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NIOSH and Training Could Face Cruelest Budget Cuts of All

Feb. 12, 2002

NIOSH is facing the largest proportional budget cut of all the occupational safety and health agencies in the proposed FY 2003 budget, and OSHA's training programs could take a significant hit as well.

EHS Today Staff

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is facing the largest proportional budget cut of all the occupational safety and health agencies in the federal government.

President George Bush, in his proposed fiscal year 2003 budget, reduced NIOSH funding by 10 percent, a loss of over $28 million from its current funding level of $276.5 million. Bush proposed $258 million for the agency. Although not as severe, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is looking at a budget cut as well, about $4 million from its current budget of $267.9 million.

At a recent press conference, John Henshaw, administrator of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), announced that the president is asking for $437 million for OSHA, approximately 1 percent less than its current budget. (See related article "OSHA''s 2003 Budget: Henshaw Vows To Do More With Less.")

How much any of the funding for NIOSH, MSHA and OSHA actually will be cut remains to be seen. Congress has traditionally given OSHA, for example, considerably more money than the president''s budget request. Congress added $18 million to the president''s FY 2002 budget.

In the FY 2003 budget request, training grants took the biggest hit in the FY 2003 OSHA budget, losing $7.2 million. Most of that decrease comes from the elimination of the Susan Harwood grants program, which funded safety training in states and local communities, often through programs sponsored by labor unions.

Peg Seminario, safety and health director for the AFL-CIO, called the cut to training grants, "an illustration of how antiworker this administration is." She said the training program was the only one at OSHA that is primarily focused on helping workers "and it''s taking the biggest hit proportionally and the biggest hit overall."

Seminario called the proposed cuts "particularly troubling," given that many of the grants issued by the training program are used to target vulnerable workers, those who are non-English-speaking or immigrants and employees in high risk industries.

by Sandy Smith ([email protected])

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.