NIOSH Science Blog Posts

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

임신한 네일 살롱 직원과 헤어미용사에서 태아의 선천성 결함 위험 조사

위험에 처한 근로자 현재 미국에는 약 400,000명의 활동 중인 네일미용사 면허소지자와 약 600,000명의 고용된 헤어미용사가 있습니다. 이들 근로자의 대부분은 가임 연령의 여성이며, 다수는 외국 태생이거나 유색인종입니다. 네일미용사는 종종 헤어케어 서비스도 제공되는 환경에서 일합니다. 네일 및 헤어 살롱 근로자들은 직업의 건강 위험에 대한 추가 연구를 지지해 왔습니다. 2015년 뉴욕 타임즈 기사는 위험한 작업장 조건에 대한 근로자의 특정 우려를 Read More >

Posted on by Kristen Van Buren, MPH; Miriam Siegel, DrPH, MPH; Carissa Rocheleau, PhD; and Kendra Broadwater, MPH, CIHLeave a comment

Nghiên cứu Nguy cơ Bị Dị tật Bẩm sinh ở Con của Thợ Làm Móng và Thợ Làm Tóc Đang Mang thai

Những Người lao động Có Nguy cơ Hiện có khoảng 400.000 giấy phép cấp cho kỹ thuật viên làm móng đang có hiệu lực và khoảng 600.000 thợ làm tóc đang làm việc tại Hoa Kỳ. Hầu hết những người lao động này là phụ nữ trong độ tuổi sinh đẻ, và nhiều người là Read More >

Posted on by Kristen Van Buren, MPH; Miriam Siegel, DrPH, MPH; Carissa Rocheleau, PhD; and Kendra Broadwater, MPH, CIH1 Comment

Work Flexibility and Worker Well-being: Evidence from the United States

  Work flexibility can have positive and negative consequences for workers and their families, employers, and society overall. [1,2] For workers, it is increasingly recognized as an essential determinant of their well-being. Workers seek flexibility to address their personal and family needs, including childcare, eldercare, schooling, and healthcare. Flexibility in terms of work location and Read More >

Posted on by Tapas K Ray, PhD, and Regina Pana-Cryan, PhD6 Comments

Preventing Struck-by Fatalities Related to Excavator Quick Couplers, Buckets, and Attachments

  The 3rd annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents will take place April 11–15, 2022. As part of these efforts, NIOSH and others are highlighting the lethal struck-by risk related to excavator quick couplers. A quick coupler failure can cause the attachment to fall suddenly, causing death, injury, and/or damage to the excavator and attachment. Read More >

Posted on by Laura Styles, Hank Cierpich, Robert Harrison, David Schutt, Scott Earnest, Nancy T. Romano, CDR Elizabeth Garza, J’ette Novakovich, Douglas Trout, and LT Bryan Wimer2 Comments

Here Comes the Sun! Tips to Adapt to Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time (DST) marks the time to “spring” ahead one hour for most of the United States. Where it is observed, Daylight Saving Time begins this year on Sunday, March 13, 2022. This transition from Standard Time was first enacted to conserve energy and shift the timing of our activities to match more daylight Read More >

Posted on by Imelda Wong, PhD, and Beverly Hittle, PhD, RN8 Comments

100 Million and Counting!

When researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) set out to develop a tool that could improve the use of industry and occupational data from surveys, death certificates and other sources, we could only dream that our efforts would be this successful. A Tool to Advance Research, and It’s Free We Read More >

Posted on by Jennifer Cornell, JD; Stacey Marovich, MHI, MS; and Amy Mobley, MEn3 Comments

Partnering to Design Safe and Healthy Workplaces for the Construction Workforce

The NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health has partnered with industry, government, academia, insurance companies, and labor to address construction-related injuries and fatalities. Working together, these partnerships can tackle many of the serious issues the Construction industry faces today. Prevention through Design (PtD) is an important approach to addressing many of these hazards. A Read More >

Posted on by LT Bryan Wimer; Scott Earnest, PhD, PE, CSP; CDR Elizabeth Garza, MPH, CPH; J’ette Novakovich, PhD, MS, MA; and Douglas Trout, MD, MHS1 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

10 Lessons Learned From a Multi-Year Total Worker Health Study of Small Businesses

  Over half of Americans are employed in small businesses. Small employers face unique challenges and often do not offer the same level of safety protections or health promotion activities found in larger organizations. However, there is evidence that small businesses are committed to addressing employee well-being, but they may lack the necessary resources and Read More >

Posted on by Natalie Schwatka, PhD; Liliana Tenney, DrPH MPH; Miranda Dally, MS; Carol Brown, PhD; & Lee Newman, MD MA2 Comments

New Data Available! Assess Causes of Death by Industry and Occupation

Linking Causes of Death to Work Since the early years of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), mortality data have been an important source of information to assess links between cause of death and work. In the 1980s, the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance (NOMS) program was born out of a collaboration between NIOSH, Read More >

Posted on by Andrea L. Steege, PhD, MPH; Amy Mobley, MEn; Rachael Billock, PhD, MSPH; Hannah Free, MPH; and Marie Haring Sweeney, PhD2 Comments

The 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 Chia-Chia Chang, MPH, MBA; Sara L. Tamers, PhD, MPH; and Naomi Swanson, PhD3 Comments

N95 Love – Staying True to the NIOSH Approval

Over the years, we’ve made use of the Valentine’s Day observance to offer a lot of respirator relationship advice. We’ve talked about the importance of high standards, compatibility, when to break up, and when to put more effort into maintaining your relationship. Dear Abby has nothing on us when it comes to knowing how to Read More >

Posted on by Jaclyn Krah Cichowicz, MA, and Meghan Kiederer2 Comments

Release of National Academies Consensus Study Report on Protecting Workers and the Public From Inhalation Hazards

On February 10,2022, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published a Consensus Study Report titled, Frameworks for Protecting Workers and the Public from Inhalation Hazards. Federal partners, NIOSH, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of State, as well as the CDC Foundation, commissioned this report to address the evolving respiratory protection Read More >

Posted on by Maryann M. D’Alessandro, PhD; Jaclyn Krah Cichowicz, MA; and Jessica Biser, MPH1 Comment

Exoskeletons: Potential for Preventing Work-related Musculoskeletal Injuries and Disorders in Construction Workplaces

Construction workers are at high risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). One potential tool to prevent WMSDs is the use of exoskeletons, which are assistive devices that can be suitable for construction and other industrial work (see related NIOSH pages on robotics and the Center for Occupational Robotics Research). Exoskeletons can be categorized as passive Read More >

Posted on by Sang D. Choi, PhD, MPH(c), MS, CSP, CPE; Douglas Trout, MD, MHS; Scott Earnest, PhD, PE, CSP; and CDR Elizabeth Garza, MPH, CPH1 Comment

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

Resolve to Protect the Safety and Health of Workers Manufacturing Fitness Equipment

As we end January, many reevaluate their New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you are one of the many Americans who resolved to improve their diet and start an exercise routine or join a gym. Exercise is not only good for your health, but the fitness industry is also a big part of the U.S. economy. In Read More >

Posted on by Jennifer L. Topmiller, MS; RJ Matetic, MS, PhD; Gary Roth, MS, PhD; Richard Current, PE; and Adam Smith, PhD4 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, MSEH4 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