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As the nation’s research facilities, laboratories, and private industry place greater importance on ensuring that activities are performed in a safe and environmentally responsible manner, accurate analysis of occupational health issues is critical to mitigating the causes and effects of on-the-job exposures.

From epidemiology and health surveillance studies to risk assessments and organizational culture evaluations—ORAU offers a comprehensive approach to helping customers focus on workplace hazards research and the occupational health and safety of workers.

  • Beryllium exposure testing procedure

    Beryllium Exposure Assessments

    ORAU health professionals manage comprehensive beryllium exposure studies and testing programs to assess the health effects to employees who have been exposed to airborne beryllium and other occupational hazards. 

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  • Laboratory researchers with radioactive material

    Epidemiologic Studies & Biostatistics

    ORAU’s experts provide evaluation of the exposure-disease relationship through health surveillance programs, independent, scientific investigations, health risk assessments and large cohort studies to inform better decision making about human health protections.

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  • Safety staff testing a work environment for radiation

    Organizational Culture Evaluations

    ORAU conducts organizational culture evalutions to assess an organization’s values and behaviors, which serve to make safe performance of work the overriding priority to protect the workers, the public and the environment. When organizational culture issues are identified and addressed, your workforce is more engaged, more productive and provides greater responsiveness to your customers.

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  • Dose reconstruction staff

    Health Program Management

    ORAU has more than 30 years of experience managing comprehensive health programs for a wide range of exposures, helping our clients ensure they stay compliant with industry regulations. We can design and manage a customized, scalable health program for your employees—whether for current or former workers, large or small cohorts, single or multiple exposures, local or nationwide clinical networks—to ensure you are meeting regulatory requirements.

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  • Stethoscope on keyboard

    Health Information Management

    ORAU provides complete lifecycle health data management solutions, from pre-hire to retirement/former worker status, as well as medical data management of ongoing personal or area-based exposure surveillance data and health screenings.

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What we offer

  • Health risk and exposure assessments
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Risk identification, evaluation and control
  • Management and mitigation of current and emerging health issues
  • Safety and security culture evaluations
  • Occupational and epidemiological studies
  • Health and medical surveillance
  • Management of large, complex health programs
  • Health screenings and surveillance
  • Health data analysis and reporting
  • Electronic medical recordkeeping
  • Biostatistical modeling
  • Beryllium exposure testing and OSHA Rule support
  • Worker performing safety inspection

    ORAU develops a new theoretical model for nuclear security culture

    Jeff Miller, Ph.D., C.I.H., C.S.P., along with ORAU health communications expert Julie Crumly, Ph.D., spent months brainstorming the possibility of a new security culture model that could be applied to nuclear facilities and help explain why some organizations are more successful than others at protecting our nation’s nuclear assets.

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  • Caution - Radioactive Materials sign

    30,000 nuclear workers surveyed on safety cultures in their workplaces

    ORAU has performed periodic, comprehensive evaluations of nuclear industry workforces and practices in an effort to monitor and continuously improve safety culture.

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  • Historical photo of energy workers

    Assessing radiation exposures for energy workers

    Since its inception in 2002, the NIOSH Radiation Dose Reconstruction Program has yielded thousands of claims successfully processed for workers’ compensation.

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Our Experts

Donna Cragle

Donna Cragle, Ph.D.

Expertise: Occupational epidemiology, design and implementation of large-scale worker health studies and programs, manages a program of more than 200 experts and professionals

  • Adjunct faculty, University of Tennessee
  • Lead epidemiologist/founder of beryllium lymphocyte proliferation testing at ORAU
  • Management advisor, ORAU Team providing dose reconstructions to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act
  • Director, National Supplemental Screening Program providing media screening to former U.S. Department of Energy workers nationwide
  • Lead epidemiologist, medical screening program for residents affected by TVA Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash spill
Jeff Miller

Jeffrey R. Miller, Ph.D.

Expertise: Occupational exposure assessment, safety culture evaluation, chronic beryllium disease worker protection programs

  • Chair, American Board of Industrial Hygiene, 2017-2018
  • Keynote speaker, International Symposium on Beryllium Particles and Detection, November 2017
  • Co-author, “Guide to Monitoring and Improving Safety Cultures,” Energy Facilities Contractors Group, April 2017
  • Team member, design team for $6.5B Uranium Processing Facility Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
  • Presenter, American Industrial Hygiene Association, Fall Leadership Conference, October 2017
  • 14 years of senior leadership experience; six years as a CEO

Certifications: Certified Industrial Hygienist, Certified Safety Professional®

Betsy Ellis

Betsy Ellis, Ph.D.

Expertise: Occupational epidemiology, radiation epidemiology, ethics of use of human participants in research

  • Member, Task Group 64 Cancer Risk from Alpha Radiation, International Commission on Radiological Protection
  • Chair, Oak Ridge Side-Wide Institutional Review Board
  • Vice Chair, Central DOE Institutional Review Board
  • Presenter, Health Physics Society Annual Meeting, July 2017
  • Presenter, Radiation Research Society Meeting, October 2016

Contact us

For more information about ORAU's worker health and safety programs, contact us at 865.576.3115 or .

For more information about contracting with ORAU, contact Dominic Moro at 865.241.1446 or dominic.moro@orau.org.