Category: 50th Anniversary Blog Series

Reducción de las enfermedades ocupacionales crónicas: Programa Multisectorial CRC

  Durante los 50 años de historia de NIOSH, las enfermedades ocupacionales crónicas como el cáncer, las enfermedades cardiovasculares y los desenlaces reproductivos adversos siempre han sido una carga pública significativa y una fuente de costos económicos. Desde su creación en el 2004, el Programa de Prevención del Cáncer, Enfermedades Reproductivas, Cardiovasculares y Otras Enfermedades Read More >

Posted on by Todd A. Stueckle, Ph.D., M.A.; Nicole S. Olgun, Ph.D.; Raquel Velazquez-Kronen, Ph.D.; and Elizabeth Whelan, Ph.D.Leave a comment

Mining, Maritime, and More: NIOSH’s Spokane Research Laboratory’s Expanded Mission Serves Broad Array of Industries

NIOSH’s Spokane Research Laboratory (SRL), located in the Eastern Washington city of Spokane, is the largest NIOSH facility west of the Mississippi River and has a history dating back to the post World War II era. The purpose-built facility has a long track record of supporting engineering research, but today its mission has expanded to Read More >

Posted on by Theodore Teske, MA and Danielle Mancillas, DBA2 Comments

NIOSH in Cincinnati – A Pictorial History, Part II

NIOSH in Cincinnati – How did it happen, and what has it looked like? How did federal industrial hygiene and occupational (and environmental) health research and service come to Cincinnati, and why did it stay? Interconnected stories of events that occurred, locations and buildings where they happened, cultural elements that developed, and artifacts that remain, Read More >

Posted on by Barbara L. Jenkins, MA, CA21 Comments

NIOSH Education and Research Centers: Training

As part of its mandate, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is required to provide an adequate supply of qualified personnel to carry out the purposes of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Public Law 91-596).The NIOSH-funded Education and Research Centers (ERCs) are one of the principal means for meeting this mandate. Read More >

Posted on by Joan Mazur, PhD, and John Staley, PhD, MSEH3 Comments

The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards

The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG) is the most popular NIOSH document produced to date. The NPG informs workers, employers, and occupational health professionals about workplace chemicals and their hazards. The NPG presents key data for 677 chemicals or substance groupings (such as cyanides, fluorides, manganese compounds) that are found in workplaces. The Read More >

Posted on by Julie Tisdale-Pardi, MA, and Debbie Hornback, MS3 Comments

NIOSH Noise: A 50-Year Timeline of Research and Intervention

Noise is among the oldest occupational hazards. An 18th century report noted hearing loss among coppersmiths whose “ears are injured by that perpetual din” from hammering on metal.[1] In view of this, noise was among the first hazards NIOSH addressed when the Institute was established in 1971. A dedicated Noise Section was established in Cincinnati Read More >

Posted on by Christa L. Themann, MA, CCC-A; Julie Tisdale-Pardi, MA; CAPT Chucri (Chuck) A. Kardous, MS, PE; Elizabeth A. Masterson, PhD, CPH, COHC; Thais C. Morata, PhD; and CAPT William J. Murphy, Ph.D.2 Comments

Total Worker Health Program Readies NIOSH for Next 50 Years

  As NIOSH commemorates its 50th anniversary, the NIOSH Total Worker Health® Program reflects on its past while focusing on leading the field of occupational safety and health into the future.  The past and current successes of the Total Worker Health discipline are rooted in the fundamental beliefs that work and workplaces should be safe and healthy, that Read More >

Posted on by L. Casey Chosewood, MD, MPH, and Emily Kirby, BPHLeave a comment

The Secret Origins of NIOSH

  While NIOSH’s 50th anniversary dates from its creation in its present form in 1971, it has a little-known history that stretches back much farther. NIOSH was in fact created from the Division of Industrial Hygiene of the U.S. Public Health Service, which has a continuous and eventful history going all the way back to Read More >

Posted on by John P. Sadowski, Ph.D.7 Comments

A Final Look at Our 50th Anniversary Commemoration

We hope you found a way to help us celebrate NIOSH’s 50th anniversary year.  Commemorating a milestone such as this while the world—including NIOSH— fights a pandemic, has presented some unique challenges. NIOSH staff adjusted accordingly and produced a series of events and products worthy of our golden anniversary. If you missed any of these Read More >

Posted on by John Howard, MD1 Comment

NIOSH in Denver

NIOSH has had a presence in Denver since the early 1970s shortly after NIOSH was created.  While the name of the office and the functions have changed over time, a commitment to improving occupational health and safety conditions for those working in the Western United States has remained constant. In 2015, the Denver Office became Read More >

Posted on by David L. CarusoLeave a comment

Prevention Through Design

Prevention through Design, or PtD, is the process of designing OUT a hazard and it is the most reliable and effective way to protect workers.  If a hazard doesn’t exist, there is no need to purchase protective equipment and establish ongoing programs to maintain it, inspect it, and train and supervise workers to use it. Read More >

Posted on by Jonathan A. Bach, PE, CSP, CIH3 Comments

NIOSH in Cincinnati – 50 Years of OSH Research and Service

Occupational safety and health (OSH) research has a long history in Cincinnati, Ohio that pre-dates the creation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1971 (see related blog). Today, NIOSH has facilities across the country including two in Cincinnati —the Robert A. Taft Occupational Safety and Health Laboratory on Tusculum Avenue Read More >

Posted on by Trudi McCleery, MPH, and Julie Tisdale-Pardi, MALeave a comment

NIOSH in Cincinnati-A Pictorial History Part 1

NIOSH in Cincinnati – How did it happen, and what has it looked like? How did federal industrial hygiene and occupational (and environmental) health research and service come to Cincinnati, and why did it stay? Interconnected stories of events, locations, buildings and artifacts provide glimpses of federal staff in Cincinnati investigating occupational health concerns and Read More >

Posted on by Barbara L. Jenkins, MA, CA3 Comments

Learning from Workplace Fatality Investigations

  Each day, on average, 15 U.S. workers die as a result of a traumatic injury on the job. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program is a research program designed to identify and study fatal occupational injuries. For nearly 40 years, the FACE program has Read More >

Posted on by Jeff Funke, MS, CSP, and Nancy T. Romano, MS, CSHMLeave a comment

Workplace Violence Research

  In the 1980’s a series of shootings at post offices drew public attention towards the issue of workplace violence. While mass shootings receive a lot of media attention, they actually account for a small number of workplace violence events. NIOSH has been studying workplace violence since the 1980s. In 1993, NIOSH released the document Read More >

Posted on by Dawn Castillo, MPH; Cammie Chaumont Menéndez, PhD, MPH, MS; Dan Hartley, EdD; Suzanne Marsh, MPA; Tim Pizatella, MSIE; Marilyn Ridenour, BSN, MPH; and Hope M. Tiesman, PhD36 Comments

Respiratory Health Research at NIOSH

  The history of protecting workers’ respiratory health pre-dates the creation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).  In 1967 the Appalachian Laboratory for Occupational Respiratory Disease (ALFORD) was established within the U.S. Public Health Service (see related blog). ALFORD subsequently joined NIOSH in 1971, became the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies Read More >

Posted on by Kristin J. Cummings, MD, MPH; Douglas O. Johns, M.S., Ph.D; Jacek Mazurek, MD, MS, PhD; Frank J. Hearl, SM, PE; and David N. Weissman, MDLeave a comment

30 Years of the NIOSH Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Program

  As NIOSH celebrates half a century of work in occupational safety and health, the Institute’s Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing (AgFF) Program reflects on 30 years of research and outreach designed to protect the people who produce our nation’s food and fiber. The AgFF Program began in response to a rise of farmer safety concerns Read More >

Posted on by Marcy Harrington, MPA; Amanda Wickman, MBA; Donjanea Williams, EdD; and Jennifer M. Lincoln, PhD6 Comments

Musculoskeletal Disorders Research at NIOSH

Throughout its 50 years, NIOSH has been at the forefront of efforts to protect workers from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).  MSDs were recognized as having occupational causes as early as the beginning of the 18th century. However, it was not until the 1970’s that occupational factors were examined using epidemiologic methods, and the work-relatedness of these Read More >

Posted on by Jack Lu, PhD, CPE, and Julie Tisdale-Pardi, MALeave a comment

Center for Direct Reading and Sensor Technologies

  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH)  Center for Direct Reading and Sensor Technologies is the centralized hub for all things related to sensor and direct reading technology. The Center coordinates internal and external research to develop recommendations for 21st century sensing technologies in occupational safety and health. Established in 2014, the Read More >

Posted on by Emanuele Cauda, PhD, and John Snawder, PhD, DABTLeave a comment

Evolution of the NIOSH Logo

The NIOSH logo is recognized by workers, employers, and safety and health professionals worldwide. When the logo appears on a document, website, certified respirator, or other product it tells the user that the information or product is backed by NIOSH state-of-the-art research and expertise. The NIOSH logo has evolved over time. Figure 1 shows a Read More >

Posted on by Julie Tisdale-Pardi, MA1 Comment