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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES a Public Health Service

Centers for Disease Control National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

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VOLUME

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SURVEY r)

MANUAL

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NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE SURVEY

FIELD GUIDELINE S

Joseph A . Seta, David S . Sundin and David H . Pedersen

U .S . DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Servic e

Centers for Disease Contro l

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies

Cincinnati, Ohio 4522 6

March 1988
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DISCLAIMER

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Mention of company name or product does not constitute endorsement 'by th e ,, . National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health . 3

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DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No . 88-106

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FOREWOR D

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

Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies,

Surveillance Branch, Hazard Section conducted the National Occupational

Exposure Survey (NOES) from 1981-1983 . The sample of businesses

surveyed in the NOES consists of 4,490 establishments in 98 different

geographic locations throughout the United States . The set of surveyed

facilities was designed to be representative of virtually all the

non-agricultural, non-mining, and non-governmental businesses covered

under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 .

Like its predecessor, the National Occupational Hazard Survey (NOHS),

which was conducted from 1972-1974, the NOES was designed to provide the

data necessary to describe potential exposure agents and profile health

and safety programs in American workplaces . Specifically, the survey

provides data on potential occupational exposures to chemical, physical,

and biological agents, and permits an analysis of the changes in the

workplace since the NOHS .

The material presented here is a compilation of the instructions

originally provided to the NOES surveyors and is intended as a reference

for those evaluating the survey data and the procedures used in

collecting and recording information .

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I, ABSTRACT

The National Occupational Exposure Survey ( NOES) was a nationwide data

gathering effort designed to develop a base of data which would . support

the development of estimates of the number of workers potentially exposed

to various chemical, physical and biological agents, and describe the

distribution of those potential exposures . Data relating to in-plant

health and safety programs were also collected . An ancilliary objective

was to compile the data in such a way that analysis of potential exposure

trends would be possible by comparing NOES data with ' similar data in the

National Occupational Hazard Survey ( NOHS) .

Field investigations began in November 1980 and continued for the next 30

months . Trained surveyors conducted on-site visits to each facility in

the sample to administer a questionnaire to plant management, to observe

processes and operations, and to record potential exposures to al l

employees .

Walk-through investigations were conducted in 4,490 facilities in 523

different industry types employing approximately 1,800,000 workers in 410

occupational categories . More than 10,000 different potential exposure V

agents and over 100,000 unique tradename products were seen during th e

on-site visits .

This manual presents historical information, instructions and procedures

provided to the NOES surveyors . It is intended as a reference for

evaluating the survey data, the survey procedures, and the data collection

guidelines .

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