On April 2, the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) expressed concerns about reductions to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as part of a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) restructuring plan. The group also voiced concerns about a proposal not to renew leases for Occupational Safety and Health and Administration (OSHA) area offices.
HHS announced on March 27 it would create an Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), combining NIOSH with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
In a policy position statement, the ASSP urged members of Congress to carefully review the HHS decision to move NIOSH, which is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under the newly created AHA. It also asked representatives and senators to take steps to preserve NIOSH’s role in safeguarding the health and safety of American workers.
“We are closely monitoring these probable agency changes, knowing they would have lasting effects on workplace safety, industry innovation, and worker well-being,” ASSP President Pam Walaski said in a statement.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created both NIOSH and OSHA. OSHA, within the Department of Labor (DOL), sets and enforces workplace safety and health standards, provides education and training, and offers compliance assistance. NIOSH performs and supports occupational health and safety research, developing interventions to help reduce worker injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
NIOSH also develops and publishes “criteria documents” that suggest requirements OSHA could include in new workplace safety and health standards. NIOSH teams perform health hazard evaluations (HHEs) to help employers address worker illnesses and administer the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP) and the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, which monitors health conditions among 9/11 responders and survivors.
“A strong partnership between the public and private sectors is essential to occupational safety and health,” Walaski added.
“The data and evidence clearly show that these federal agencies have made a measurable difference in protecting workers across all industries. There is absolutely no question about it.”
“ASSP has long supported government agencies that prioritize worker safety,” she continued. “Seeing them seriously weakened would be a profound loss for workers, businesses, and our nation as a whole.”
The ASSP expressed concerns about the staff reductions at HHS that include NIOSH. In its position statement, the group wrote, “These reductions, which include significant cuts to NIOSH, threaten to weaken the scientific foundation of workplace safety and health. We believe this change could severely limit occupational EHS research, which is a major part of NIOSH’s mission.”
The ASSP described the changes as posing “a serious risk to the continued progress of workplace safety, which is integral to American workers, businesses and industries.”
The ASSP was founded in 1911 as the United Association of Casualty Inspectors following the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in which 123 workers perished. The group was renamed the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) in 1914 before taking its current name in 2018.