NIOSH: Mission, Research, and Role in Occupational Safety and Health

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the U.S. federal agency within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dedicated to generating knowledge and recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.

Core Functions

• Research: Investigates causes and mechanisms of occupational hazards (chemical, physical, biological, psychosocial, ergonomic).
• Standards & Guidance: Develops Criteria Documents, Current Intelligence Bulletins, and recommendations for OSHA/MSHA rulemaking.
• Training & Technical Assistance: Education Resource Centers, Health Hazard Evaluations (HHEs), Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program.
• Surveillance: Tracks occupational injuries/illnesses via SOII, CFOI, and specialized systems (e.g., NIOSH Occupational Mortality Database).
• Intervention Effectiveness: Evaluates controls, PPE, engineering solutions, and organizational practices.
• Information Dissemination: Publications, databases (NIOSHTIC-2), web portals, partnerships with states, labor, industry, academia.

Collaboration

NIOSH works with OSHA, MSHA, EPA, state health departments, labor unions, employers, and international bodies (WHO, ILO) to translate research into safer workplaces.