{"id":11421,"date":"2025-04-03T10:23:26","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T14:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=11421"},"modified":"2025-04-03T10:23:26","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T14:23:26","slug":"reflections-on-niosh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2025\/04\/03\/reflections-on-niosh\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on NIOSH"},"content":{"rendered":"

F<\/span>ifty-five years ago, a Democratic Congress and a Republication Administration enacted a piece of landmark legislation to assure that “every man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources.”<\/p>\n

The new law enjoyed enormous support. The vote in the Senate was 83-3 and the vote was 310-58 in the House.<\/p>\n

Signed by President Richard M. Nixon, the Occupational Safety and Health Act<\/a> created two agencies to help ensure achievement of that lofty goal \u2013 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Department of Labor (DOL) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) within the Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n

But this Administration is no fan of working people, nor of the federal agencies that help protect and support them. The DOGE team plans to close 11 OSHA offices (here<\/a>, here<\/a>), and this week we learned that they will lay off<\/a> about two-thirds of the staff at NIOSH, effectively destroying the agency.<\/p>\n

Without so much as a handshake or a thank you for your service. Just a quick kick out the door.<\/p>\n

So much for research, information, training, and certification of personal protective equipment. The Trump Administration\u2019s message to our nation\u2019s workers is clear: Tough luck, suckers; you\u2019re on your own.<\/p>\n

Some Memories <\/strong><\/h2>\n

NIOSH holds a special place in my heart. I was fortunate enough to work there, including some time as the agency\u2019s \u00a0Acting Director.\u00a0 Then and to this day, you could not ask for a more honorable, dedicated, competent, and caring cadre of worker health and safety professionals. Serving alongside them was the highlight of my professional career.<\/p>\n

As the NIOSH Director, I was in Anchorage, Alaska on September 11, 2001 \u2013 visiting the local NIOSH field station.\u00a0 Early that morning, I was awakened by a call from my DC-based NIOSH Deputy Director. \u201cGet up\u201d, he said\u2026\u201d Turn on the TV.\u201d<\/p>\n

This Administration is no fan of working people, nor of the federal agencies that help protect and support them.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Planes had just hit the twin towers at World Trade Center (WTC). All passengers aboard were instantly killed, and employees of the WTC were trapped above the 91st<\/sup>\u00a0floor, some, ultimately jumping to their deaths<\/a> to avoid the fire.\u00a0 Shortly thereafter, another hijacked flight crashed into the Pentagon, killing all 64 people on the plane and 125 people in the Pentagon.<\/p>\n

All air traffic in the U.S. was grounded that day.\u00a0 I caught the first plane out of Anchorage the next day \u2013 back to DC.\u00a0 We immediately deployed a team of NIOSH experts to the WTC site to help protect first responders and rescue and recovery workers with respirators and other personal protective equipment. They remained there on the ground \u2013 on the pile — for weeks, as we worked with NIOSH and CDC leadership to further coordinate response.<\/p>\n

Several weeks later, we found ourselves in post offices and in Capitol Hill offices sampling for anthrax. (See here<\/a>, here<\/a>).\u00a0 I remember sleeping with my beeper, and taking calls from\u00a0 Senators who wanted their offices sampled — pronto.<\/p>\n

So many memories\u2026. This is just a snapshot of some of the more memorable.\u00a0 But as I think back, what stands out is really the day-to-day engagement in a critical mission with a stalwart and tireless staff of committed colleagues.\u00a0 It was a joy and honor to have had that time with them.<\/p>\n

Some Highlights <\/strong><\/h2>\n

NIOSH is the world\u2019s premier worker health and safety research institute, but it\u2019s far from a research think tank. Its research is specifically designed to help keep workers safe and healthy — with a focus on relevance, quality, and impact. It is practical, translatable, and directly relevant to informing the establishment of occupational safety and health standards by OSHA and MSHA, the Mine Safety and Health Administration. It is sector and cross-sector based, with core programs in safety, hearing loss, respiratory health, injury prevention, and disease and injury surveillance.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s more than research in this small, mighty, and chronically underfunded agency. For example,<\/p>\n