As the federal government expands protections for job-related injuries, West Virginia University is poised to produce the next generation of work safety professionals through a unique doctoral program in occupational safety and health.

WVUs Ph.D. program, which started this semester, is offered by the Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. Students in the program receive a broad education in occupational safety and health and focus on a specific area for their dissertation.

“There have been a lot of retirements in safety and health, and the demand is high for highly trained individuals,”said Gary Winn, professor and program coordinator.

Additionally, job specializations in health and safety are changing, Dr. Winn added. For instance, ergonomists, who study how to make workers and their environments compatible, are in greater demand today than 20 years ago.

To meet this growing shortage of specialists, WVUs program allows students to focus their study in ergonomics, industrial hygiene or safety. Possible dissertation topics include occupational safety, industrial hygiene, transportation safety, respiratory protection, emergency procedures, behavioral safety and construction safety.

Career opportunities for graduates include positions in academia, industry and federal agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Department of Energy.

“Graduates of this program will be able to converse intelligently with both engineers and research scientists and conduct research in safety and health for the second generation after OSHA ,”Winn said.

Warren Myers, chairman of the department, said WVUs program is unique because it is offered through an engineering college rather than a public health school.

“It so happens that the programs here in industrial hygiene and safety management provide a unique set of resources,”Dr. Myers said.”Because of that and WVUs proximity to NIOSH in Morgantown, the Ph.D. program evolved.”

WVUs program could not come at a better time. The Clinton administration this month issued new rules adding workers whose jobs require repetitive motion to the list of Americans covered under protections for job-related injuries. The 100 million Americans covered under the updated rules include people who spend their day typing on computers or lifting heavy boxes. The standards take effect in January, but businesses have until October to comply.

Two students are enrolled in the inaugural semester of the program in Morgantown. The department plans to accept up to five students a year, for a total 20 students staggered over four years.

To be accepted into the program, students must have a masters degree in industrial hygiene or safety, engineering, chemistry, biology/physiology or other scientific field and a minimum graduate grade-point average of 3.5.

Eleven professors in the department and three adjunct professors provide instruction.

Myers said the program has the potential to attract interest from prospective students throughout the world.

“We believe, given the resources and talent we have and our relationship with NIOSH , we can have a world-class program here,”he said.”This could be another flagship Ph.D. program for the University.”

More information about the doctoral program in occupational safety and health is available on the Web athttp://www.cemr.wvu.edu/~wwwie.