It may surprise some to learn that more than 5,000 people in the U.S. died from work-related injuries in 2023, about 15 workers every day. And this is a drastic improvement; as recently as 1970, 38 workers died from work-related injuries every day.
An important difference maker was the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, which lost nearly all of its workforce last month. This decision comes at a time when occupational safety is more critical than ever, as the nation seeks to bring back jobs to this country, revitalize manufacturing and expand critical mineral extraction capabilities.
The consequences of these cuts are far-reaching and deeply troubling. These often-unrecognized heroes protect American workers from very real dangers present in a variety of industries, and they do so in ways that also promote benefits for business by reducing turnover and improving productivity.
Moreover, the institute operates with a relatively small investment for a large return. For example, it introduced and promoted measures to reduce road construction workers’ exposure to dust that contains silica, a preventable exposure that can lead to cancer.
Estimates of the annual economic value from risk reductions in fatal and nonfatal illness for these measures alone are $692 million per year. Indeed, the savings from this one program are larger than its entire annual budget.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has been in existence since 1971 under a mandate to assure “every man and woman in the nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources” and is the only federal agency mandated to conduct research and recommend practices to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.
The institute does not issue any citations. Instead, its workforce of about 1,400 researchers and professionals partners with industry and labor to make recommendations to workplaces on both longstanding health and safety issues, like asbestos, coal mine dust and a slew of other toxic chemicals. It also responds to emerging potential threats, such as the H5N1 bird flu.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health was on the scene during major events like the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to ensure that first responders can do their job as safely as possible in challenging situations.
Although most people may think of jobs in mining or heavy industries as the only places where workers are at risk, the research at the institute is far-reaching and considers the impacts of motor vehicle accidents (the leading cause of occupational fatalities in the U.S.), risks to firefighters, risks of exposure to extreme heat in construction and agriculture, and more.
It also provides funding for educating the next generation’s workforce through a string of approximately 18 centers across the nation that confer graduate degrees in occupational safety and health, provide continuing education for professionals, and research training at the cutting edge of occupational health. The institute and the centers funded by it are the foundations of the nation’s infrastructure for worker safety and represent a key investment in our future competitiveness globally.
It costs roughly $2.20 per worker, every year, to keep American companies informed of the risks to their workers and the best information to prevent death, injury and illness. American workers are certainly worth two bucks a year to help ensure that they go home to their families safely each day.
The drastic cuts to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health undoubtedly will slow the dramatic progress that has been made and leave Americans without the critical support of this vital institution. Restoring it is not just an investment in workplace safety — it is an affirmation of America’s commitment to science-driven progress.
The decision to eliminate the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health must be reversed if the United States is serious about protecting its workforce while competing globally.
Kirsten Koehler, Ph.D., Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Ph.D., Meghan Davis, Ph.D. and Ana Rule, Ph.D. are faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.