>> 2021 is the 50th anniversary of the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH.
NIOSH is the US research Institute responsible
for protecting the safety and health of the US workforce.
Efforts in the US to protect its workforce first began
in the 1870s when factories sprang
up across the country after the Civil War.
Thousands of young,
inexperienced workers were being killed or injured
by hazardous machinery.
Then in 1914, the earliest predecessor
to NIOSH was founded, called The Office
of Industrial Hygiene and Sanitation.
Industrial hygiene refers to the identification, study,
and control of workplace hazards
that may cause injury or illness.
The Office pioneered scientific field studies of diseases caused
by the work environment.
Early industrial hygiene efforts focused on protecting workers
from mining or machinery-related accidents
and cancer-causing chemicals.
In World War II, this work expanded
to include weapons plants where researchers were instrumental
in preventing diseases, such as TNT poisoning.
So, how did the Occupational Safety and Health Act
that created NOISH come to be?
After years of public and labor groups demanding safer work,
President Lyndon B. Johnson called for occupational safety
and health studies and legislation
to relieve this tragic burden on the workforce.
His call continued until President Nixon
signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970.
One major effect of this act was
that workers had new rights to health and safety.
It also gave the federal government a way
to enforce them.
The Occupational Safety
and Health Act also created a mechanism to conduct research
in the field of occupational safety and health,
including the psychological factors involved.
This work led to innovative methods, techniques,
and approaches for addressing occupational safety
and health problems.
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From the start, NIOSH made an impact
on worker research and protection.
In the first 10 years,
NIOSH conducted the first health hazard evaluation.
The first health hazard evaluation was done March 10,
1970, at the Sager Glove Corporation in Murray, Kentucky,
where researchers studied asbestos exposures.
Health hazard evaluations continue to this day,
helping employees, unions, and employers identify
and control hazards in the workplace.
NIOSH published the first criteria document.
Criteria documents provide the basis
for comprehensive occupational safety and health standards.
In 1972, NIOSH released Criteria for a Recommended Standard,
Occupational Exposure to Asbestos.
Asbestos is a natural mineral that requires careful study,
because it can be useful or harmful.
For example, it can be used
in fireproofing materials and insulation.
However, later studies found that exposure
to asbestos dust can cause lung disease or cancer.
NIOSH published the first Pocket Guide
to Chemical Hazards in 1978.
As researchers identify and investigate new toxic chemicals,
NIOSH routinely updates the guide
to make sure users have the most up-to-date information on new
and existing workplace hazards.
The most recent version of the guide is available in print,
online, and through mobile app and gives information
on hundreds of chemicals and classes,
which help users recognize
and control chemical hazards in the workplace.
Today, NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and has nearly 2,000 researchers,
support staff, and contractors
in eight locations across the US.
NIOSH represents a wide range of disciplines,
including epidemiology, safety, psychology, engineering,
chemistry, statistics, and research translation.
Over the past 50 years, NIOSH has expanded its focus
in many directions, addressing emerging
and complex occupational safety and health issues,
such as opioid use and misuse, robotics, aging workers,
emerging technologies, health equity,
the future of work, and COVID-19.
Through it all, we continue to strive to help all workers
across the country at every level stay safe
and healthy on and off the job.
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