Table 1.

The NIOSH 8 Core Competencies for Workplace Safety and Health

Competency	Description
1	Recognize that, while work has benefits, all workers can be injured, become sick, or even be killed on the job. Workers need to know how workplace risks can affect their lives and their families.
2	Recognize that work-related injuries and illnesses are predictable and can be prevented.
3	Identify hazards at work, evaluate the risks, and predict how workers can be injured or made sick.
4	Recognize how to prevent injury and illness. Describe the best ways to address workplace hazards and apply these concepts to specific workplace problems.
5	Identify emergencies at work and decide on the best ways to address them.
6	Recognize that employers are responsible for, and workers have the right to, safe and healthy work. Workers also have the responsibility for keeping themselves and coworkers safe.
7	Find resources that help keep workers safe and healthy on the job.
8	Demonstrate how workers can communicate with others—including people in authority roles—to ask questions or report problems or concerns when they feel unsafe or threatened.