Advancing Oil and Gas Workplace Safety and Health Research

The oil and gas extraction industry continues to expand in the United States, but this growth comes with increased risks for workers in the industry. During 2003–2016, 1,485 oil and gas extraction workers were killed on the job, resulting in an annual fatality rate more than six times higher than the rate among all U.S. workers.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck outside of Anchorage Alaska on November 30 caused significant damage to buildings and roads in the area, including the NIOSH offices in Anchorage. While the office and building sustained some damage, all NIOSH staff and contractors are accounted for and physically safe. We will continue to support our staff in Anchorage as we assess any impact the earthquake will have on the research.

The NIOSH Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program needs your help identifying barriers to participating in free health screenings. This information will improve program participation and provide more opportunities for early detection of black lung disease in coal miners. Submit your feedback here.

Promoting motor vehicle safety among patrol officers helps them stay safe while they work to make communities safer. The design of this NIOSH toolkit promotes safe driving practices within an agency so that patrol officers operate by a unified code behind the wheel: Drive to Arrive Alive. Download the toolkit to access instructions, 40 safety messages, and a decal.

Dr. George W. Luxbacher has been selected to serve as the Deputy Associate Director for Mining in the NIOSH Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR), effective immediately. Since joining NIOSH in February 2017, Dr. Luxbacher has made significant contributions to the NIOSH Mining Program as a Senior Mining Engineer. In this position, he held primary responsibility for the extramural research program within OMSHR and served as the NORA Sector Council Manager, among other roles. Dr. Luxbacher has also provided expertise and leadership in a number of key programmatic and operational areas, resulting in numerous improvements in science quality and operational efficiency.

Sign up for our workplace motor vehicle safety newsletter, Behind the Wheel at Work, before we release the 13th issue to our over 25,000 subscribers. Since 2015, we’ve connected our readers to subject-matter experts, exclusive interviews, research updates, practical tips on workplace driving safety, news about upcoming events, and links to NIOSH and partner safety resources.

As part of its work to enhance international workplace safety and health through global collaborations, NIOSH is working with the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to foster knowledge sharing and budding partnerships between international Ministries of Health and Labor. Recently, NIOSH Office of the Chief of Staff met with a delegation of labor officials from the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower where NIOSH Chief of Staff Frank Hearl presented an overview of NIOSH programs, research, information resources, and tools for prevention. On December 3, NIOSH hosted another delegation through IVLP, this time from Mongolia, that presented on the Mongolian structure of occupational safety and health. These meetings give NIOSH opportunities for international collaboration and sharing of NIOSH-created resources and tools, supporting our common goal of safer, healthier workers worldwide.