October 8, 2003—In the two years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has worked closely with diverse outside partners to provide the new tools and resources needed to improve the nation’s emergency preparedness. According to NIOSH, one significant component of emergency preparedness is the ability to counter the risk of injuries, illnesses, and deaths from attacks in occupational settings. Another is to ensure the safety of the nation’s emergency responders when they respond to these attacks and other events.
The areas in which NIOSH and its partners have made improvements since 9/11 include:
- Advancing the design, selection, and appropriate use of respirators for use by emergency responders, particularly to protect against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agents in physically demanding conditions of use.
- Innovating and applying new methods for detecting and measuring bioterrorism agents, including anthrax, and providing earlier warning of workplace bioterrorism contamination.
- Protecting building ventilation systems from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agent attacks, including detailed guidance for designing and maintaining air filtration components in ventilation systems.
- Adding a Business Preparedness topic page to NIOSH’s Web site to provide businesses with information needed to prepare for a terrorist-related emergency situation.
- Preparing a highly accessible, comprehensive Emergency Response Database for high priority chemical, physical, radiological, and biological hazards that may be encountered in response to terrorist events, to help emergency response personnel perform their jobs safely and efficiently.
- Monitoring the health of WTC rescue and recovery workers, both short-term and long-term.
