April 9, 2003—The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a new Fact Sheet (PDF format) describing the agency, including its role and responsibilities, history, research and training programs, and recent research accomplishments. NIOSH is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Department of Health and Human Services.
NIOSH research has brought about important progress in occupational safety and health, including the following recent accomplishments. NIOSH has:
- Developed virtual reality technology to simulate elevated workplaces to better study the risk factors for initiating a fall, the major cause of workplace fatalities in the construction industry.
- Evaluated the effectiveness of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation to prevent the transmission of tuberculosis in health care settings.
- Developed state-of-the-art lifting equipment to eliminate low-back injuries among nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants.
- Identified industries and occupations with increased risk for COPD and estimated the proportion due to workplace exposures by industry and occupation.
To order DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2003-116 or for more information, contact NIOSH at 800/35-NIOSH (800/356-4674).
