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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) today
commemorated their 25th anniversary in a joint event with the Smithsonian
Institution to highlight the progress made since 1971 in protecting workers
from job-related injuries and illnesses, and to note the challenges that still
lie ahead.
In a ceremony at the National Museum of American History,
OSHA and NIOSH donated to the Smithsonian several items of historical
significance.
OSHA is part of the Department of Labor, and NIOSH is part
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Department of Health
and Human Services. Both programs were created under the Occupational Safety
and Health Act, a bipartisan measure enacted on Dec. 29, 1970, and signed by
President Richard M. Nixon. OSHA and NIOSH began operations on April 28,
1971.
OSHA seeks to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and
fatalities by setting and enforcing occupational safety and health standards,
promoting safety and health training and education and working with
stakeholders to develop innovative and creative approaches to preventing
workplace hazards.
NIOSH conducts research to identify the causes of
work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities, evaluate the hazards of new
technologies and work practices and create ways to control hazards so that
workers are protected. NIOSH also supports university programs to train
occupational safety and health professionals and makes recommendations on
occupational safety and health standards.
OSHA and NIOSH have made tremendous strides in making
workplaces safe and healthful, but job-related injuries and disease continue to
take serious human and economic tolls, officials from DOL and HHS said today in
conjunction with the anniversary. According to the latest annual figures by the
Department of Labor, an estimated 6.3 million workers are injured on the job
and 515,000 suffer job-related illnesses yearly.
These figures highlight the continued need for vigorous
leadership and partnership by OSHA and NIOSH in national efforts to protect the
lives and well-being of workers, officials declared.
"While many challenges remain, progress in workplace
safety and health has been remarkable," Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich
said. "Hundreds of thousands of workers owe their lives to OSHA's protective
standards. Brown lung--the cotton dust disease--is gone; fewer workers are
dying in trenching accidents; fewer are losing fingers to unguarded machinery;
fewer are exposed to hazardous chemicals; and fewer die in grain elevator
explosions."
"When Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health
Act, they promised that it would help assure a safe and healthful workplace for
every American," Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala said.
"For 25 years, NIOSH has worked with our partners to make good on that promise.
But, our work is far from done. Our challenge is to move forward--to continue
to put the best science in the world to use--creating American workplaces that
are safe, efficient and second to none."
"NIOSH's research leadership and its dedication to
protecting workers from health and safety hazards are recognized worldwide,"
said CDC Director David Satcher, M.D. "Thanks in large measure to NIOSH's
efforts, the nation has made dramatic progress in recognizing that safe and
healthful workplaces are an integral part of good public health and that the
tools we use to curb infectious disease also work against occupational
diseases--knowledge, timely intervention and prevention."
"We are excited about the future and the opportunity to
join with stakeholders and partners such as NIOSH and states operating their
own safety and health programs to identify problem areas and then fashion
practical solutions to keep employees safe and healthy," Assistant Secretary of
Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Joseph A. Dear said.
"As we observe OSHA and NIOSH's past successes, it is also
fitting that we consider ways to address new concerns created by changes in the
modern workplace," said NIOSH Director Linda Rosenstock, M.D. "The National
Occupational Research Agenda, which NIOSH released today, is the first step in
a collaborative U.S. effort to guide vital safety and health research over the
next decade."
"Anniversaries are important because they allow us to
reflect on the past: to give credit to those who have surmounted hurdles and to
provide an opportunity to consider the critical junctures that shape our lives
today," said National Museum of American History Director Spencer R. Crew.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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