NIOSH Science Blog Posts
Keeping Junior Firefighters Safe and Healthy: The Fire Department’s Role in Promoting Positive Childhood Experiences
Historically, junior firefighter programs have been an important recruitment and retention tool for the fire service. Also known as “explorers” or “cadets,” junior firefighters range from 14-17 years of age and are part of volunteer, career, and combination (career/volunteer) fire departments. Most states’ child labor laws limit their participation to only fundraising activities, training, Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsSupporting Mental Health in the Workplace
Work plays a significant role in workers’ mental health. This impact is so substantial that managers impact workers’ mental health more than doctors or therapists do, according to the Workforce Institute’s Mental Health at Work study. The U.S. Surgeon General even emphasizes the role of workplaces in shaping our mental and physical well-being, noting Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentAn Urgent Call to Address Work-related Psychosocial Hazards and Improve Worker Well-being
Work-related psychosocial hazards are factors in the work environment that can cause stress, strain, or interpersonal problems for the worker. This has the potential to cause physical and psychological harm. Work-related psychosocial hazards are on the verge of surpassing many other occupational hazards in terms of their contribution to poor health, injury, disability, and Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsUsing Internal Traffic Control Plans to Prevent Construction Worker Injuries and Fatalities in Work Zones
Struck-by injuries are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and second most common cause of fatalities among construction workers. From 2011 to 2022, there were 1,462 fatal occupational injuries that occurred at road construction sites .[1] Of these, 68% (n=1,000) were among workers in the construction industry (See figure) followed by workers in transportation and Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentWomen’s History Month Reflections on Occupational Exposures and Health Equity
March was Women’s History Month and this year’s theme was “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” This theme urged us to think about the diversity of U.S. women workers and how NIOSH is addressing health equity. Health equity is the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentCelebrating 20 Years of Research: Highlights From NIOSH’s Nanotechnology Research Center’s Field Studies Team
As the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) marks its 20th anniversary, we celebrate the groundbreaking work of the Field Studies Team. Organized in 2006, the team began by evaluating potential workplace exposures to engineered nanomaterials. Engineered nanomaterials (those created on purpose and not incidentally) have at least Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentA Reflection on World Futures Day 2024: NIOSH Efforts to Help Build a Better Tomorrow
Future Day was first celebrated worldwide on March 1, 2012 as a forward-looking reflection on all the possibilities the future holds for humanity.1 Just two years later, the global think tank Millennium Project helped expand the unofficial holiday into what is now recognized as World Futures Day.2 World Futures Day is structured as an Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentSweating the Small Stuff: 20 years of NIOSH Research on Engineering Controls for Nanotechnology
Engineered nanomaterials are intentionally produced substances that have at least one primary dimension less than 100 nanometers (nm). Nanomaterials may have properties different from those of larger particles of the same material, making them unique and desirable for specific product applications (e.g., cosmetics, electronics, construction materials). The health effects associated with nanomaterials are not yet Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentDispelling Myths to Make Healthy Hearing a Reality
This World Hearing Day, March 3, 2024, the World Health Organization is promoting awareness of hearing loss to reduce societal misperceptions and stigma and is encouraging you to do the same. Over 80% of ear and hearing care needs are not met worldwide.[1] Hearing care has an annual cost of nearly $1 trillion (US) globally.[2] Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentChanging Mindsets on Hearing Disorders Associated with Work Hazards
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Hearing Loss Prevention Program has been an official member of the World Hearing Forum (WHF) since it was launched in 2019. The Forum was assembled by the Office of Ear and Hearing Care of the World Health Organization to promote ear and hearing care worldwide. Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsProtecting the Well-being of the Nation’s Health Workforce
The American Journal of Public Health recently published a special supplement with 15 articles focusing on health worker mental health. As part of this special issue, our article Protecting the Mental Health and Well-being of the Nation’s Health Workforce summarizes the scope of the issue and prevention efforts underway at the Centers for Disease Control and Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentAJPH Highlights Health Worker Mental Health
The American Journal of Public Health recently published a special supplement with 15 articles focusing on health worker mental health. This special issue of the journal was sponsored and edited by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and stems from the health worker mental health initiative from the Centers for Disease Control Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentFinding the Right Fit—Is Your Respirator “The One”?
Finding the right fit is one of the most important parts of a relationship. You don’t just grab any old fish from the sea that swims by and hope for the best. First, it’s necessary to test the waters and ensure you’re simpatico before settling on a partner. It’s Valentine’s Day, and yes, this advice Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentPrevention Through Design to Address Continuing Construction Workplace Deaths and Injuries
Nearly 1 in 5 of all workplace fatalities occur in the construction industry (BLS, 2024). In 2022 there were 1,092 fatalities in the construction industry (BLS, 2024); in 2021 and 2022 there were 144,480 cases of construction industry workers missing days away from work from a non-fatal injury or illness (BLS, 2023). These and other Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentNIOSH Global Collaborations on Workplace Safety of Nanomaterials
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) has taken on a global leadership role on research and guidance for nanomaterials in the workplace since the formation of NTRC in 2004 [1]. Global Collaborations is one of the ten critical topic areas for nanotechnology research and communication identified by NTRC Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentNonfatal Occupational Injury Surveillance Data: Examples from Michigan
The importance of developing a tracking system for occupational fatalities, injuries and illnesses was recognized in the original Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970. The Secretary of Labor at that time elected to delegate responsibility to collect, compile, and analyze occupational safety and health statistics. Despite the authority in the OSH Act to Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentMost-viewed NIOSH Products in 2023
Each January we look back at our most-viewed products from the previous year. This helps us gauge our impact and understand the type of information our users are seeking. Interest in all our platforms remains high. The subject matter making our most-viewed lists covers a wide range of topics including the prevention of firefighter cancer, Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentLong COVID and Occupational Medicine Practice
Some individuals with COVID-19 do not recover to their usual state of health, experiencing a broad array of new or continuing debilitating symptoms collectively referred to as “long COVID.” Long COVID can have a significant impact on a worker’s return to work. In June 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hosted the Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsONDCP Launches New Recovery Ready Workplace Toolkit
In 2022, approximately 110,000 Americans died from a drug overdose. At the same time, 46 million Americans aged 18 or older experienced a substance use disorder in 2022. Nearly two thirds of those people (30.1 million) were employed. The drug overdose epidemic is occurring in and impacting workplaces. Unintentional overdose from the nonmedical use Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsIs Occupational Physical Activity Harmful to Health?
A recent webinar from the National Occupational Research Agenda’s Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular, and Other Chronic Disease Prevention (CRC) cross-sector council describes research related to the potential effects of occupational physical activity on workers’ cardiovascular health. This blog summarizes the webinar and discusses the differences between (1) leisure-time physical activity, and (2) occupational physical activity Read More >
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