PREPARED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is
part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). NIOSH, the federal agency
responsible for research and prevention of workplace hazards, is headquartered
in Washington, D.C., and has facilities in Anchorage, Alaska; Atlanta, Georgia;
Cincinnati, Ohio; Morgantown, West Virginia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and
Spokane, Washington.
Currently, there are 127 million individuals, 16 years of age or older,
in the United States workforce. The workforce is aging, becoming more ethnically
and racially diverse, and includes more women. Safety and health hazards
experienced by workers have implications for their personal lives, their
productivity, and the productivity of the nation as a whole. According
to a NIOSH-funded study published in 1997, work-related injuries cost the
nation more than $145 billion and work-related diseases cost an additional
$26 billion, making the total financial burden a staggering $171 billion
(1992). While occupational health research has improved worker protection
against many hazards and diseases, much remains to be done. Workers are
still at risk for noise induced hearing loss and exposed to lead and silica,
two long-recognized occupational hazards that cause chronic lung disease.
As the workplace and workforce change, new hazards emerge. Violence is
now a threat in the workplace, latex allergies are increasing among health
care workers, new chemicals and processes place workers in danger, and the
long-term effects of many exposures remain unknown.
NIOSH continues to reduce work-related injuries and illnesses by conducting
research, publishing recommendations for preventing work-related injuries
and illnesses, and training professionals in occupational safety and health.
NIOSH significant accomplishments for FY 1997 include:
Institute Infrastructure
Completed assimilation of the former Bureau of Mines creating a dynamic
mining research component within the Institute.
Scientific Findings
Identified the molecular events responsible for occupational cancers
caused by metals such as arsenic and cadmium, the early gene environmental
reactions responsible for particle induced inflammatory lung disease,
and a molecular biomarker for chronic arsenic exposure.
Developed a home test for determining the level of certain pesticides
in urine.
Derived a lifting equation to identify both jobs with increased risk
of lower back pain and changes in lifting practices that will help prevent
future injuries.
New Technology
Developed, tested, and deployed engineering controls for highway-class
asphalt paving equipment in cooperation with equipment manufacturers.
As a result of this collaboration, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) and the paving equipment manufacturers signed a voluntary
agreement to incorporate engineering controls on all highway-class paving
equipment manufactured after July 1, 1997.
Increased performance capabilities and cut by one-half the size and
weight of a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). The instrument
has been granted two U.S. patents. The GC/MS is the only portable analytical
instrument capable of providing an immediate, positive identification of
a hazardous gas or vapor at the work site.
Developed the technology to classify hazardous fibers, such as asbestos
and fiberglass, according to their length. Laboratory studies involving
fibers classified using this new technology confirm the role of fiber length
on cellular damage in the lungs.
Policy and Recommendations
Published the NIOSH Latex Alert highlighting the potential for serious
allergic reactions to latex in health care workers which provided recommendations
for minimizing latex exposure.
Published two documents to further the science and understanding of
the relationship between work and musculoskeletal disorders. One document
establishes the scientific basis for the association between known risk
factors in the workplace and musculoskeletal disorders, the second gives
practical solutions for preventing or reducing musculoskeletal disorders.
Collaborated with the Department of Energy, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH),
and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to develop
a coordinated Public Health Plan for Department of Energy (DOE)-site workers
and communities.
Partnering
Increased NIOSH resources in support of the National Occupational Research
Agenda (NORA). NIOSH's FY1997 NORA investment of $28.1 million was nearly
double that of FY1996.
Established 20 teams, one each to address research priorities established
within NORA. These implementation teams are made up of experts from
government, industry, labor, professional societies, and academia.
Completed the first ever survey of Federal partners to determine funding
levels and research interests in occupational safety and health.
Education and Outreach
Awarded 222 grants and cooperative agreements for $45.1 million in
35 states.
Added a new Education and Research Center (ERC) at the University of
South Florida at Tampa to serve the Southeast region of the country.
ERCs provide occupational safety and health training and other resources
for professionals in industry, labor, government, and academia. This
brings the total number of ERCs to 15 in 14 states.
Worked closely with state health departments, the regional Federal
Emergency Management Agency, and the American Red Cross to help flood victims
along the Ohio River and ensure the safety of workers involved with the
rescue, clean-up, and reconstruction operations.
Established the National Center for the Prevention of Childhood Agricultural
Injuries in Marshfield, Wisconsin, to serve as a national resource for
raising awareness of childhood agriculture injuries and coordinating prevention
efforts.
Services
Conducted 335 Health Hazard Evaluations at the request of employers,
employees, and federal, state, and local agencies, to examine potential
hazards in the workplace.
Awards
NIOSH's Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (PRL) was awarded the prestigious
R&D Magazine annual award for one of the top 100 innovative technological
advancements of the year. PRL received the award for the design of a portable
device for measuring methane in rock samples. This device has the potential
to reduce the risk of mine explosions and improve the safety of underground
mine workers.
Albert Munson, Ph.D., Division Director of the Health Effects Research
Laboratory, received the 1997 Education Award from the Society of Toxicology.
This award is given annually to an individual whose contributions to the
teaching and training of toxicologists have significantly advanced the
field of toxicology.
Two NIOSH scientists from the Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering
(DPSE), Kevin Ashley, Ph.D. and Paul Schlecht, were included in "Who's
Who in the Lead Hazard Control Industry."
An unhealthy working environment affects workers' health and productivity,
and may even render them unable to work. The consequences of occupational
safety and health hazards are reflected in the following statistics:
In 1996 on a typical day in the United States, 16 workers died from
injuries.
Each day, an average of 137 workers died from work-related diseases.
According to the National Safety Council, the costs for occupationally-related
injuries exceeded $121 billion in 1996.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is
committed to making the workplace a safer environment for all people. NIOSH
is constantly faced with new challenges as the workforce grows older and
changes in demographic composition, as individuals work longer hours, and
as issues facing workers evolve.
NIOSH has been conducting health research and making recommendations
for preventing occupational illness and injury since its inception in 1970.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act created both NIOSH and the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), giving each unique responsibilities
and placing them in different governmental departments. Charged with conducting
research and implementing prevention activities, NIOSH is located in the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS). OSHA is required to promulgate regulations
and enforce health and safety standards in the workplace and is part of
the Department of Labor. FY 1997 marked completion of the transfer of the
health and safety research programs from the former U.S. Bureau of Mines
to NIOSH. In FY 1997, NIOSH's total operating budget was $173 million and
NIOSH staff numbered 1,364.
As required by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), NIOSH
developed four Institute-wide strategic goals in FY 1997. The complete
version of the NIOSH Strategic Plan is available on the NIOSH Home Page
at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh. These goals complement the goals set out by
both DHHS and CDC.
The four NIOSH goals--targeting of research, surveillance, prevention,
and information dissemination and training-- represent the broad spectrum
of NIOSH's work. It is the interplay of these goals that has and will make
the vision of this Institute--safer and healthier workplaces--a reality.
To best describe NIOSH's accomplishments during FY 1997, this Report
of Activities has been organized around the Institute's four strategic goals.
This Report highlights the work of the Institute during FY 1997 and it
is not an exhaustive account of Institute-wide activity.
