Tag: NIOSH

Health, healthcare, total worker health

Safety 2020 (Virtual): Broadening Safety Programs with Total Worker Health

At Safety 2020, the annual conference of the American Society of Safety Professionals, delivered virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenn Cavallari, Associate Professor at UConn School of Medicine, encouraged safety professionals to implement the principles of Total Worker Health, an initiative of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), to improve safety performance […]

N95 Respirator Decontamination: OSHA Weighs In

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued enforcement guidance allowing the decontamination and reuse of N95 respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic on a case-by-case basis. The interim guidance to the agency’s Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) allows the reuse, in certain circumstances, of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) decontaminated using methods that have shown […]

Facemask at work

UPDATED: Can Employers Mandate the Use of Facemasks, and What If Employees Can’t (or Won’t) Wear Them?

This article was last updated and reposted on July 20 in accordance with more up-to-date guidance and links to additional resources. The world has changed in an unprecedented way since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and employers have a lot of questions for our experts at Safety.BLR.com®. Read on to see how experts answered […]

First responders, ambulance corps

COVID-19: First Responders Must Be Notified of Coronavirus Exposure

Healthcare facilities and public health officials now must inform emergency responders when they have been exposed to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. On March 27, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) updated its list of potentially life-threatening infectious diseases to which emergency responders may be exposed (85 Federal Register 17335).

Healthcare PPE

COVID-19 Crisis Puts Spotlight on PPE at Healthcare Facilities

The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought a renewed focus on personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus—referred to as 2019-nCOV or SARS-CoV-2—first identified in Wuhan City, China, in December 2019.

Coronavirus

Coronavirus: CDC Updates N95 Respirator Strategy for COVID-19

On February 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its strategy for optimizing the supply of N95 respirators for healthcare workers. The CDC also has developed and continues to update guidance for commercial airlines and shipping for handling known or suspected cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus […]

psychosocial healthcare mental health worker health

3 Reasons to Go Beyond Safety Compliance to Total Worker Health

As a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is deeply invested in researching trends surrounding the well-being of workers nationwide. One of its most comprehensive efforts is the Total Worker Health® (TWH) Program, which is defined as “policies, programs, and practices that […]

Healthy, happy worker

NIOSH Develops Research Agenda for Healthy Work Design

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed a research agenda into healthy work design and worker well-being. The institute recently released a final version of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) for Healthy Work Design and Well-Being. A draft version was released March 2019.