NIOSH Science Blog Posts
Engineering in the Division of Safety Research
This week is National Engineers Week which is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) employs over 200 engineers and engineering technicians who identify, evaluate, develop, and implement engineering control technology to Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsI Will Survive! Air-Purifying Respirator Cartridge/Canister
We need to talk. Every year we use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to talk about our love for respirators and personal protective equipment (PPE). We’ve had some good times frolicking through the standards and maintenance requirements. But today we need to address what happens when it’s just not working anymore. We have to discuss Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentMedical Mystery Solved: What Sent a Pregnant Prison Worker to the Hospital?
Jasmine worked at a prison in Central California. She became sick with flu like symptoms when she was 8 months pregnant. Read her work history here. She was hospitalized with fever, cough, shortness of breath, and severe muscle pain and diagnosed with pneumonia. After a blood test, Jasmine’s doctors diagnosed her with Valley Fever or Coccidioidomycosis. Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentMedical Mystery: What Sent a Pregnant Prison Worker to the Hospital?
Jasmine worked at a prison in central California that provided long-term housing and services for minimum, medium, and maximum custody inmates. She was 34 years old and had worked at the prison for six years. Jasmine was a correctional officer, and her job duties included security checks, patrolling the facility, and occasionally grid searches and digging for Read More >
Posted on by 22 CommentsHealthcare Personnel Working with Flu-like Illness
Most of the United States is experiencing widespread and intense influenza activity. Indicators used to track influenza-like-activity are higher than what was seen during the peak of the 2014-2015 season, the most recent season characterized as being of “high” severity. A NIOSH study recently published in the American Journal of Infection Control found that more Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsHelp Us Redesign the NIOSH Pocket Guide
The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (NPG) celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2018. The guide continues to be the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) most popular document. It provides descriptive information such as recommendations for exposure limits, protective clothing, and first aid measures for 677 chemicals commonly found in the work Read More >
Posted on by 77 CommentsFrequent Exertion and Frequent Standing Among US Workers
Have you ever wondered if your job involves more standing, bending, or lifting than other jobs? Or if there are ways you could avoid injuries from these movements while on the job? Last week, NIOSH published an article on frequent exertion and frequent standing among US workers by industry and occupation group. Using data from Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsThe Most Popular NIOSH Content from 2017
As we embark upon a new year we look back to see what NIOSH information our readers, online visitors, followers and tweeters accessed during 2017. We have complied a list of the top five most popular NIOSH blogs, tweets, web pages, search terms, publications and Facebook posts during 2017. Last year we also increased our presence Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsSpirometry Training Video Release
“Fill your lungs completely…and blast the air out! Keep blowing until I tell you to stop.” This coaching will sound familiar if you’ve ever performed a breathing test known as spirometry. Valid spirometry testing requires full participant effort and a carefully trained technician. Spirometry tests lung function by measuring how much and how hard a Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentNon-occupational Uses of Respiratory Protection – What Public Health Organizations and Users Need to Know
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) mission is to promote safe and healthful working conditions by conducting research and providing recommendations to diminish hazardous situations within occupational settings. However, there are situations in which the same respiratory hazards that can be faced by workers are also a potential concern to the public. Read More >
Posted on by 7 CommentsUnderstanding the Economic Benefit Associated with NIOSH Research and Services: A New Analysis of NIOSH Impact by RAND
Do you ever wonder if NIOSH research and services yield a positive economic benefit to workers, employers, and society? Assessments of the impact of worker safety and health research and services often involve statistical analyses of written publications or qualitative analyses conducted by subject matter experts. Such assessments do not quantify the economic return on Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsTechnology at the North Pole
Even modern images of Santa’s toy shop depict elves carving wooden toys and creating loveable stuffed animals. This got us thinking. Where are all the hot new toys made? After all, electronics are among the most requested gifts this holiday season. Does Santa have a secret manufacturing facility? Surely, he is looking out for the Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsMusculoskeletal Health Research to Benefit Couriers, Messengers, and Baggage Handlers
In October 2017 the NIOSH Musculoskeletal Health Cross-Sector program published the first blog in a series to highlight musculoskeletal health research at NIOSH. With the holiday season coming to an end, this blog—the third installment in the series—will discuss how best to promote musculoskeletal health to reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among baggage Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentWHO Guidelines to Protect Workers from Nanomaterials
Introduction from NIOSH Director, John Howard, MD The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has been at the forefront of research on working safely with nanomaterials. NIOSH leads the U.S. federal government health and safety initiative for nanotechnology coordinating research and activities through the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) established in 2004. The Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsMusculoskeletal Health Research to Benefit Temporary Retail Workers
In October 2017 we published the first blog in a series to highlight musculoskeletal health research at NIOSH. With the holiday season upon us, this next installment will take the opportunity to discuss how best to promote musculoskeletal health in retail establishments to reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders among temporary retail workers. Temporary or Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentNIOSH Presents: An Occupational Safety and Health Perspective on Robotics Applications in the Workplace
On October 12, 2017, three researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) gave a panel presentation at the National Robot Safety Conference on robotics applications in the workplace and worker safety. The conference was hosted in Pittsburgh, PA by the Robotic Industries Association (RIA). Among the attendees were robotics engineers and Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsSystematic Review for Occupational Safety and Health Questions
What is systematic review? There are many different types of occupational safety and health questions and a variety of scientific methods to answer them. Systematic review is one method for comprehensively reviewing a body of scientific literature. It is an explicit and transparent process to identify, select, synthesize, and critically appraise the scientific literature relevant Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsRetail Worker Safety and Health during the Holidays
The practice of American shoppers looking for a deal on the Friday after Thanksgiving has evolved into a four-day retail event ending with Cyber Monday. This shopping bonanza leading off the holiday shopping season has implications for workers who may have long workdays and expanded work schedules. The approaching season offers an ideal time for Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentNew Research on Worker Tobacco Use
An estimated one in five working U.S. adults use some type of tobacco product according to new research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Of the estimated 32.7 million working adults who used tobacco, an estimated 6.9 million use two or more tobacco products Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsFlu Virus Generated in Coughs and Exhalations
It’s flu season. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts research on protecting health care providers and other workers from infectious diseases including influenza. A significant portion of our research deals with understanding how the influenza virus is transmitted. Influenza is known to be transmitted through respiratory secretions containing the virus. Airborne Read More >
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