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NIOSH Miner Health Program Addresses Substance Use and Work

  Drug overdoses have accelerated over the past two decades, and in 2017, the United States Department of Health and Human Services deemed the opioid crisis a public health emergency. In April of 2021, the U.S. surpassed 100,000 drug overdose deaths for the preceding 12-month period, marking a nearly 29% increase from the previous 12-months. Read More >

Posted on by Carol T. Nixon, PhD; Zoë J. Dugdale, MPH; Jamie C. Osborne, MPH, CHES®; and L. Casey Chosewood, MD, MPHLeave a comment

Pre-pandemic Mental Health and Well-being of Healthcare Workers

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers faced substantial work-related stress. Most research on the mental health and well-being of healthcare workers has focused on physicians and nurses, with less attention paid to other healthcare occupations. Recent research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) evaluated the pre-pandemic mental health and well-being Read More >

Posted on by Sharon Silver, MS; Jia Li, MS; Suzanne Marsh, MPA; and Eric Carbone, PhD7 Comments

Students Making Their Mark at NIOSH

Training the next generation of occupational safety and health specialists is a critical part of the NIOSH mission. Most training is done through the NIOSH supported Education and Research Centers (see related blog). In addition to these formal programs, each year NIOSH is fortunate to host student interns within the Institute. NIOSH staff give students Read More >

Posted on by Julie Tisdale-Pardi, MA4 Comments

Risk-Based Model to Resume Field Research and Public Health Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many workplaces across the world strictly limited or ceased in-person activities, including parts of the Federal government.  While much work continued remotely, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) needed to make decisions about allowing employees to travel to conduct workplace safety and health field research and public health Read More >

Posted on by Douglas Johns, PhD, MS; Kristin Yeoman, MD, MPH; Joshua Harney, MS; John Howard, MD; and Gerald Poplin, PhD, MSLeave a comment

Are Insurer Risk Control Services Effective?

Workers’ Compensation Risk Control Workers’ compensation insurance systems provide medical care and lost-time wage payments for workers who are injured or become ill due to work. Workers’ compensation insurers also provide employer risk control services including: Onsite risk assessment visits Video-based safety and ergonomic job analyses Industrial hygiene air/noise sampling, and physical hazard assessments Safety Read More >

Posted on by Steven J. Wurzelbacher, PhD; Stephen J. Bertke, PhD; Michael P. Lampl, MS; P. Timothy Bushnell, PhD, MPA; David C. Robins, AAS; and Steven J. Naber, PhD; Libby L. Moore, PhD; Leave a comment

NIOSH Education and Research Centers: Research

As discussed in a previous NIOSH Science Blog, NIOSH Education and Research Centers: Training, there are 18 NIOSH-funded Education and Research Centers (ERCs) that engage in meaningful research, training, and outreach activities across 17 states. In honor of the 45th anniversary of the ERCs, this blog will highlight research activities conducted by the ERCs. The Read More >

Posted on by Negar Omid, PhD and Michelle McDaniel, BS, CHESLeave a comment

Precarious Work, Job Stress, and Health-related Quality of Life

Quality of work is a central issue in understanding worker well-being [1]. Work is changing due to several factors including technology and demographics and so is the way work is organized and designed. These changes have led to non-standard work arrangements, like gig work, resulting in an increased prevalence of precarious work [2]. While there Read More >

Posted on by Anasua Bhattacharya, PhD, and Tapas Ray, PhD3 Comments

Strategies for Advancing Occupational Safety and Health: Examining Health Inequities

How can we improve occupational safety and health research to better address health inequities? The United States has a long history of occupational safety and health (OSH) research, policy, and intervention. Despite this, long-standing occupational health inequities continue, with underserved workers experiencing higher rates of injury and illness. Occupational Health Equity Program researchers at the Read More >

Posted on by Jacqueline Sivén, PhD, MA, MPH; Laura Syron, PhD, MPH; Andrea Steege, PhD, MPH; Pietra Check, MPH; Michael Flynn, MALeave a comment