NORA Wholesale and Retail Trade Sector Council

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The NORA Wholesale and Retail Trade (WRT) Council brings together individuals and organizations with a shared interest in improving occupational safety and health in this sector. Council members share information, form partnerships, and promote adoption and dissemination of solutions that work.  Contact the WRT Coordinator  to volunteer

Outreach

The WRT Council publishes an annual newsletter with articles on topics of interest to council members.

  • November, 2022
    • Keeping Delivery Workers Safe During the Holiday Season
    • Works of Interest
  • November, 2021
    • Activities in NORA WRT
    • Essential Workers COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit
  • June, 2020
    • Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) and the WRT Sector
    • COVID-19 Best Practices Workgroup
  • Winter, 2019-2020
    • New Publication!
      NIOSH study provides a comprehensive assessment of the
      burden of injury, illness, and fatality in the WRT sector
    • Why is NIOSH studying workers in the WRT sector?
  • December 2018
    • NIOSH Musculoskeletal Health Program at a Glance
    • NIOSH Small Business Assistance Program
  • April 2018
    • How might Total Worker Health® improve WRT businesses?
  • August 2017
    • NORA WRT Sector Council Discussions
    • Risk Factors and Injury Prevention in Grocery Stores
  • May, 2017
    • WRT Injuries from Contact with Objects
    • Loaded Forklift Killed Retail Warehouse Clerk
  • February, 2017
    • Business Successes with Effective Workplace Safety Programs
    • A Glimpse at the Burden,Need, and Impact Approach Toward MSDs
  • November, 2016
    • Seeking Participants for the Wholesale and Retail Trade Sector Council
    • Wholesale and Retail Priorities
    • What We Do
Research Agenda
National Occupational Research Agenda for Wholesale and Retail Trade

The NORA WRT Council identified research priorities for the third decade of NORA (2016-2026) in the National Occupational Research Agenda for Wholesale and Retail Trade. The agenda identifies five research objectives for the nation.

Research objectives for the nation:

  1. Reduce occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), i.e., overexertion injuries among WRT workers.
  2. Reduce traumatic injuries that arise from safety hazard, such as slips, trips, falls, and contact-with-objects among WRT workers.
  3. Prevent work-related violence in the WRT sector
  4. Reduce motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) among WRT workers
  5. Advance our knowledge of the role of organizational and stress- related-risk factors in the prevention of musculoskeletal and other safety related injuries among WRT workers.
Sector Description

The Wholesale and Retail Trade Sector covers over 19 million workers in North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industries 42 and 44-45. It includes a wide variety of workplaces, ranging from gas stations to grocery stores to wholesale warehouses. These workers, including many young workers, face risks such as

  • Workplace violence
  • Overexertion
  • Machinery
  • Chemicals
  • Shift work
  • Psychosocial stressors

The NIOSH Wholesale and Retail Trade Program facilitates the work of the Council and coordinates NIOSH research in this sector.