Health Agency Cuts Threaten U.S. Worker Safety Programs

5 Apr at 8:13 pm

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Health Agency Cuts Threaten U.S. Worker Safety Programs \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Massive staffing cuts at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are crippling key worker protection programs. Around 850 employees, including the director, have been laid off. The move has drawn harsh criticism from unions, firefighters, miners, and health professionals.

Quick Looks

NIOSH, under CDC, is losing 850 of 1,000 employees
Director Dr. John Howard removed after serving under 3 presidents
Programs affected include firefighter cancer registry, respirator lab, black lung screenings
Unions say cuts are a betrayal of worker protections
NIOSH was instrumental in certifying masks, studying workplace hazards
Layoffs part of wider 10,000-job reduction at HHS
Remaining NIOSH elements moved to “Administration for a Healthy America”
Uncertainty surrounds continuity of vital worker safety initiatives

Deep Look

NIOSH Mass Layoffs Decimate Worker Safety Programs and Spark National Backlash

A sweeping wave of federal health agency layoffs has gutted the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), long regarded as one of the nation’s most vital public health watchdogs for worker safety. The dramatic cuts — affecting roughly 850 of its 1,000 staff — have left critical safety initiatives in disarray and provoked outcry from labor unions, public health experts, and industry leaders.

The Cincinnati-based agency, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was founded over 50 years ago and has played a central role in protecting American workers from job-related hazards, from coal miners exposed to silica dust to first responders battling post-9/11 health conditions. Now, with the majority of its staff terminated or facing imminent layoffs, many of its programs may cease to exist altogether.

Leadership Removed, Programs Suspended

Among those let go was Dr. John Howard, a veteran occupational health expert who served as NIOSH director through three presidential administrations. His sudden removal symbolized a deeper disruption to an agency whose work has long transcended political lines.

“These cuts are a very pointed attack on workers in this country,” said Micah Niemeier-Walsh, vice president of the union local representing NIOSH staff in Cincinnati.

The repercussions of the layoffs are already being felt. A firefighter cancer registry, designed to track and analyze cancer trends among firefighters, went offline due to the absence of IT staff. Meanwhile, critical research involving hundreds of lab animals was halted midway, with animals likely to be euthanized and data discarded — a devastating blow to long-term studies, according to public health analyst Cathy Tinney-Zara in Morgantown, West Virginia.

A Legacy of Service in Occupational Health

Established in 1971 under President Nixon, NIOSH grew into a multifaceted agency with labs and offices in cities including Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Spokane, and Morgantown. Over five decades, its work has laid the foundation for national occupational safety policies.

NIOSH researchers were among the first to identify “popcorn lung”, a deadly lung disease in food manufacturing workers. They studied chemical exposures following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, helped prevent hospital-based outbreaks like measles, and trained doctors to diagnose black lung disease — a growing concern in mining regions.

Most notably, NIOSH operated the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), which tests and certifies N95 masks and other safety equipment. The lab was critical during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains vital to ensuring equipment used by millions of workers meets U.S. safety standards.

But with the lab now shuttered, concerns are mounting.

Industry Leaders and Labor Unions Speak Out

The American Medical Manufacturers Association warned that closing NIOSH’s respirator testing facility will tilt the playing field in favor of overseas manufacturers.

“This decision effectively rewards foreign manufacturers who haven’t invested in quality and safety, while punishing U.S. companies who have,” said Eric Axel, the association’s executive director.

Labor unions representing miners, nurses, flight attendants, and firefighters have condemned the cuts. Andrew Ansbro, president of the New York City firefighters’ union, called the dismantling of NIOSH an insult to 9/11 first responders, who rely on the agency for certification into federal health programs.

“Dismantling NIOSH dishonors the memory of our fallen brothers and sisters,” he said.

In Appalachia, where mining remains central to many communities, the impact is personal. Rebecca Shelton, policy director at the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, said residents rely on NIOSH for free screenings, education, and policy recommendations on diseases like black lung.

“These are not out-of-touch federal workers,” Shelton emphasized. “They are deeply connected to these communities.”

Behind the Layoffs: A Wider Federal Restructuring

The NIOSH cuts come amid a broader restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), involving around 10,000 layoffs and the formation of a new umbrella entity: the Administration for a Healthy America.

While some unionized workers at NIOSH received delayed termination notices, others — primarily supervisors — were told to vacate immediately. Even internal staff were unclear on the new reporting hierarchy. “Right now we’re trying to figure out the chain of command,” said Niemeier-Walsh.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that about 20% of the laid-off staff may be reinstated, but details remain vague. Which programs, labs, and research centers will survive the transition is still unknown.

One partial reversal was reported over the weekend: Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) said Howard had been reinstated to lead the World Trade Center Health Program — though not as NIOSH director. HHS did not respond to follow-up questions.

The Fallout: National Research and Public Health at Risk

Experts warn that the ramifications of halting NIOSH’s work are profound. Tessa Bonney, an occupational health professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the cuts risk crippling public health gains.

“NIOSH research helps the country save millions in avoided workers’ comp and healthcare costs,” she explained. “Stopping that kind of work impacts every sector — healthcare, mining, construction, manufacturing.”

At stake are decades of data, research progress, and institutional knowledge. In Morgantown, Tinney-Zara expressed disbelief: “Millions of dollars and decades of research are going down the drain.”

Looking Ahead: What Becomes of Worker Protection?

As HHS moves forward with its reorganization, pressure is mounting from across the political and labor spectrum to reinstate key NIOSH programs. Rallies in Cincinnati and other cities have drawn fired staff and supporters from teachers’ unions, postal workers, and construction trades.

The consensus is clear: eliminating NIOSH leaves a gaping hole in U.S. worker protection. Without it, miners may go unscreened, equipment may go uncertified, and emerging workplace hazards could go undetected.

For generations, NIOSH employees — many of them children and grandchildren of miners, factory workers, and scientists — have worked quietly but diligently to prevent workplace tragedies.

As Niemeier-Walsh reflected, “It was normal dinnertime conversation in our family to talk about how science can protect workers. Now, that mission is in jeopardy.”