Categories: Emergency response
April 28th, 2008 3:17 pm ET -
Administrator
by NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D.
On this Workers Memorial Day, April 28, 2008, the nation mourns fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, children, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and cherished friends who have died from work-related injuries and illnesses. In their memory, we renew our national commitment to make the workplace safer and healthier.
Although much progress has been made since the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970, more remains to be accomplished. Research is a vital part of this national mission, and NIOSH is proud of its role in helping to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths.
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Categories: Uncategorized
April 28th, 2008 8:38 am ET -
Administrator
The television documentary Deadliest Catch, the novel The Perfect Storm, and media accounts of tragedies at sea have publicized the all-too-real hazards of commercial fishing. Commercial fishing is the most dangerous occupation in the U.S., with an annual fatality rate of 142 deaths/100,000 fishermen, almost 36 times higher than the fatality rate for the average U.S. worker (4.4/100,000). The NIOSH Alaska Field Station has played an important role in significantly improving safety among commercial fishermen in Alaska. An emphasis on understanding the commercial fishing culture and the rugged work environment coupled with quality science has helped NIOSH create practical prevention recommendations that are now commonly used in the industry and are saving lives.
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Categories: Personal protective equipment
April 21st, 2008 9:10 am ET -
Administrator
Over three million American workers are required to wear respirators to protect themselves from hazards in their workplace. Since the fit of the respirator to the user’s face affects the protection provided by the respirator, occupational safety and health professionals recommend fit assessment during the initial selection of a respirator model and at some periodicity as part of a respiratory protection program. In 1998, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) adopted new requirements for occupational respiratory protection programs requiring respirator users to receive training and pass a fit test before using a respirator, and annually thereafter (29 Code of Federal Regulations Section 1910.134), based on current ANSI standards and public comments citing workplace experience.
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Categories: Violence
April 14th, 2008 7:09 am ET -
Administrator
To date, NIOSH intramural and extramural workplace violence research has focused on the highest risk occupations, including health care workers, taxi cab drivers, and retail sales. Because of an increase in the prevalence of school-based policies aimed at reducing violence in youth and recent reports suggesting that teachers and other school staff may face daily threats of workplace violence, NIOSH was prompted to examine risk factors and prevention polices and practices for workplace violence for K-12 school staff. Recent data demonstrates that teachers experience 39 crimes per 1,000 teachers (25 thefts and 14 violent crimes) and the true rate may be much higher since most incidents go unreported. As recent media reports have illustrated, this is a troubling problem affecting school personnel in elementary, middle and high schools across the nation.
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