Statement: federal jobs cuts put US workers at risk

NIOSH is the federal institute responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness.

These actions are bad news for workers’ safety and health. With around two-thirds of NIOSH's workforce put at risk, we need to fully understand the depth of these cuts, both to programmes and the workforce, and their likely impacts on businesses and workers, especially in high-risk sectors.

Budget reductions, downsizing and reassignments at NIOSH are being introduced in accordance with Executive Order 14210 and executed through a restructuring order from the Health and Human Services Secretary. They raise grave concerns, specifically in relation to future worker safety and health research and its practical application in US workplaces.

Reorganisation

The cuts were revealed as part of a reorganisation plan that involves relocating or reducing various segments of the federal health workforce. This plan appears to have left many workers uninformed about the exact nature and impact of the cuts and with limited opportunities to feed back on the restructuring process. The reorganisation seeks to establish a new entity: the Administration for a Healthy America. With the current plan to reduce NIOSH capacity, the risk that NIOSH will be much weakened is a real threat. As part of these changes, NIOSH is expected to be merged into the new Administration.

This development follows other US Department moves to terminate or amend international business and human rights programmes. All of this comes within the context of an ongoing deregulatory threat and ‘freeze’ on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, standard interpretations and guidance.

Since 2003, NIOSH has developed, funded, supported and promoted research findings that improve safety and health in the workplace through evidence-based studies.

For an organisation like IOSH that shares with NIOSH common values aimed at making the world of work safer and healthier through robust, evidence-driven health and safety policies, recommendations and practice, news of these latest developments is particularly sad. Especially when we know good health and safety is good for workers, good for business, and good for the economy.

Key areas for concern

Without a proper impact assessment for its reorganisation and proposed cuts, the loss of NIOSH expertise and programmes has the potential to leave US workplaces remarkably ill-equipped to plan for, and respond to, health and safety related threats, challenges and opportunities. Here are some key areas for concern:

• Reduction in research capacity

  NIOSH’s ability to conduct research on workplace hazards and health and safety measures will be severely limited. We need evidence and research in health and safety to inform us about current hazards and risks, and emerging risks. We need this to inform health and safety protocols and novel and tailored safety programmes, prevention strategies and systems of work.

  Examples of this from NIOSH’s work include work on reducing traumatic injuries and fatalities; reducing exposure to health hazards; occupational cancer for firefighters and coal workers; and a 9/11 responders’ health programme, to name just a few. Essentially, cuts to this type of research impact strategies focused on how to prevent harm before it occurs. Not preventing harm will have costly impacts on workers, business and the economy.

• Response to future challenges

  NIOSH’s capacity for and role in conducting research and its ability to make recommendations about serious workplace incidents such as outbreaks, emergencies and major accidents, will be weakened. This could result in slower responses to emergencies, less effective prevention and mitigation of workplace hazards and poorer integration of occupational safety and health into emergency planning and response.

• Loss of OSH knowledge

  NIOSH’s website, research, recommendations and thought leadership content has been a source of information for many. Landmark studies, reports, research articles, interpretation of regulations, codes of practice and facts sheets could now be at risk of disappearing and not being updated. Ultimately, the value this brings will be lost.

• Reduced support for high-risk industries

  There would be reduced support for workers in high-risk industries and those exposed to hazardous working conditions (including firefighters and workers in construction, mining, healthcare and seasonal agriculture, as these are focus areas for NIOSH programmes). Such reduced support and fewer targeted, evidence-based interventions may mean those workers are at risk of specific work-related injuries, illness and fatalities without targeted prevention strategies.

• Less global collaboration

  NIOSH is recognised as a key organisation in the occupational health and safety community. Its work has contributed globally to the knowledge exchange of information and research, the review of international documents and training materials, plus key contributions made on international committees, standards development and professional associations.

Call for impact assessment

Poor health and safety harms people, communities, businesses, and the economy. Preventing harm and improving working conditions benefits everyone and drives better safety standards.

IOSH believes the proposed NIOSH cuts would undermine worker protection across industries. We request a full impact assessment of this proposal that recognises the return on investment from prevention efforts, evidence-based interventions, and research programmes.

Occupational safety and health that protects workers’ lives must remain a priority for this administration. We urge the HHS Secretary to maintain occupational safety and health capacity building to ensure worker protection.

These are testing times indeed, and IOSH thanks NIOSH workers for their commitment, work and dedication to make workplaces safer and healthier.