NIOSH’s Robert C. Byrd Laboratory in Morgantown, WV. Photo: Antony-22/Wikimedia Commons
Washington — The federal government is reinstating hundreds of NIOSH employees, according to reports from multiple media outlets.
Bloomberg News and Inside Medicine say the Department of Health and Human Services has sent former agency employees emails stating that their reduction in force, or RIF, notifications are “hereby revoked.”
The exact number of employees who received the emails and which divisions would have employees reinstated is unknown. Also unknown is the number of employees who will come back to the agency after being away for months. Presumably, many have moved on to other jobs.
“I am very encouraged by reports of the reinstatement of hundreds of employees at (NIOSH),” National Safety Council CEO Lorraine M. Martin said in a Jan. 14 statement. “NIOSH’s unique resources inform policy and industry practices that prevent work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities.
“NSC has advocated for this administration to make NIOSH whole again because a stable, fully funded and staffed NIOSH is essential to its mandate to make research-based recommendations that keep workers safe. A full reversal of staffing cuts should take place immediately.”
In March, HHS announced a restructuring plan in which NIOSH was to merge with four other agencies to form the Administration for a Healthy America:
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
- Health Resources and Services Administration
- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
According to a CBS News report, HHS had planned to lay off more than 870 NIOSH employees, including those from the National Personal Protective Technology Library and NIOSH’s miner safety and health branches. Those layoffs initially were expected to go into effect by June 30.
In May, however, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the House Appropriations Committee that the department had reinstated 328 NIOSH employees, including those within the agency’s Respirator Approval Program and Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program.
Along with a lack of congressional backing, the planned establishment of the Administration for a Healthy America has been stalled because of pending litigation, according to a Roll Call report published in August.
Attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit challenging NIOSH’s actions. That case, New York, et al, v. Kennedy, et al, is with the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
In a statement sent to Safety+Health on Jan. 14, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon wrote:
“Under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, the nation’s critical public health functions remain intact and effective. The Trump administration is committed to protecting essential services – whether it’s supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH, safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases. Enhancing the health and well-being of all Americans remains our top priority.”
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication