The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
What is The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)?
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a federal agency of the United States Government responsible for making recommendations and conducting research for the prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a fundamental part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—a sub agency of the United States’ Department of Health and Human Services.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a professionally diverse organization that staffs over 1,5000 people, all of whom represent a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, safety, psychology, industrial hygiene, engineering, statistics and chemistry.
Formally signed by President Richard M. Nixon on December 29th of 1970, The Occupational Safety and Health Act was the piece of legislation responsible for creating both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was created to help ensure healthful and safe working conditions by providing educational resources, information, research and training to the field of occupational safety and health. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides national leadership to impede instances of work-related injuries, disabilities, illness and deaths. The agency attempts to curb these unfortunate instances by conducting scientific research, gathering information and translating the knowledge gathered into services and products.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): Strategic Goals
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) implements a strategic plan for allocating resources and meeting institutional goals. In general, the agency has three goals:
• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) wants to conduct research for the reduction of work-related injuries and illnesses
• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) aims to promote healthy and safe workplaces through recommendations, capacity building and interventions
• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) aims to enhance global workplace safety and health by collaborating with international government bodies
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) goals are supported by the agency’s portfolio. This publication subcategorizes the agency’s initiatives into 8 groups, each of which represent industrial sectors. The program then further subdivides these efforts into 24 cross sections.
Dissimilar to its brother organization (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration), The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is not a regulatory body. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) does not issue safety and health standards that are enforced under U.S. law. Rather, the agency’s authority derived from the Occupational Safety and Health Act is to develop suggestions for health and safety standards, to develop information concerning the safe levels of exposure to toxic materials, and to conduct research on health problems and new safety practices. The agency may also conduct on-site probes to determine the toxicity levels of materials applied in workplaces.
