Category: Technology
A Reflection on World Futures Day 2024: NIOSH Efforts to Help Build a Better Tomorrow
Future Day was first celebrated worldwide on March 1, 2012 as a forward-looking reflection on all the possibilities the future holds for humanity.1 Just two years later, the global think tank Millennium Project helped expand the unofficial holiday into what is now recognized as World Futures Day.2 World Futures Day is structured as an Read More >
Posted on byThe Sound of Rockbursts: A new monitoring approach for longwall coal mines
A rockburst is a phenomenon where rock or coal is violently ejected into mine openings. Rockbursts can release significant amounts of energy and have the potential to injure workers and disrupt operations. Despite decades of research, these events are notoriously difficult to predict, and focus has turned to managing the related risks. In hardrock Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentSharing quality information on all things related to hearing: Wiki4WorldHearingDay2023
Background The U.S. workforce is ethnically diverse. Lack of safety and health training and language barriers are among the most frequently cited challenges companies face in promoting safety among immigrant workers (Flynn, 2014). Contributing quality, plain language health information in multiple languages to Wikipedia increases its accessibility and reach. Unaddressed hearing loss is a serious Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsPromoting Partnerships to Explore the Impacts of Technological Change on Work and Well-being
Technology has a longstanding record of impacting work, the workplace, and the workforce. Automation, or finding new ways for tasks to be completed by machines and computers, has been a common industry practice since the 1970s [1]. Historically, the increased automation of routine tasks also increased demand for highly trained and educated people to focus Read More >
Posted on bySetting Objectives for Fatigue Detection Technologies
This is the third blog in the series on fatigue detection technologies. Work-related fatigue can have serious consequences for worker health and safety if not properly managed. One effective option for mitigating work-related fatigue is a well-designed fatigue risk management plan, which can be informed by many approaches and tools, such as fatigue detection technologies Read More >
Posted on byNewly Archived Webinar Recordings Highlighting How Emerging Technologies Can Prevent Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders
NIOSH recently posted seven webinars to YouTube highlighting the use of emerging technologies to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Although the webinars are from 2018-2021, the content is still informative and relevant and receiving praise from those in the industry. The series of webinars focuses on using emerging technologies as interventions or for conducting Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentThe Role of Technological Job Displacement in the Future of Work
The future of work holds many possibilities for technological advancements, which may alter the number, quality, and stability of jobs; create new jobs that vary in skill and wage level; and fundamentally change entire industries. Such developments, including digitalization, robotics, artificial intelligence, and advanced computing, have the potential to lead to automation of unsafe tasks Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsStudents’ Contributions to Wikipedia: Making it easier for everyone to find, understand, and use health information
In 2018, we blogged about an exciting partnership between NIOSH and university graduate programs to improve occupational safety and health information on Wikipedia (see related blog). Using the Wiki Education platform and in coordination with NIOSH researchers, 15 courses were taught since 2016 involving 163 students at seven universities. The impact of these courses Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsUsing Machine Learning to Code Occupational Surveillance Data: A Cooperative Effort between NIOSH and the Harvard Computer Society – Tech for Social Good Program
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) depends on surveillance data collected through the occupational supplement to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS-Work) to study and understand nonfatal occupational injuries. Collected through an interagency agreement with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, NEISS-Work captures hospital emergency department-treated occupational injuries to paid, self-employed, Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsThe Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Future of Work
As discussed in a previous NIOSH Science Blog, artificial intelligence (AI) is in the process of transforming almost all aspects of society. Whether using an application to determine the best route to drive, receiving recommendations from Netflix on what to watch, or using face detection to logon to a personal smartphone, the use of AI Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsThe Who, What, How and When of Implementing Fatigue Monitoring and Detection Technologies
Worker fatigue can result from a variety of sources, such as insufficient sleep, long work hours, physical exertion and stress. Fatigue can slow down reaction times, reduce attention or concentration, limit short-term memory, and impair judgment, affecting the health and safety of workers and their co-workers1,2. Worker fatigue has contributed to catastrophic industrial events Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsChoosing the “Right” Fatigue Monitoring and Detection Technology
Fatigue can shorten concentration, slow reaction times and impair decision-making skills resulting in increased health and safety risks for workers. It has been estimated that one in five fatal motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. can be attributed to fatigue. In addition, workers with sleep problems are 62% more likely to experience a work-related injury1,2. Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentComputer Vision Development for Estimating Trunk Angles
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders have been linked to many physical job risk factors, such as forceful movement, repetitive exertions, awkward posture and vibration. These job risk factors are typically evaluated using ergonomic risk assessment methods or tools. These methods are predominantly self-reporting and observational. Self-reporting methods can be questionnaires, checklists or interviews. Observational methods entail Read More >
Posted on by 11 CommentsAssessing Lifting Risk Factors Using Wearable Motion Sensors
A combination of work-related physical risk factors such as awkward postures or heavy lifting may lead to an increased risk of developing low back issues. Those in the occupational safety and health field continue to conduct research to prevent workplace musculoskeletal injuries. Researchers have used industry settings, self-reports and observational methods to evaluate these injuries. Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsArtificial Intelligence Crowdsourcing Competition for Injury Surveillance
In 2018, NIOSH, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) contracted the National Academies of Science (NAS) to conduct a consensus study on improving the cost-effectiveness and coordination of occupational safety and health (OSH) surveillance systems. NAS’s report recommended that the federal government use recent advancements in machine Read More >
Posted on by 16 CommentsPreparing Your Fleet for Automated Vehicles
Many of us already drive personal or company vehicles with automated features such as lane departure warning and automatic emergency braking. While automation clearly improves safety, it also presents new issues for safety professionals. Companies need to integrate policies on vehicles with automated features into their current fleet safety management systems. They also need to Read More >
Posted on by 12 CommentsArtificial Intelligence: Implications for the Future of Work
What does Artificial Intelligence (AI) have to do with workplace safety and health? NIOSH has been at the forefront of workplace safety and robotics, creating the Center for Occupational Robotics Research (CORR) and posting blogs such as A Robot May Not Injure a Worker: Working safely with robots. However, much remains unknown regarding the related Read More >
Posted on by 65 CommentsThe Power of Crowdsourcing Knowledge Through Wikipedia – The Wiki4WorldHearingDay2019 Experience
No matter the country, it can take years for those who suffer from hearing difficulties to seek care. Once they do, there is a low rate of follow-up on recommended interventions, particularly for hearing aids (Wilson et al., 2017; WHO, 2017). Unaddressed hearing loss is a serious and costly problem around the world. This motivated Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsPotential Hazards of Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly referred to as 3-D printing, is becoming more prevalent in industry. AM is a set of processes for making products by selectively joining small amounts of material, using a computer-aided design file. [1,2] The advantages for industry include: shortened production cycles, reduced tooling costs, reduced waste material, easier product customization, novel Read More >
Posted on by 7 CommentsNIOSH, Wiki Education Foundation, and Harvard University Work Together to Make Occupational Safety and Health Content Accessible to All
Choosing the right final project for a graduate level course can be a daunting responsibility for any instructor. Harvard Research Scientist and Instructor Dr. Diana Ceballos heard NIOSH researcher Dr. Thais Morata share details at a NORA conference about NIOSH’s collaboration with academia and Wikipedia to teach students science translation and knew it was a Read More >
Posted on by 8 Comments