December 6, 2004—In response to language Senate and House conferees added to the 2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill recently that appears to block part of the proposed reorganization of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is greatly encouraged.
“The language adopted by the Senate, supported by House and Senate Conferees, should be seen as a victory for NIOSH and its stakeholders,” ASSE President Gene Barfield, CSP, said today. “But, it all depends on the intent of CDC and NIOSH leaders in interpreting that language. ASSE will work diligently to ensure that key Congressional leaders know what progress CDC makes in heeding Congressional direction in the report language, which ASSE views as requiring the reversal of organizational changes that have already been made.
“If NIOSH is not given the resources and organizational independence it needs to fulfill its mission, ASSE will renew its call for NIOSH to become an independent agency under the Department of Labor where it can more effectively focus on occupational safety and health research,” Barfield continued.
Overall, ASSE is pleased that so many organizations with stakes in occupational safety and health issues came together as a single voice to ensure that Congress addressed the negative impact of CDC’s reorganization on NIOSH.
Added to the Omnibus Appropriations bill that will fund most of the federal government for 2005 and is likely to be passed next week was language stating, “The conferees concur in the directives in the Senate report language regarding the NIOSH reporting relationship with the director of the CDC, their operating procedures, and organizational structure.”
Earlier in the year, the Senate reported, ” Congress established NIOSH with the expressed intent to provide occupational safety and health research with the visibility and status it merits and to elevate the status of occupational safety and health research (Legislative History of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, S. 2193, Public Law 91-596). The Committee strongly supports these principles. The Committee expects CDC to ensure that the ongoing CDC reorganization does not impede nor diminish NIOSH’s ability to meet its statutory responsibilities to protect the safety and health of America’s workers. The Committee believes that NIOSH must have the stature necessary to work effectively with OSHA, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services in the manner described by statute. Therefore, the Committee directs the CDC to maintain the status quo with respect to the direct reporting relationship of the NIOSH director to the CDC director. The Committee further directs the CDC to: (1) make no changes to NIOSH’s current operating procedures and organizational structure and (2) ensure that no funds or personnel will be transferred from NIOSH to other components of CDC by means other than traditional reprogramming of funds.”
Last June, ASSE voiced its opposition to the CDC reorganization plans concerning the future role of NIOSH. ASSE officials noted that ASSE’s 30,000 members work in the occupational safety, health and environmental profession and their efforts rely greatly on a scientific foundation of occupational safety and health research that is, in large measure, lead by the NIOSH.
ASSE members are concerned that under the CDC reorganization proposal, NIOSH will go from an agency reporting directly to the head of the CDC to an agency under the direction of interests that have no demonstrated commitment to occupational safety and health issues. ASSE members are also concerned that the design proposes to take away from NIOSH’s control important organizational resources that NIOSH uses to fulfill its mission, including its own marketing capabilities, its involvement in budget efforts with Congress, and its oversight of Educational Resource Centers (ERCs). For more information, contact ASSE.
