On April 1, thousands of Health and Human Services workers arrived at work to find their identification badges failed to let them into their jobsite. They were placed on administrative leave with a letter of termination set for June 2. Employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health were among those affected; 85% of that workforce was eliminated. Recently, the date of termination was changed to June 30. NIOSH has been annihilated. Worker safety is in danger if we do not speak up now. There are over 160 million workers in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is about 48% of the population. Workers spend most of their time on the job doing combinations of activities — such as prolonged sitting, prolonged kneeling, heavy lifting and being exposed to toxins — sometimes with fatal results. In 2023, 5,283 workers died on the job, according to BLS data. NIOSH staff do some of the most important public health and labor safety work in the U.S. For more than 50 years, NIOSH has been an essential resource for workers to help ensure their health and safety at many essential work sites.
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/protect-niosh-worker-safety-opinion-health/748760/