Reinstatement of Some NIOSH Employees Called Victory for Safety

On May 13, Health and Human Services announced that more than 100 employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will be reinstated permanently.

The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) released a statement saying: "This decision marks a major win for occupational safety in the United States and reaffirms the critical role NIOSH plays in protecting America’s workforce."

“This is not just a win for NIOSH—it’s a win for every worker who depends on science-backed safety standards to do their job and come home safe,” said Cam Mackey, president and CEO of ISEA, in a statement. “From firefighters to healthcare workers, from industrial crews to military responders, today’s news ensures the programs that protect them remain strong.”

NIOSH’s future has been uncertain after proposed cuts threatened to dismantle its workforce and potentially shutter vital programs, including its respirator approval system, considered by many to be the gold standard in respiratory protection certification. The reinstatement of these employees ensures that this critical infrastructure remains intact, notes ISEA. However, the reinstatement is only partial, as hundreds more NIOSH employees are still without a job.

“NIOSH’s respirator approval program isn’t just a bureaucratic process—it’s a life-saving measure that gives first responders confidence in the gear they rely on in hazardous environments,” said Dan Glucksman, ISEA’s senior director of policy, in a statement. “We applaud the Administration for recognizing the importance of preserving this essential function.”

ISEA and its members mounted an aggressive advocacy campaign to protect NIOSH, conducting direct outreach to Congress and federal agencies, coordinating with stakeholders, and amplifying the message across media platforms: Protecting NIOSH is protecting the health, safety, and resilience of America’s workforce.

The group says the reinstatement reflects the power of united voices in the safety community and the importance of ongoing investment in occupational health research, innovation, and certification programs.

“While this is one step forward, it’s a significant one,” Mackey added. “ISEA looks forward to our continued work with Rep. Summer Lee’s (D-PA) office to fund the NIOSH respirator approval program in FY26 to make sure its future remains secure. We also want to thank Congress, the White House and Secretary Kennedy for hearing our concerns and acting on them.”

Groups Sue NIOSH

After the announcement of the reinstatement of these employees, unions and industry groups filed a suit. “While it was announced yesterday that some NIOSH staff will be brought back, occupational health and safety specialists and the workers they serve need all NIOSH staff and programs to be restored immediately,” said Amber Mitchell, executive director of the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics. “The Trump administration’s indiscriminate cuts to research, training and other essential NIOSH servi, in a statementces will cause more disabling injuries, illnesses and deaths to American workers. As an organization that represents clinics that diagnose and treat injuries and diseases caused by work, we see firsthand how important NIOSH is for our patients.”

Public Citizen Litigation Group and the AFL-CIO’s Office of the General Counsel filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of unions, workplace safety experts and a PPE manufacturer. The plaintiffs include the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC), California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC), Dentec Safety Specialists Inc., the Machinists (IAM), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM), National Nurses United (NNU), New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), UAW, Mine Workers (UMWA) and United Steelworkers (USW).

The suite explains that the cutbacks directly threaten the lives of workers whose safety and health depend on NIOSH, detailing cuts to its vital, congressionally mandated work that all depend on the expertise throughout the whole of the agency, including: 

• Certifying respirators and testing other PPE and technologies used by workers across industries, including in health care, mining, manufacturing, firefighting and construction, and preventing counterfeits from entering the market.
• Conducting critical mine safety research and providing medical screenings for coal miners.
• Investigating workplaces to identify and mitigate exposure to toxins and potential health hazards.
• Funding the formal training for future industrial hygienists, epidemiologists, physicians, and other occupational safety and health professionals through universities and field-based internships.
• Providing scientific and technical support to enable medical compensation for nuclear weapons workers and Sept. 11 first responders.