Niosh - Articles - Page 2

Rescuing NIOSH: Lawsuits & Lobbying Fuel the Blowback

An overview of 8 current events to stay informed

May 15, 2025

As of mid-May, so many efforts are underway to restore NIOSH funding and staffing (at least eight listed here) that you need a scorecard to keep up. Here is an overview.

HHS Reinstates Hundreds of NIOSH Workers; Deep Cuts Still Remain

ISEA calls it "a major victory for worker safety"

Benita Mehta

May 15, 2025

The rehired workers were based at NIOSH facilities in Morgantown, W.Va., and Cincinnati, as well as at the World Trade Center Health Program.

With NIOSH Gone, Who Tests & Approves Respirators?

Dave Johnson

May 7, 2025

From 2021 through 2023, a NIOSH lab achieved 1,776 respirator approval decisions. Work at the lab and the Respirator Approval Program link on the site has now been shut down.

Hope For NIOSH: States Sue To Block Trump Administration Health Department Cuts

Dave Johnson

May 6, 2025

Twenty attorneys general sued the Trump administration on Monday, May 5, 2025, for its mass firings and the dismantling of agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

NIOSH Lays Off Most Remaining Staff

90 percent of workforce receive layoff letters

Dave Johnson

May 5, 2025

An initial round of layoffs on April 1 cut about two-thirds of the agency workforce — including NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard after a 22-year tenure — on the orders of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

image of safety professionals for ISHN content recommendations

New AFL-CIO Report: Worker Deaths on the Job to Worsen Under Trump Administration Policies

Annual "Death on the Job" report provides a state-by-state analysis of threats to worker safety

April 24, 2025

The AFL-CIO’s 34th annual "Death on the Job report provides a state-by-state analysis of threats to worker health and safety and policy recommendations for how the government can better protect workers.

AIHA Launches Campaign to Restore NIOSH

April 21, 2025

Reductions to NIOSH personnel planned by the Trump administration will leave “only a fraction of its original workforce to manage select programs,” said AIHA CEO Lawrence Sloan.

Safety and Health Under Siege: Let’s Separate Facts From ‘What Ifs’

Dave Johnson

April 17, 2025

This article separates facts from speculation beneath the headlines. And there are many more “what ifs” than facts less than 100 days into the second Trump administration.

Pushback on NIOSH Cuts Gains Momentum

'Friends of NIOSH' sends open letter to government officials

Dave Johnson

April 9, 2025

An open letter supported by 130 organizations representing the "Friends of NIOSH" was sent to leading House and Senate Republican committee chairs and ranking Democrats states in March.

Burning Down the Agencies That Keep Workers Alive

Reform or self-inflicted sabotage?

Bernard L. Fontaine, Jr. M.Sc., CIH, CSP, FAIHA

April 8, 2025

Let’s be blunt: Gutting worker protections isn’t about good governance — it’s about power, politics, and profit. And workers are the ones paying the price.