When you have your HEALTH, you have EVERYTHING.: What is NIOSH?

MAKE-IT-SAFE MONDAY

If you’re someone who is currently reading this blog you’re probably very familiar with what the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is. However, OSHA has a less known counterpart in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Today we are going to look at the difference between OSHA and NIOSH, what NIOSH is, and the importance/purpose that it serves.

On December 29^th, 1970, President Nixon created both NIOSH and OSHA under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. According to OSHA.gov, its mission is to “assure safe and healthy working conditions for both men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance." OSHA is charged with creating and enforcing health and safety laws whereas NIOSH is more focused on developing recommendations for health and safety standards and conducting extensive research on new health and safety concepts. Simply speaking, OSHA is the lawmaker whereas NIOSH is the researcher.

As seen on cdc.gov, NIOSH’s vision is “Delivering on the nation's promise—safety and health at work for all people through research and prevention.” With the mission to “provide national and world leadership to prevent work-related illnesses and injuries.” NIOSH is a research center institution with three primary goals:

1. Conduct research to reduce work-related illnesses and injuries.

2. Promote safe and healthy workplaces through interventions, recommendations and capacity building.

3. Enhance international workplace safety and health through global collaborations.

NIOSH is part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and lacks the authority to establish laws and regulations that OSHA has. However, OSHA tends to listen to any recommendations that NIOSH discover through their research. To learn more about what NIOSH is, visit the website at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/.

NIOSH has played a crucial part in creating the safety that is found in workplaces throughout the U.S. today and will continue to serve an important purpose for many years to come. It’s important to recognize the importance of NIOSH and to keep up with the safety research they might be doing in your field.

Thank you for your time and attention. Let’s make it safe this Monday.

Christopher Feigal

Demand Generation Specialist, Lift’n Buddy, a Southworth Company