NIOSH Science Blog Posts

Prevention through Design Standard

A new ANSI/ASSE Prevention through Design standard provides guidance on how to avoid, eliminate, reduce and control occupational safety and health hazards in the design and redesign process.  Read More >

Posted on by Donna S. Heidel, CIH20 Comments

Keeping Workers Hydrated and Cool Despite the Heat

Many areas of the country have been experiencing extreme temperatures this summer, and sadly the news has been full of stories about the lives lost due to heat stroke.  Read More >

Posted on by Brenda Jacklitsch, MS38 Comments

Low-dose CT Scans and Lung Cancer Screening in the Occupational Setting

Lung cancer mortality is high and better survival prognosis for early stage cases makes early detection an appealing public health strategy. For years studies have been conducted to find an effective screening method; the NLST is the first randomized trial to show a significant reduction in mortality from lung cancer with low-dose CT screening.  Read More >

Posted on by Simone Tramma, MD, MS; Eileen Storey, MD, MPH; Douglas B. Trout, MD, MHS; Marie Haring Sweeney, PhD, MPH11 Comments

Pleuropulmonary disease in a polyacrylate facility

Recent reports from India implicate dusts created by grinding polyacrylate polymer as an emerging occupational respiratory hazard causing interstitial lung disease and pneumothorax.  Read More >

Posted on by Vladimir Murashov, PhD, Charles L Geraci, PhD, and David Weissman, MD4 Comments

Horrible Bosses: Workplace violence in the real world

The summer blockbuster highlights the very real issue of workplace violence. Read More >

Posted on by Dan Hartley, EdD17 Comments

Safety Has Not Been Asked to Prom

Environmental responsibility and occupational safety share many fundamental characteristics when it comes to changing behavior and making an impact. Recently, the green movement has become a mainstream movement. What can proponents of occupational safety learn from green campaigns?  Read More >

Posted on by Thomas Cunningham, PhD, and Garrett Burnett, MS, MBA35 Comments

Titanium Dioxide: A Changing Paradigm in Occupational Risk Management

A recently released NIOSH guidance document on handling titanium dioxide (TiO2) powders in the workplace is possibly the first to recommend separate occupational exposure limits for the same material based on particle size. This document reflects increasing attention to evaluating and mitigating risks of emerging hazards in the workplace before adverse health effects occur in workers. Read More >

Posted on by Vladimir Murashov, PhD12 Comments

Workers Memorial Day 2011

Work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths have devastating consequences. This terrible toll is perhaps most visible to the general public in the aftermath of large-scale disasters that claim multiple lives. Workers Memorial Day, April 28, reminds us that the tragedies of work-related death, disability, impairment, and pain also occur, and indeed more commonly occur, outside the Read More >

Posted on by John Howard, MD9 Comments

Construction Equipment Visibility

From 1995 through 2002, 844 fatal occupational injuries occurred at road construction sites. Educating drivers and road crew about vehicles' blind areas can help to reduce related injuries and fatalities.  Read More >

Posted on by David E. Fosbroke, MSF38 Comments

Tales of Toil

  Mikael Blomkvist risks his life to conduct investigative journalism. Candido and America navigate day-labor sites and accept significant hazards in their work. Abilene, a black maid in 1960’s Mississippi, describes her working conditions in white households. Jacob Jankowski cares for circus lions and elephants but fears his boss and co-workers. Books like The Girl Read More >

Posted on by Cheryl Fairfield Estill, MS, PE19 Comments

Does the NIOSH Science Blog Improve Communication?

Over the past four years, the NIOSH Science Blog has posted over 70 unique topics and received over 1200 comments. New research examines the effectiveness of the blog as a communication tool.  Read More >

Posted on by Virginia Sublet, PhD, Christina Spring, MA, John Howard, MD1 Comment

Cops and Cars

Police officer line-of-duty deaths have increased 40% from 2009 to 2010. Traffic-related incidents are the leading cause of death among our nation's law enforcement officers. Help NIOSH better understand police officer attitudes and beliefs about motor-vehicle safety practices by providing input.  Read More >

Posted on by Hope M. Tiesman, PhD, and Rebecca Heick, PhD43 Comments

These Go to Eleven

Musicians and others who experience loud music in their workplace are typically overlooked in terms of occupational safety and health. Recent studies at nightclubs show that all employees (waiters, bartenders, DJs, etc,) were exposed to noise levels above internationally recommended limits and were at a higher risk of early hearing loss and tinnitus. A new term, music-induced hearing loss, has been coined to reflect this growing condition. Read More >

Posted on by Thais C. Morata, PhD, and Ryan Johnson, BA115 Comments

Helical CT Scans and Lung Cancer Screening

New research has revealed that a relatively new form of screening using helical computerized tomography (CT) may result in fewer lung cancer deaths. This finding is of interest to the occupational safety and health community to potentially improve cancer screening among workers with increased risk for lung cancer because of past occupational exposures. Read More >

Posted on by Simone Tramma, MD, MS; Eileen Storey, MD, MPH; Douglas B. Trout, MD, MHS; Marie Haring Sweeney, PhD, MPH4 Comments

Warning: Surgeon General Finds that Cigarette Smoking Is Even More Dangerous to Your Health

Yesterday, the Surgeon General issued the 30th Surgeon General's Report on the dangers of smoking tobacco. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and is responsible for 443,000 deaths each year. Tobacco use can increase risk of illness for those exposed to carcinogens in the workplace and second-hand smoke can place non-smoking workers at risk for smoking-related diseases. Read More >

Posted on by John Howard, MD, David Weissman, MD, Casey Chosewood, MD34 CommentsTags

Assaults on Nursing Assistants

Recent NIOSH research finds that 35% of nursing assistants working in nursing homes reported injuries from aggression by residents and 12% reported human bites. These reports of workplace violence are even higher among those working in homes with special units for Alzheimer patients.  Read More >

Posted on by SangWoo Tak, ScD, MPH11 CommentsTags

NIOSH and Electronic Health Records

By 2014 all healthcare providers will be using electronic health records. What are the implications and the benefits for occupational safety and health and for NIOSH?  Read More >

Posted on by Ginelle Edmondson, BSN, MPH13 Comments

OSH in the Movies: This Time It’s Personal

OSH-related issues permeate the movies—whether they are from Hollywood or Bollywood, blockbusters or independent films, foreign flicks or documentaries—and whether the OSH issues are portrayed on screen or occurred while making the movies. Dr. Jim Kesner shares his insight and favorites.  Read More >

Posted on by James Kesner, PhD89 Comments

OSH in the Movies: The full list

  Return to the main blog entry Below are the 82 films we collectively recommended as relating—in some manner—to OSH, along with their release dates, directors, viewer ratings, and comments and summaries. Find your favorites and vote for them in the comments. Read More >

Posted on by AdministratorTags

State-based Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance

How did NIOSH find out that cases of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (black lung) were on the rise after years of decline? The answer, state based occupational health surveillance.  Read More >

Posted on by Yvonne Boudreau, MD, MSPH, Liz Dalsey, MA, and Max Kiefer, MS, CIH2 Comments