National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
’ federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
(CDC) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
NIOSH is headquartered in Washington, DC, with research laboratories and offices in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
; Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
; Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
; Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
; Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
; and Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. NIOSH is a professionally diverse organization with a staff of over 1,400 people representing a wide range of disciplines, including epidemiology, medicine, industrial hygiene, safety, psychology, engineering, chemistry, and statistics. The director of NIOSH is John Howard
John Howard (public health administrator)
John Howard is a physician, professor, and public health administrator. He served a 6-year term as the director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and was appointed to be a special coordinator to respond to the health effects of the September 11 attacks...
.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
Occupational Safety and Health Act
The Occupational Safety and Health Act is the primary federal law which governs occupational health and safety in the private sector and federal government in the United States. It was enacted by Congress in 1970 and was signed by President Richard Nixon on December 29, 1970...
, signed by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970, created both NIOSH and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
(OSHA). NIOSH was established to help ensure safe and healthful working conditions by providing research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health. NIOSH provides national and world leadership to prevent work-related illness, injury, disability, and death
Occupational fatality
An occupational fatality is a death that occurs while a person is at work or performing work related tasks. Occupational fatalities are also commonly called “occupational deaths” or “work-related deaths/fatalities” and can occur in any industry or occupation....
by gathering information, conducting scientific research, and translating the knowledge gained into products and services.
Strategic goals
NIOSH abides by a strategic plan for meeting institutional goals and allocating resources. The Institute has three overarching goals:- To conduct research to reduce work-related illnesses and injuries
- To promote safe and healthy workplaces through interventions, recommendations and capacity building
- To enhance global workplace safety and health through international collaborations
The goals are supported by NIOSH's program portfolio. The portfolio categorizes Institute efforts into 8 groups representing industrial sectors. The program portfolio further subdivides efforts into 24 cross sectors.
NIOSH authority
Unlike its counterpart, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, NIOSH is not a regulatory agency. It does not issue safety and health standards that are enforceable under US law. Rather, NIOSH's authority under the Occupational Safety and Health ActOccupational Safety and Health Act
The Occupational Safety and Health Act is the primary federal law which governs occupational health and safety in the private sector and federal government in the United States. It was enacted by Congress in 1970 and was signed by President Richard Nixon on December 29, 1970...
[29 CFR § 671] is to "develop recommendations for health and safety standards", to "develop information on safe levels of exposure to toxic materials and harmful physical agents and substances," and to "conduct research on new safety and health problems." NIOSH may also "conduct on-site investigations (Health Hazard Evaluations
Health Hazard Evaluation Program
The Health Hazard Evaluation program is a workplace safety program administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health . It was developed by NIOSH to comply with a mandate included in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to investigate occupational hazards reported...
) to determine the toxicity of materials used in workplaces" and "fund research by other agencies or private organizations through grants, contracts, and other arrangements."
Also, pursuant to its authority granted to it by the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977
Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977
The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 amended the Coal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969. It can be found in the United States Code under Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining, Chapter 22, Mine Safety and Health...
, NIOSH may "develop recommendations for mine health standards for the Mine Safety and Health Administration
Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Mine Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor which administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to eliminate fatal accidents, to reduce...
", "administer a medical surveillance program for miners, including chest X-rays to detect pneumoconiosis
Pneumoconiosis
Pneumoconiosis is an occupational lung disease and a restrictive lung disease caused by the inhalation of dust, often in mines.-Types:Depending upon the type of dust, the disease is given different names:...
(black lung
Black lung
Black lung can mean several things:* Black lung disease, the common name for coalworker's pneumoconiosis* Black Lung, an electronic and industrial music project by Australian musician David Thrussell...
disease) in coal miners", "conduct on-site investigations in mines similar to those authorized for general industry under the Occupational Safety and Health Act
Occupational Safety and Health Act
The Occupational Safety and Health Act is the primary federal law which governs occupational health and safety in the private sector and federal government in the United States. It was enacted by Congress in 1970 and was signed by President Richard Nixon on December 29, 1970...
; and "test and certify personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garment or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury by blunt impacts, electrical hazards, heat, chemicals, and infection, for job-related occupational safety and health purposes, and in...
and hazard-measurement instruments."
NIOSH publications
Alerts are put out by the agency to request assistance in preventing, solving, and controlling newly identified occupational hazards. They briefly present what is known about the risk for occupational injury, illness, and death.Criteria Documents contain NIOSH's recommendations for the prevention of occupational diseases and injuries. These documents are submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
or the Mine Safety and Health Administration
Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Mine Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor which administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to eliminate fatal accidents, to reduce...
for consideration in their formulation of legally-binding safety and health standards.
Current Intelligence Bulletins analyze new information about occupational health and safety hazards.
The National Agricultural Safety Database
National Agricultural Safety Database
The National Ag Safety Database was developed with funding from the United States National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health , the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the USDA Cooperative Extension Service . The information contained in NASD was contributed by safety...
is published by NIOSH and contains citations and summaries of scholarly journal articles and reports about agricultural health and safety.
The Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE)
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE)
The Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program's goal is the prevention of occupational fatality. Program elements include:Tracking all work-related acute trauma fatalities.Conducting investigations of a select number of these incidents...
program publishes occupational fatality
Occupational fatality
An occupational fatality is a death that occurs while a person is at work or performing work related tasks. Occupational fatalities are also commonly called “occupational deaths” or “work-related deaths/fatalities” and can occur in any industry or occupation....
data. Data is used to publish fatality reports by specific sectors of industry and types of fatal incidents.
The NIOSH Power Tools Database
NIOSH Power Tools Database
The NIOSH Power Tools Database contains sound power levels, sound pressure levels, and vibrations data for a variety of common power tools that have been tested by researchers. Data are collected for both the unloaded and loaded use of power tools...
contains sound power levels, sound pressure levels, and vibrations data for a variety of common power tools that have been tested by NIOSH researchers.
In popular culture
- In the Iris Alternate Reality Game to hype Halo 3Halo 3Halo 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the Halo franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2...
, it is called the NIOSH and is referenced alongside the CDCCenters for Disease Control and PreventionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
in helping in a "cleanup".
See also
- American Society of Safety EngineersAmerican Society of Safety EngineersFounded in 1911, the American Society of Safety Engineers is the oldest safety society and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment. Its more than 33,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professional members manage, supervise, research and consult on safety,...
- Back injuryBack injuryBack injuries result from damage, wear, or trauma to the bones, muscles, or other tissues of the back. Common back injuries include sprains and strains, herniated disks, and fractured vertebrae. The lumbar is often the site of back pain. The area is susceptible because of its flexibility and the...
- ErgonomicsErgonomicsErgonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:...
- Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention ProgramFire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention ProgramThe Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program is administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health , part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention...
- Health Hazard Evaluation ProgramHealth Hazard Evaluation ProgramThe Health Hazard Evaluation program is a workplace safety program administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health . It was developed by NIOSH to comply with a mandate included in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to investigate occupational hazards reported...
- National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting SystemNational Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting SystemThe National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System was launched on August 12th 2005 by the International Association of Fire Chiefs. It was announced at a press conference in Denver, Colorado, after having completed a pilot program involving 38 fire departments across the country...
- NIOSH ERCNIOSH ERCNIOSH Education and Research Centers are multidisciplinary centers supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for education and research in the field of occupational health. Through the centers, NIOSH supports academic degree programs and research opportunities...
- NORANational Occupational Research AgendaThe National Occupational Research Agenda is a partnership program developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health . The program was founded in 1996 to provide a framework for research collaborations among universities, large and small businesses, professional societies,...
, the National Occupational Research Agenda - Occupational Safety and HealthOccupational safety and healthOccupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...
- Occupational Safety and Health AdministrationOccupational Safety and Health AdministrationThe United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
(OSHA) - Safe-In-Sound Award Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award
- SENSOR-PesticidesSENSOR-PesticidesSentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks -Pesticides is a U.S. state-based surveillance program that monitors pesticide-related illness and injury. It is administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health , twelve state health agencies participate. NIOSH...
External links
- NIOSH
- Global Environmental and Occupational Health e-Library online database of environmental health and occupational health and safety training materials
- NIOSH Power Tools Database online database of sound and vibrations data for various power tools