Category: 50th Anniversary Blog Series
The OSH Act—A Response to Workplace Tragedies
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), we have highlighted many of the NIOSH successes and accomplishments through the years. This is also a time for reflection and looking back at our history. The roots of U.S. occupational safety and health regulation date back to Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsNOIRS
For almost 25 years, the National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS) has been the only forum focused on work-related acute traumatic injury research. NOIRS provides an invaluable platform for researchers, academicians, labor union representatives, safety professionals, industry leaders, and students from a variety of disciplines and fields to showcase innovative and state-of-the-art approaches to occupational Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentHealth Hazard Evaluation Program
The Occupational Safety and Health Act gives NIOSH the authority to conduct evaluations at workplaces to identify potential workplace hazards. Through the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program employees, employers, and union representatives can request an evaluation of potential health hazards in their workplace. The evaluations are done at no cost to the requestor or Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentBruceton Research Center – Protecting Workers for 110 Years
The Bruceton Research Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has a long and storied history going back more than a century. Today, two NIOSH divisions conduct extensive research in this location – the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) and the NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division (PMRD). This site is also home to an office of Read More >
Posted on by 1 Comment50 Years of NIOSH and 30 Years of NIOSH in Alaska
For the past 30 years, NIOSH has operated a small research office in Anchorage, Alaska. The NIOSH Division of Safety Research established the Alaska Field Station in 1991 to address the high rate of occupational fatalities among workers in the state. Surveillance from 1980-1989 showed Alaska had the highest rate of occupational fatality in the Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsThe Rise and Fall of Lead in the Workplace
Lead Seemed to be Everywhere From ancient civilizations to the mid-20th century, lead seemed to be a gift from the gods. Its durable, malleable, and corrosion resistance properties made this metal invaluable. It was in such high demand, the Roman Empire began massive lead mining operations. In fact, the English word “plumbing” came from the Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsFrom Brick and Mortar to Beyond: Protecting Workers in the Wholesale and Retail Trade Industries
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the 15th year of the Wholesale and Retail Trade (WRT) Sector Program. The WRT sector is one of the largest employers in today’s workforce employing nearly 19 million people in 2020. [1] Historically, the businesses within this sector Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentDigital Version of the Impactful Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation Applications Manual Now Available
The NIOSH 50th anniversary is not the only one being celebrated this year; 2021 also marks the 40th anniversary of the publication of the original version of the NIOSH Lifting Equation (NLE) in 1981 and the 30th anniversary of the first presentation of the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation (RNLE) in 1991. Publication of the RNLE Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentUsing CPWR’s Small Study Program to Explore Emerging and Persistent Health and Safety Hazards and Innovative Solutions in the Construction Industry
Construction is a complex and high hazard industry. Every day, millions of construction workers are employed on worksites across the United States. Each worksite and type of construction (e.g., residential, highway) involves variables including type of work performed (e.g., electrical, plumbing), number of employers and employees, project designs, materials and products used, and working Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentNational Nanotechnology Day: A big day for small things
Every year on October the 9th we celebrate National Nanotechnology Day. The date 10-9 pays homage to the nanometer scale: 10-9. Anything that can be measured in nanometers (nm) is extremely small! For instance, bacteria can be between 300-5,000 nm, a virus can be 5-300 nm, the diameter of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is 2.5 nm, Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentNIOSH “L” Building Marks 25 Years of Innovative Research
During this year commemorating the NIOSH 50th anniversary, another family milestone is approaching. October 19 marks the 25th anniversary of a close, though lesser-known, NIOSH relative: a building on the Morgantown, West Virginia campus. At its inception in 1996, the “L” building, so-called due to its resemblance to that particular letter, was groundbreaking, literally and Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsThe Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorder Consortium
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, we look back at many of our successful programs. The Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorder Consortium is a collaborative research program to prevent work-related upper limb musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The Consortium studies work-related MSDs to better understand and help prevent Read More >
Posted on by Leave a comment50 Years of NIOSH Construction Safety and Health Research
Construction is a high hazard industry with high rates of illnesses and injuries. The construction industry comprises not only a wide range of activities involving residential and commercial building construction, but also heavy and civil engineering construction, such as water and sewer lines, highways, and bridges. Specialty trades within the sector include masonry, roofing, plumbing, electrical, Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsChanging with the Times: The Journey to Interactive Charts
Our world is constantly evolving. Computers that used to occupy an entire room now fit in the palm of our hands. Information that used to require hours of searching, sorting, and reading is now available with the click of a button. Similarly, the way NIOSH shares work-related public health surveillance data has evolved to Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentGetting Creative
We are bombarded with information in various forms every minute of our day. How do you break through and get your messages to the appropriate audiences? How do you make information from scientific journals and technical documents understandable and appealing to workers and other non-scientists? NIOSH has a long history of communicating its research through Read More >
Posted on by 9 CommentsWorld Trade Center Health Program: First Decade of Research
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the 10th year of the World Trade Center Health Program. Background The September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City (NYC), the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and the plane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania resulted Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentReducing Occupational Chronic Disease: CRC Cross Sector Program
Over the course of NIOSH’s 50-year history, occupational chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and adverse reproductive outcomes have always been a significant public health burden and source of economic costs. Since its inception in 2004, the Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular, and Other Chronic Disease Prevention Program (CRC), within the NIOSH Program Portfolio, has provided leadership Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentGetting the Word Out: NIOSH Publications and Products
It’s an understatement to say that how the world communicates has changed over the course of this century, and certainly in the last 50 years. Over NIOSH’s 50-year history how the Institute communicates its research, and to whom, has also evolved. As a leading scientific agency, our research will always be published in peer-reviewed journals Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentWork and Well-being: The Changing Face of Occupational Safety and Health
There is strong evidence that work, health and well-being are closely and powerfully linked and need to be addressed together. (Dame Carol Black) [1] The conjunctive phrase “…and well-being” is often used in the occupational safety and health (OSH) literature in the context of health and well-being. However, historically, well-being has not been defined, Read More >
Posted on by 70 CommentsAn Ancient Hazard in a 21st Century Workplace: The Power of Partnerships and Collaboration Investigating Respirable Crystalline Silica in Hydraulic Fracturing
In 2013, NIOSH researchers published exposure assessment results for respirable crystalline silica in oil and gas extraction (OGE) workers performing hydraulic fracturing. The results were noteworthy; a previously unidentified but serious occupational exposure hazard was discovered, and risks were significant‒in some cases, personal breathing zone exposures exceeded 10 times the occupational exposure limits. This Read More >
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