Research supported by the program focuses on the broad-based need to control morbidity, disability, death, and costs associated with injury. For the purposes of the research program, injury is defined as physical damage to an individual that takes place over a short period of time and is caused by physical energy in the environment, by chemical agents, or by the absence of essentials, such as oxygen. Unintentional, or unintended, injuries include those that result from such causes as motor vehicle crashes, falls, fires, poisonings, and drownings.
Occupational injuries occur at the worksite and include unintentional as well as intentional trauma.