Category: NIOSH-funded Research
Support for Existing Expertise: Community-focused training initiatives to improve the safety and health of Tribal buffalo herd workers
American bison, also known as buffalo, are the largest land mammal in North America and are perfectly adapted to the harsh landscape of the high plains, capable of surviving extreme winters, vast changes in temperature, drought conditions, high humidity, and many diseases that impact other hoofed mammals. In recent decades, indigenous communities across North America Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentNonfatal Occupational Injury Surveillance Data: Examples from Michigan
The importance of developing a tracking system for occupational fatalities, injuries and illnesses was recognized in the original Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970. The Secretary of Labor at that time elected to delegate responsibility to collect, compile, and analyze occupational safety and health statistics. Despite the authority in the OSH Act to Read More >
Posted on byFamily Farms: When Working From Home Can Put Children at Risk
Agriculture ranks among the most hazardous industries for workers,[1] but since many farms share work and home spaces, it is also one of the few industries in which family members are also at risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries. Every day, 33 children in the United States are seriously injured in agricultural-related incidents, and every Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentThe National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank: Advancing Research and Treatment
The National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB) is a virtual biospecimen tissue biorepository that was developed in 2006 at the University of Pittsburgh in partnership with a network of sites in the mid-Atlantic region. It was created to assist researchers and healthcare professionals better understand and treat malignant mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive, and Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentEvaluation of the Characteristics of Workers Injured on the Job Requiring Hospitalization and Employer Compliance with OSHA’s Reporting Requirement for these Work-Related Hospitalizations
Surveillance data is essential to identify and target prevention for all public health activity. Accurate and timely surveillance data are needed to identify causes of injury and illnesses, monitor prevention activity, plan interventions and evaluate the efficacy of these interventions. Unlike general public health surveillance, employers are a potential source of work-related injuries and Read More >
Posted on byNIOSH Education and Research Centers: Research
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 interdisciplinary nature of the centers gives rise to a broad spectrum of research priorities Read More >
Posted on byERCs Partner to Offer Webinar Series on Human Factors and Ergonomics and Industrial Hygiene
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the NIOSH Education and Research Centers (ERC) which are extramurally funded university-based centers that carry out multidisciplinary education and research training activities and offer graduate and postgraduate training in the core and allied fields of occupational safety and health. The ERCs serve as a resource for our nation’s Read More >
Posted on by 1 Comment30 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 6 CommentsLifejackets for Lobstermen
Falls overboard are the most frequent cause of death on the job for lobstermen in the U.S. The on-the-job death rate for fishermen nationwide is 31 times higher than any other industry. It is well-documented that wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) can help prevent these tragedies, but unfortunately most fishermen do not routinely Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsLung Disease in Textile Workers
This blog is part of a series for NIOSH’s 50th anniversary highlighting research and prevention throughout the Institute’s history. Background Since the 1970s, NIOSH has worked to prevent illness from cotton dust. Byssinosis is an airways disease with features of both asthma and COPD that occurs with exposure to cotton dust. In the early 1970s, Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsLighting Interventions to Reduce Circadian Disruption in Rotating Shift Workers
Shift work has been linked to poor sleep, chronic metabolic disorders (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity), several forms of cancer [1-3], depression, and elevated risk for the occurrence of accidents. These risks are especially acute for those who work rotating shifts that involve working through the night [4-8], as sometimes occur in hospitals. Read More >
Posted on byIntroducing an Occupational Health Resource: The Occupational Noise Job Exposure Matrix
Introduction Noise-induced hearing loss is highly prevalent in the U.S., and noise is increasingly being linked to other non-auditory health effects such as cardiovascular disease, sleep disturbance, and stress. However, our knowledge of noise exposures associated with many U.S. occupations is lacking. To address this issue, researchers used existing resources to develop a first-of-its-kind Job Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsFACE Investigations Make Recommendations to Improve the Safety of New Types of Robots
U.S. companies are installing robots in record numbers (1). These include traditional industrial robots separated from human workers by cages and cells, as well as emerging robotics technologies that include robots designed to work alongside and in the same space as human workers. From a health and safety perspective, the proliferation of robotics technologies across Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsExtramural Spotlight: Airline Pilot Mental Health
In March 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed into the French Alps, killing all 150 people onboard. An investigation found that the copilot deliberately steered the plane into the mountainside. It also revealed that he had a history of depression. Among workers, untreated depression can affect the ability to perform tasks and—as the Germanwings incident shows—in Read More >
Posted on by 11 CommentsFarm Dinner Theater
It is not new news that agriculture has excessive worker injury rates. Nor that senior farmers and adult farmers in the South experience some of the highest occupational injury and mortality in the nation. There were an estimated 58,385 work-related adult farm injuries (more than six every hour) in 2014. In 2016, 417 farmers and Read More >
Posted on by 7 CommentsResearch Day 2016 Brings Together Students, Alumni, and Professionals
The 8th Annual Occupational and Environmental Health Research Day took place on March 3rd with a record number of almost 200 attendees. Research Day is a yearly tradition, showcasing innovative graduate student research in occupational and environmental health and safety, as well as highlighting alumni experiences and connecting community members working in health and safety to students and Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsPreventing Wood Chipper Fatalities
Last week, a 19-year-old North Carolina teen was killed after being pulled feet first into a wood chipper (see news report). It was his first day on the job. Self-feeding mobile wood chippers commonly used during tree trimming operations consist of a feed mechanism, knives mounted on a rotating chipper disc or drum, and Read More >
Posted on by 13 CommentsFACE Investigation Documents Factors Contributing to a Worker’s Death Inside Pressure Cooker
The headlines a few weeks ago were alarming. The tragic death of a worker in a 270-degree oven three years ago led to a $6 million agreement to settle criminal charges in what Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey said was the largest payout in a California workplace death (see news report). The California Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsPalm Tree Worker Suffocated by Palm Fronds – Another Death in California
On August 13, 2015, another worker was suffocated by palm fronds in California (see news report). This is at least the fourth similar fatality since the California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program (CA/FACE) program issued a report and video on this hazard in February 2014. The drought in the Western U.S. may have Read More >
Posted on by 29 CommentsImproving the Safety and Health of Bison Handlers
Recent media reports of bison injuring visitors at Yellowstone National Park have raised public awareness of the hazards of interacting with bison. Those who work with these animals face unique risks. Bison are the largest land mammals in North America, weighing in at about 1,000-2,000 pounds.1 They can run 35 miles per hour and Read More >
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