NIOSH Science Blog Posts
Effectiveness of New Guidelines to Prevent Workplace Hand-Wrist MSDs
Research confirms that new guidelines to prevent worker hand, wrist, and elbow musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) better protect workers. MSDs can be debilitating and costly workplace safety and health issues. In Washington state alone, direct costs for hand, wrist, and elbow MSD workers’ compensation claims accounted for over $2 billion and 11.8 million lost work days Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentSuicide Risk for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians
A new study, “Suicides and deaths of undetermined intent among veterinary professionals from 2003 through 2014” sheds new light on the issue of suicide among veterinary professions. It is known that veterinarians in the United States and abroad have a higher suicide risk compared with the general population.[1-8] This new study confirms the increased rated of suicide Read More >
Posted on by 13 CommentsNIOSH Launches Respiratory Protection Week in Celebration of 100 Years of Respiratory Protection
September is here, and we NIOSH employees have put away our Labor Day picnics to get back to the work of protecting the American labor force…. And, of course, celebrating N95 Day! Right? Yes and no. You see, this year is special. This year marks an important anniversary in the history of respiratory protection. One Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsLabor Day 2019 Message: Future of Work and Total Worker Health
At NIOSH, we spend every day focused on improving the safety and health of the U.S. workforce who maintain and propel this country forward. This year’s 125th anniversary of Labor Day gives us the opportunity as a Nation to celebrate and appreciate all workers for their contribution to this country’s prosperity, strength and well-being. This Read More >
Posted on by 6 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 60 CommentsSerpientes venenosas: un peligro olvidado para quienes trabajan al aire libre
Las personas que trabajan al aire libre pueden afrontar varios peligros. Uno de estos peligros, frecuentemente inesperados, son las mordeduras de serpiente. Se pueden encontrar serpientes venenosas en lugares de trabajo en todos los Estados Unidos. Las áreas geográficas del país donde las personas que trabajan al aire libre tienen más probabilidades de encontrarse con Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsInjured Workers More Likely to Die from Suicide or Opioid Overdose
Drug overdoses and suicides have been rising since 2000 and are major contributors to a recent decline in US life expectancy. The opioid crisis is largely to blame, with a record 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017.[1] Suicide rates in 2016 have increased 30% from 1999.[2] Case and Deaton have called these “deaths of despair.”[3] In Read More >
Posted on by 14 CommentsWorkplace Medical Mystery Solved: Camp Counselor Illness
After a week of working at an outdoor day camp as a counselor, Daniel began to feel sick with a cough, headache, and a fever. Several other counselors experienced similar symptoms requiring them to miss work. Read the medical mystery here. The camp owners recognized they had a problem and called in the county health department for 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 CommentsWorkplace Medical Mystery: Camp Counselor Illness
Daniel was excited to have his first summer job working at a day camp in Iowa. He was happy to be working outside and with his friends. He and several other teenage counselors reported to work a week before camp started to get the facilities ready for the campers. The clean-up duties included raking leaves Read More >
Posted on by 26 CommentsUsing Worker Absenteeism to Track the Flu
Is flu on the rise among workers? Those working in public health track the number of flu-related hospital and doctor visits, but many people suffer symptoms and don’t seek medical treatment. So, how do we know how many people are sick with the flu during a flu pandemic or a seasonal epidemic? Each year, the Read More >
Posted on by 7 CommentsDoes Slip-Resistant Footwear Reduce Slips, Trips, and Falls in Food Service?
Slips, trips, and falls are the second most common type of fatal work-related injuries and the third most common type of non-fatal work-related injuries in the United States (1, 2). Although falls from heights are more likely to result in a fatality, falls on the same level (which often start as a slip or trip) Read More >
Posted on by 14 CommentsVenomous Snakes: A Neglected Hazard for Outdoor Workers
Outdoor workers can experience a number of hazards. One often unexpected hazard is a venomous snakebite. Venomous snakes may be encountered in workplaces throughout the United States. The most likely geographic locations where outdoor workers would encounter venomous snakes is in the American South, Southwest, and West. From 2008-2015, the greatest number of deaths from Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsLow Back Pain among Workers: The Problem and What to Do About It
Are you a worker who is experiencing low back pain? You aren’t alone! A recently published article from NIOSH reports that more than 1 in 4 (26%) working adults experience low back pain. Some groups of workers have more pain than others. For example, workers in construction occupations are more likely to experience low back Read More >
Posted on by 18 CommentsLaw Enforcement Officers’ Health Effects from Exposure to Opioids: Two Case Investigations
There is uncertainty surrounding law enforcement officers’ exposure to and health effects from opioids encountered while at work protecting the public. Over the past several years, the media have reported instances of opioid exposures and health effects among first responders and other public service workers across the U.S.[i],[ii],[iii],[iv] These reports provide incomplete or uncorroborated information Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsPreventing Trenching Fatalities
Construction workers are at risk of death or serious injury if they enter an unprotected trench and the walls collapse. A trench is defined as a narrow underground excavation that is deeper than it is wide, and is no wider than 15 feet or 4.5 meters [OSHA]. Hazards associated with trench work and excavation are Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsCelebrate National Safety Month
We all face risks throughout our lives. The fact is, unintentional injuries have been increasing for decades and are now the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S. To reverse this trend, we all need to take simple steps to help keep each other safe. Safety should be practiced all year round, but June Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentMedication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
The opioid overdose epidemic continues to claim lives across the country with a record 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017[i]. The crisis is taking an especially devastating toll on certain parts of the U.S. workforce. High rates of opioid overdose deaths have occurred in industries with high injury rates and physically demanding working conditions such as Read More >
Posted on by 17 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 CommentsA Storm of Summer Perils: The Battle for Healthy Outdoor Workers Is No Game
In HBO’s Game of Thrones, the “House Stark” clan often loudly proclaim that “winter is coming.” Here at House NIOSH, we remind our safety and health professionals, employers, and workers that, THE DAYS ARE LONG AND FULL OF HAZARDS. When facing the opening salvos of the Battle for Healthy Outdoor Workers, be sure to Read More >
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