National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Layoffs
Almost all remaining employees of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) were released on Friday, according to several officials and dismissed employees. The layoffs range from approvals of new security equipment to fire service health.
Background
Much of the work at NIOSH, an arm of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was already halted after a first round of layoffs on April 1. New inquiries about investigations by the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program and workplace Health Hazard Evaluations had already stopped being accepted. A CDC plan to help Texan schools combat the spread of measles infections was also scrapped due to the layoffs.
History of NIOSH
NIOSH was started in 1970 as part of the same law that created another federal authority, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In addition to its own voluntary recommendations for employers, NIOSH creates research results to inform OSHA’s regulations and enforcements.
Affected Programs
The employees of NIOSH, who received notice of dismissal late Friday, were some workers for the World Trade Center Health Program, Bergmann Safety, and Firefighter Health Programs. Some employees for these programs were asked to temporarily return to work for another month or two. Among the layoffs for NIOSH’s World Trade Center Health program were nurses and scientists. Employees who deal with enrollment, membership services, and other administrative tasks were also reduced.
Impact of Layoffs
The layoffs also ended the work in the national laboratory for personal protection technology of the agency. This NIOSH department was the government authority responsible for testing safety equipment such as N95 masks and breathing devices used by emergency services. The laboratory’s respirator approval program was also halted, with around 100 applications for personal protective equipment pending. The efforts to recognize and warn against fake personal protective equipment were also discontinued due to the layoffs.
Reaction from HHS
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not immediately respond to a request for comments on Friday and asked what would happen to the agency’s work after most of its teams were eliminated. In a post on social media, the department claimed that fire department programs still had top priority and that "the agency continues to rationalize the business, the essential services of NIOSH remain completely intact and continuously". However, NIOSH workers informed that the post was misleading, since employees who were represented by unions were still in use until Friday when they were informed of the layoffs and excluded from the agency’s buildings.
Union Negotiations
The unions were unable to initiate negotiations with the department to end the dismissal announcements on Friday. An executive order exhibited by President Trump ended collective bargaining with unions that represent the CDC and some other agencies, which is now being challenged in court. The layoffs started a process that began at the end of March, after the unions had received a message that most NIOSH employees could be shortened by the end of June. In the past, the unions were able to use this time to negotiate with the department, so that the employees can continue to work during the talks who could alleviate or avoid a "force of their members".
