989-1994).  We  excluded 
graduates  from  one  of the  14 ERCsbecause  university  policy precludes  release  of 
student  names  and  addresses. 
Resurveyed  thegraduates  in June  1995 toassess  theoverall  effectiveness  of the 
training  they  received  while  attending  an ERC.  Forexample,  weasked  them  (l)to 
rate  the  quality  of the  education  they  received,  and  (2) whether  or not  the  training 
prepared  them  for  an occupational  safety  and  health  career. 
One  hundred  twelve  of the  graduates  we surveyed  completed  and  returned  our 
questionnaire  (55 percent).  At the  90 percent  level  of confidence,  this gives us a 
precision  of  +/- 10 percentage  points.  Ninety-three  graduates  didnotrespond  to our 
survey.  We  concluded  from  our  analysis  of non-respondents  and  respondents  that 
there  is no significant  bias  in our  survey results  which  are  related  to  academic  core, 
year  of graduation,  or geographic  location  of the  Centers.  Appendix  B provides 
details  of this analysis. 
Finally,  we obtained  ERC  funding  data  from  CDC/NIOSH  officials  for  the  past  three 
fiscal years. 
To  develop  findings  for this report,  we weighted  graduate  responses  according  to the 
proportion  of graduates  in each  core  program  to the  total  ERC  population. 
This  inspection  was conducted  in accordance  with  Quality Standards for Iizspections 
issued  by the  Presidents  Council  on Integrity  and  Efficiency. 
2
 FINDINGS 
MOST NIOSH-SUPPORTED  GRADUATES  PURSUED  OCCUPATIONAL 
SAFETY  AND HEALTH  CAREERS 
Over80 PementOf NIOSH-SupportedGraduatesRusued OccupationalSafetyAnd 
H&  Carom Overlhe  Lust5Ym 
NIOSH-supported  graduates  pursuing  occupational  safety  and  health  careers  has 
remained  fairly constant  over  the  last five years.  Table  1 shows that,  according  to data 
furnished  by the  ERCS, between  84 and  91 percent  of the  graduates  pursued 
occupational  safety  and  health  careers  over  the  5 year  period  of our  study.  Likewise, 
a weighted  82 percent  of the  112 graduates  responding  to our  survey  told  us that  upon 
graduating  from  an ERC  they  obtained  work  in the  occupational  safety  and  health 
field. 
TABLE  1 
NIOSH-SUPPORTED  GRADUATES  PURSUING  OCCUPATIONAL  SAFETY 
AND HEALTH  CAREERS  ANNUAUY 
II 
Data Represents All 14 ERCS And 4 (he  Pro] 
=lEl
I!J!)@  1991- 1992- 1993- Total 5-
1991  1992  1993  1994  Years 
220  193  222  1,062
The  high  employment  rate  was obtained  even  though  the  ERCS did not  provide 
forma~ job  pla;ement  services.  A weighted  67 pe;cent  of the  graduates  responding 
to our  sumey  told  us that  their  ERC  did not  provide  formal  job  placement  services. 
They  said they  found  occupational  safety  and  health  careers  by word  of mouth, 
networking,  personal  contacts,  ads in professional  journals,  job  bulletin  boards,  and 
faculty  advisors.  The  ERCS we contacted  confirmed  the  lack  of formal  job  placement 
services.  However,  ERC  officials  advised  that  the  ERCS  do help  graduates  find career 
opportunities  through  informal  means.  For  example,  networking,  faculty  contacts, 
word  of mouth,  and  posting  job  announcements. 
3  At 9 Of l%e 14 Educatbnal  Resowce Ckn&mjOver90 Pexent Of NIOSH-Suppwted 
Gm&ates Rusued Occupdond  tifety And Health Carem 
Among  the  14 ERCS,  the  percentage  of NIOSH-supported  ERC  graduates  who 
pursued  occupational  safety  and  health  careers  ranged  from  52 to  100 percent  over 
the  last  5 years.  However,  Figure  1 shows that  between  92 and  100 percent  of the 
graduates  at 9 of the  ERCS pursued  occupational  safety  and  health  careers  during  the 
five year  period. 
FIGURE  1

PERCENT  OF  GRADUATES  PURSUING  CAREERS 
IN OCCUPATIONAL  SAFETY  AND  HEALTH 
6-Year  Period:  1989-1994

99  100100

98 
94

92 
84

78

68

14  Educational  Resource  Centers 
4
 iVIOSH-SqpmtedGraduutesRusutd Ckrem In Each Of Four Cbre Occupational 
SafetyAnd Hmkh Fields 
According  to data  furnished  by ERC  officials, graduates  find  careers  in each  of the 
four  occupational  safety  and  health  core  programs.  Table  2 shows that  over  the  five 
year  period  included  in our  survey, graduate  employment  ranged  from  75 percent  in 
the  Occupational  Safety  program  to 92 percent  in the  Industrial  Hygiene  program. 
TABLE  2 
NIOSH-SUPPORTED  GRADUATES  PURSUED  CAREERS  IN EACH 
CORE  PROGRAM 
Data Represents 5-Year  Period  1989-1994 For All 14 ERCs 
Mat  GraduatesT&  To Clmtime OccupationalSafep And Hedh  Careen 
According  to the  graduates  who responded  to our  survey, a weighted  80 percent  who 
graduated  between  1989 and  1994 were  still working  in their  chosen  occupational 
safety  and  health  field  at the  time  of our  survey.  The  ERC  officials we surveyed 
corroborated  the  statements  of the  graduates.  They  told  us that  based  on their  follow-
up  surveys, graduates  remained  employed  in the  occupational  safety  and  health  field 
for their  entire  careers  -- with few exceptions. 
5
 ABOUT  HALF  OF THE  NIOSH-SUPPORTED  GRADUATES  PURSUED 
OCCUPATIONAL  SAFETY  AND HEALTH  CAREERS  IN PRIVATE 
ORGANIZATIONS 
Of the  928 NIOSH-supported  ERC  graduates  pursuing  occupational  safety  and  health 
careers  between  1989-1994, about 
52 percent  pursued  careers  in private  organizations, 
b 
26 percent  pursued  careers  in government, 
b 
  19 percent  pursued  careers  in academia,  and 
b  3 percent  are  in settings  other  than  private,  government,  or academia. 
NIOSH-supported  graduates  who  did not  pursue  an occupational  safety  and  health 
career  did not  do so because  they were  (1) pursuing  other  degrees  (e.g. medical, 
doctoral),  (2) working  in another  field  (e.g., home  health  care),  or (3) staying  at home 
to raise  children. 
NIOSH-SUPPORTED  GRADUATES  CONSIDERED  EDUCATIONAL 
RESOURCE  CENTER  TRAINING TO BE HIGH QUALITY 
Almost  all graduates  perceived  educational  resource  center  training  to be  a high 
quality  academic  program.  Generally,  they  commented  that  the  Centers  used 
knowledgeable  and  experienced  faculty  and  provided  a comprehensive  well structured 
curriculum.  A weighted  70 percent  of the  graduates  responding  to our  survey  rated 
the  quality  of educational  resource  center  training  as excellent.  A weighted  20 percent 
rated  the  quality  as good,  9 percent  rated  it average,  and  about  1 percent  rated  it 
poor. 
lillucatiinudResoumeCeratemBepared GraduatesFor OccupationalSafey And Heallh 
Cizrem 
A weighted  94 percent  of graduates  responding  to our  survey  told  us that  the  ERC 
training  adequately  prepared  them  for an  occupational  safety  and  health  career.  A 
weighted  75 percent  of graduates  we surveyed  said  the  curriculum  was appropriately 
balanced  between  theory  and  hands-on  training  experience. 
6
 NIOSH-Supprted GraduatesSu~d  Implements  For%  Edkational Resource 
CknterCurkukm 
About  half  of the  graduates  suggested  improvements  for the  ERC  curriculum.  The 
changes  they  suggested  varied  by core  program  as summarized  below.  The  suggestions 
were  not  made  by all graduates  at all ERCS, but  merely  represent  a sampling  of 
suggested  improvements. 
Occupational  Health  Nursing 
	 Provide  more  hands-on  training  as well as more  exposure  to various 
occupational  clinical  sites 
	 Add  additional  courses  on workers  compensation,  toxicology,  orthopedics,  and 
epidemiology 
Include  more  information  on specific  OSHA  regulations  and  how to interpret 
b	
those  regulations 
Industrial  Hwziene 
Place  more  emphasis  on hazardous  waste  management 
b 
Provide  seminars  that  focus  on current  issues  and  new regulations  currently 
b	
affecting  the  industrial  hygiene  field 
Offer  courses  on indoor  air quality,  industrial  toxicology,  management  and 
b	
communication,  safety,  analytical  techniques,  and  sampling  strategies 
Occupational  Safetv 
b  Focus  more  on the  economic/loss  control  aspect  of curriculum  to better  prepare 
graduates  to sell safety  to management 
b  Increase  instruction  in industrial  hygiene 
Occu~ational  Medicine 
b  Include  toxicology  and  computer  courses 
  Expand  epidemiology  course 
b  Increase  clinical  exposure  ERC  officials  told  us that  in many  instances,  the  changes  suggested  by graduates  had 
already  been  implemented.  A few of the  graduates  also commented  that  some  of 
their  suggested  changes  had  been  implemented. 
EDUCATIONAL  RESOURCE  CENTERS  ARE  SUCCESSFUINL
SUPPUWENTING  NIOSH FUNDING 
Federal  regulations  published  by NIOSH/CDC  require  ERCS  to use  other  sources  of 
funds  to supplement  NIOSH  grant  funds.  Sources  for other  support  include  other 
Federal  grants,  States  and  other  public  agencies,  and  the  private  sector,  including 
grants  from  foundations  and  corporate  endowments,  and  gifts. 
During  the  1993-1994 program  year,  ERCS  obtained  $21.4 million  from  non-NIOSH 
sources  such  as Veterans  Administration,  Department  of Energy,  Chevron,  Eastman 
Kodak  and  individual  universities.  For  every  NIOSH  dollar,  ERCS  obtained  $2.35 
from  non-NIOSH  sources. 
Table  3 shows that  during  the  1993-1994 program  year,  non-NIOSH  funding  sources 
provided  70 percent  of the  funding  for ERCS. 
TABLE  3 
II  II 
SOURCES  OF FUNDING FOR EDUCATIONAL  RESOURCE  CENTERS 
1  1993-1994 Program Year  - AU 14 ERCS 
I 
I 
CDC/NIOSH  $9,093,587  30% 
I  I 
OTHER  FEDERAL  $11,899,866  3970  I 
I  I 
STATE  $6,436,058  21%  I 
I  1 
I PRIVATE/OTHER  $3,070,565  10?40 
1  ,
I  I  II 
IITOTAL  $30,500,167  10070 
CONCLUSION 
As mandated  by the  Occupational  Safety  and  Health  Act  of 1970, ERCS  successfully 
train  and  graduate  students  for careers  in the  occupational  safety  and  health  field.  We 
are  making  no recommendations  but  have  included  in our  report  a number  of 
suggestions  from  graduates  for improving  the  curriculum. 
AGENCY  COMMENTS 
The  CDC/NIOSH  concurred  with the  findings  of our  report.  Appendix  C shows the 
full text  of CDCS comments. 
8  APPENDIX  A

NIOSH-FUNDED  EDUCATIONAL  RESOURCE  CENTERS 
ERC NAME  CITY, STATE 
Deep South  Center  for Occupational  Health  and Safety  Birmingham,  AL

(University  of Alabama  at Birmingham;  Auburn  University)

Northern  California  Center  for Occupational  and Environmental  Berkeley,  CA

Health

(University  of California  at Berkeley,  Davis and San Francisco)

southern  California  Educational  Resource  Clmter  Los Angeles,  CA

(University  of southern  California,  Los Angeles)

The Great  Lakes  Center  for Occupational  and Environmental  Chicago,  IL

Health  and Safety

(University  of Illinois  at Chicago)

Johns  Hopkins  Educational  Resource  Center  Baltimore,  MD

(Johns  Hopkins  University)

Harvard  Educational  Resource  Center  Boston,  MA

(Harvard  School  of Public  Health  and Simmons  College)

Michigan  Center  for Occupational  Health  and Safety Engineering  Ann  Arbor,  MI

(University  of Michigan)

Midwest  Center  for Occupational  Health  and Safety  Minneapolis,  MN

(University  of Minnesota,  St. Paul-Ramsey  Medical  Center)

New York/New  Jersey Educational  Resource  Center  New York,  NY

(Mount  Sinai  School  of Medicine;  Hunter  College  School  of

Health  Sciences;  New Jersey  Institute  of Technolo~,  New York

University  Medical  Centeq  University  of Medicine  & Dentistry  of

New Jersey)

North  Carolina  Educational  Resource  Center  Chapel  Hill,  NC

(University  of North  Carolina,  Duke  University  Medical  Center)

University  of Cincinnati  Cincinnati,  OH

Southwest  Center  for Occupational  and Environmental  Health  Houston,  TX

(University  of Texas, Houston)

Rocky  Mountain  Center  for Occupational  and Environmental  Salt Lake  City, UT

Health

(University  of Utah)

Northwest  Center  for Occupational  Health  and Safety  Seattle,  WA

(University  of Washington)

A-1
 APPENDIX  B

ANALYSIS OF RESPONDEIVIll VS. NON-RESPOND= 
A consideration in surveys of this type  is that  the  results  may be biased  if non-
respondents  are  significantly  different  from  respondents.  To  determine  whether 
significant  differences  exist in this survey, we compared  academic  core  selection  by 
graduates,  year  of graduation,  and  geographical  location  of the  ERCS attended  by the 
112 respondents  and  93 non-respondents.  Our  analysis  revealed  no significant 
difference.  Therefore,  the  possibility  of bias due  to non-response  is limited. 
To  test  for bias  in respondents  versus  non-respondents,  we used  a Two-way 
Contingency  Table  analysis with the  Chi-Square  test.  We  calculated  the  expected 
values  for respondents  and  non-respondents  assuming  that  respondents  and  non-
respondents  are  independent. 
For  our  test  of bias by academic  core  program  and  geographical  location,  we chose  an 
alpha  value  of .05 with  3 degrees  of freedom.  That  produced  a Chi-Square  value  of 
7.815. 
Our  test  statistic  was 6.15 for our  analysis  by core  program.  This  leads  us  to  a 
conclusion  that  classification  of respondents  and  non-respondents  are  independent  by 
core  program. 
NON-RESPONDENT ANALYSIS 
BY  CORE  PROGRAM 
Occupati(malOccupmimullOcJalpationaIindustrial  TOTALS 
Sarely  Health  Medicine  Hygiene 
Nursing 
Sample  45  52  48  60  205 
#  of Respondents  19  33  30  30  112 
#  of Non- 26  19  18  30  93 
Respondents 
=  F 
B-1
 Our  test  statistic  for our  analysis  by geographical  location  was 2.557.  This  also leads 
us to a conclusion  that  classification  of respondents  and  non-respondents  are 
independent  by geographical  location. 
NON-RESPONDENT ANALYSIS

BY  ERC  IN FOUR  GEOGRAPHICAL  REGIONS

sample  #  of Respondents  #  of Non-
Respondents 
Northeast  46  22  24 
Southeast  41  20  21 
Midwest  62  36  26 
West  56  34  22 
TOTALS  205  112  93 
For  our  test  for bias based  on year  of graduation,  we chose  an  alpha  value  of .05 with 
4 degrees  of freedom.  That  produced  a Chi-Square  value  of 9.488.  We  used  4 
degrees  of freedom  for this test  because  we analyzed  5 categories  of data. 
Our  test  statistic  was 1.793.  This  leads  us to a conclusion  that  classification  of 
respondents  and  non-respondents  are  independent  by their  year  of graduation. 
NON-RESPONDENT ANALYSIS 
BY  YEAR 
1989-90  1990-91  1991-92  W92-93  1993-94  TOTALS 
Sample  46  34  42  45  38  205 
=  b 
#  of  22  19  26  25  20  112 
Respondents 
#  of Non- 24  15  16  20  18  93 
Respondents 
7  F 
B-2
 APPENDIX  C 
CDC COMMENTS 
c-1    :0  ID:4046390445  FEB  0996  15:07  No  .003  P.02 

/~~ 
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES  Public Health  Service 
i
;  Centers  for Disease  Control 
(CDCI 
%-4  and Prevention 
Memorandum 
. 
Date  ,  FEE?  6  Igg6 
From  Associate  Director  for Management  and  Operations,  . CDC 
CDC Comments on IG Draft Report  . 
Subject 
Peggy Daniel 
To 
Office of Inspector General 
Office of Evaluations  and Inspections 
The IG Draft Report:  CDCS Educational  Resource  Centers 

has been reviewed by Dr. Linda Rosenstock,  Director, NIOSH,

and by grants  staff members, Jay Bainbridge,  John Talty and

Bernadine  Kuchinski.

There are no comments regarding any changes or  additions t~  . 
the document. 
Dr. Rosenstock  would like to thank the Inspector General

and her staff for the quality and quantity of work

undertaken  in carrying out this inspection and producing

the final report. During the course of this project  they

have been very cooperative  in working with NIOSH staff to

learn about the various Center programs  and their

activities.  She is pleased with the results of the report

and believes  they will be useful in helping NIOSH to plan 
and monitor programmatic  aspects of these grants and  others 
that  may  be  supported  in  the  future. 
Dr. Rosenstock  would also be happy to cooperate on any

grant-related  projects  that the Inspector Generals office

would  like to conduct in the future. For example, she would

be willing  to meet with IG and CDC staff to discuss

innovative ways to explore the productivity  of the small

training grant programs  also supported by NIOSH.

%