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Contents
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related disease and injury. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Fact Sheet
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
exposed rescue and recovery workers to
unprecedented levels of risk for job-related injury, illness,
and death. The National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH), a part of the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
responded swiftly to address workers’ needs in the
aftermath of the attacks.
NIOSH quickly sent to Ground Zero dozens of staff
who applied their technical expertise to help meet
immediate worker protection needs. Also, by helping
workers and supervisors build their own safety and
health capacity, NIOSH was able to enhance safety at
the sprawling site. In the aftermath, NIOSH is working
with its partners to address concerns about potential
long-term effects on workers’ health and to help
protect workers in the event of future emergencies. A
summary of NIOSH’s assistance follows.
NIOSH Responded to Workers' Immediate Needs:
- Assessed individual jobs and work locations to
identify potential hazards, including risk of eye
injuries from blowing debris and potential exposures
to silica dust, asbestos, and other hazardous materials.
- Helped site managers select appropriate equipment
for sampling, use it properly, and institute procedures
for analyzing samples quickly.
- Helped managers and workers select appropriate
personal protective equipment and coordinated the
deployment of respirators to rescue and recovery
workers.
- Developed cost-effective procedures for cleaning
and sanitizing respirators on-site.
- Worked with medical assistance teams to ensure
they were prepared to meet specific emergencies onsite
and to help them develop procedures for followup
evaluations of worker injuries.
NIOSH Helped Build Safety and Health Capacity:
- Developed and disseminated
written guidelines to help supervisors
integrate worker safety and health into site operations.
- Distributed written documents
with information that workers
and supervisors were most likely
to need on-site to address specific
concerns, including:
- Provided electronic access on the NIOSH Web
page to critically needed health and safety information,
which is an ongoing resource for workers, supervisors,
and others in the event of future emergencies.
NIOSH Is Following Up on Long-Term Needs:
- Conducting health hazard evaluations to assess
potential health effects from workers’ exposure to
dust in buildings near the recovery site.
- Providing technical assistance to the New York
City Department of Health regarding the development
of a voluntary registry of individuals who
worked at, lived near, or responded to the World
Trade Center attack.
- Working with local partners to develop a medical
screening and monitoring program for workers
involved in rescue and recovery operations at
Ground Zero.
NIOSH Is Helping Strengthen Preparedness:
- Issued new interim rules in December 2001 for
approving self-contained breathing apparatus
(SCBA) for use by fire fighters and other first
responders at scenes of chemical, biological, radiological,
and nuclear threats.
- Convened a national workshop in December
2001 to gather information and recommendations
on the performance, availability, and appropriateness
of personal protective equipment. A report
from the workshop is available at
www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl.
- Developing recommendations for management
processes and worker training to prevent injury and
illness to first responders and recovery workers at
the local, state, and federal levels.
- Assessing research to develop and evaluate technologies
for better protecting emergency responders
and other workers in terrorist attacks.
- Developing guidelines for emergency responders
on the selection, use, and maintenance of respirators
and other personal protective equipment in
disaster situations.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 highlighted
the importance of worker safety and health
as an essential component of public health.
NIOSH’s efforts with partners from industry, labor,
government, and public health will help integrate
occupational safety and health into ongoing planning
for emergency preparedness and homeland
security at the local, state, and national levels.
For More Information
Safer * Healthier * People ™
For additional information, contact NIOSH at
1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674)
Fax: 513-533-8573
or visit the NIOSH Web site at www.cdc.gov/niosh
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