Reflecting on 2024: Workplace and Worker Safety, Health, and Well-being

As we close out the year, we are taking a moment to reflect on and celebrate some of the notable achievements and significant progress the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has made in improving and protecting the health, safety, and well-being of workers across our nation.

NIOSH used innovative ways to develop practical solutions to improve how workers can tell if their respirator is fitting properly. NIOSH’s Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge crowdsourced novel technologies and innovative approaches to improve respirator fit evaluation through a three-phase, $350,000 competition. Three winners presented a diverse range of solutions. The winning technologies were designed to provide immediate evaluation and feedback to users on the fit of filtering facepiece respirators, enhancing both safety and effectiveness in real-world settings.

We are helping to protect millions of outdoor workers by assessing the emerging occupational risk of wildland fire smoke and strategies to protect them. In September 2024, NIOSH published the Draft Hazard Review: Wildland Fire Smoke Exposure Among Farmworkers and Other Outdoor Workers in the Federal Register for public comment. As the first federal-level report addressing the protection of outdoor workers from wildland fire smoke, it establishes the scientific basis for recognizing the hazard and offers strategies to mitigate exposure.

To support healthier, more resilient workforces, NIOSH led a national campaign to reduce burnout and improve mental health for healthcare workers. In March 2024, NIOSH launched the Impact Wellbeing™ campaign to help hospital leaders create work environments where healthcare workers can thrive. Instead of focusing solely on building personal resilience, the campaign provides tools and resources to address the organizational causes of burnout. The signature resource of the campaign is the Impact Wellbeing Guide, developed in partnership with the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation.

Helping mine operators and workers prevent and recover from opioid use disorder (OUD). In October 2024, NIOSH and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released a new guide, Implementing Effective Workplace Solutions to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder: A Resource Guide for the Mining Industry. The guide is unique in that it provides a structure by which employers can assess, plan, and implement strategies and practices that support mine worker mental health and address harmful opioid use.

We are supporting our nation’s first responders, launching a new Center to provide collaborative leadership and guide research and activities aimed at reducing workplace harm among firefighters. The Center for Firefighter Safety, Health, and Well-being was established in October 2024 and builds on decades of experience working with firefighting organizations to understand and protect firefighters from the unique work-related hazards they face. The Center will facilitate faster responses to new and emerging hazards and help refine the priority research and service activities where NIOSH should focus its resources.

Serving 9/11 responders to the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania by expanding eligibility for the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 expanded enrollment criteria for responders at these sites. Previously, there were a total of 1,330 Pentagon and Shanksville responders enrolled in the program; however, research has shown that it is possible that more than a total of 9,500 responders responded at both sites. The program expansions means that some responders previously ineligible may now qualify for the Program, which would provide monitoring and treatment of health conditions with no out-of-pocket costs upon enrollment.

NIOSH is the only dedicated federal investment for the research needed to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses among the nation’s 168.4 million workers. As a research institute, NIOSH is focused on the study of worker safety and health, and empowering employers and workers to create safe and healthy workplaces. Work-related injuries and illnesses cost the U.S. economy an estimated $250 billion annually. Support for robust occupational safety and health research helps ensure that industries, such as the fire service, are better equipped to protect workers and reduce these significant economic impacts.

We look forward to continuing our work in 2025 and beyond. Have a safe, healthy, and happy New Year!

John Howard, MD, Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health