NIOSH Science Blog Posts
Preventing Opioid Overdose Deaths in the Workplace
Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. Overdose deaths involving opioids continue to be a serious health issue in the United States. A concerning increase in drug overdose deaths coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Workplaces are certainly not immune from this crisis. Read on for more information on opioids in the workplace and the importance of Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsBringing Strategic Foresight to OSH
How do we effectively plan for the future of occupational safety and health (OSH) when numerous social, technological, economic, environmental, and political trends are influencing work, the workplace, and the workforce? The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and others in the OSH field are working to ensure we are ready to address Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentExploring Cognitive Impairment among 9/11-exposed Individuals
Research is emerging that suggests an increase in the risk of cognitive decline among individuals who were exposed to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This decline, known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), is common in aging populations but varies greatly from person to person. More research is needed to determine whether MCI in the 9/11 Read More >
Posted on by 5 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 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 CommentsWorkers’ Compensation Data Sheds Light on Hazards in Landscaping
Landscaping is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States, with higher-than-average rates of both fatal and nonfatal injuries when compared to all industries. Jobs include landscape construction, tree care services, lawn and cemetery care, right of way maintenance, seasonal property maintenance (such as snow removal), and weed control (except crop). NIOSH established Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsReducing the Risk of Rhabdomyolysis and Other Heat-Related Illnesses in Landscaping and Tree Care Workers
Grounds maintenance workers, including landscaping and tree care workers, may be exposed to numerous physical, chemical, and biological hazards while performing work, especially during the summer months [1,2]. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics [3], grounds maintenance workers are more than two times more likely to be injured on the job compared with all Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsUpdated OSHA-NIOSH Small Business Safety and Health Handbook: Making Workplaces Safer with Checklists
Small business owners want to ensure their workers go home safe and healthy at the end of the day. However, small businesses tend to experience higher rates of workplace injury and illness than larger businesses. In general, many small businesses do not have a full-time industrial hygienist or certified safety professional on staff. The volume Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentChanging 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 CommentNoise Myths Debunked – Fact and Fiction Behind all the Cicada Buzz
This is the first installment of a series of science blogs that will address common myths attributed to noise and hearing loss. For much of the eastern U.S., 2021 has been the year of the cicadas. The Brood X insects have made their presence known after 17 years of living underground, with their characteristic buzz Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsMission Possible: Measuring Worker Well-Being
How can we measure worker well-being? Worker well-being is an important occupational health concern, but our current understanding is limited by the lack of a standard way to define and measure this concept. The development of a new tool, the NIOSH Worker Well-Being Questionnaire – or NIOSH WellBQ, may help employers and workers overcome this Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsGetting 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 >
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 >
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