Occupational Health Research at NIOSH The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the U.S. federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths.1 The work by NIOSH protects the safety and health of the nation’s 155 million workers.2 NIOSH provides the only dedicated federal investment for research ne...

1Toxicology and Molecular Biology Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Morgantown, WV 2Pathology and Physiology Research Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Morgantown, WV 3Biostatistics and Epidemiology Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National...

T he National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. The NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center coordinates the Institute’s laboratory, field, and information dissemination activities on the development of tools, practices, and recommendations for the g...

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigators compared methods for collecting personal breathing zone (PBZ) air samples for particulates during abrasive blasting at a shipyard. Abrasive blasting is the cleaning or finishing of surfaces by the use of an abrasive carried in a strong current of air. The U.S. government has provided regulatory requirements and guid...

Using the results of psychophysical and biomechanical experiments, NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Recommended Weight Limit (RWL), the Lifting Index (LI), the form of the asymmetry multiplier, and the criterion for compression force were investigated. Analysis of the results indicated a significant difference between the NIOSH RWL and the reported Maximum Acceptabl...

NIOSH researchers conducted a study to compare seat designs on underground coal mine haulage vehicles. The objective of the study was to support prior findings that NIOSH-designed seats, which incorporated ergonomic design features (e.g., viscoelastic foam padding and low-back support), are improved designs. Based on measured levels of vehicle jarring/jolting and perceived discomfort, researche...