2 Apr 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2025
Contact: Tochtli Garcia, (917) 804 8581, tgarcia@nationalcosh.org
National COSH Denounces Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Move to
Dismantle NIOSH, Endangering Millions of Workers
“This is a tragedy. The gutting of NIOSH is a direct assault on workers’ safety, health, and lives. Leading to more death, more injury and less accountability” - Jessica E. Martinez, Executive Director of National COSH
Los Angeles, CA – The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) strongly condemns the reckless decision by the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to gut the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), one of the most critical federal agencies responsible for protecting workers on the job.
As part of a dangerous restructuring plan, at least two-thirds of NIOSH staff are expected to be laid off—jeopardizing essential research, education, and standards that save lives every single day. This move is a devastating blow to American workers, especially low-wage, immigrant, Black, and Latino workers already facing the highest rates of fatality and injury on the job.
“If we eliminate an agency like NIOSH,” said Jessica E. Martinez, Executive Director of National COSH, “it will have devastating consequences. Employers will have less accountability. Injury and fatality rates will rise. This will leave workers without the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe.”
NIOSH: A Lifesaving Legacy Under Attack
Created by Congress in 1970, NIOSH exists for one reason: to prevent workers from getting sick, injured, or killed at work. From investigating deadly outbreaks—like the 2023 fungal infection that shut down a Michigan paper mill—to developing science-backed safety standards, NIOSH is a lifeline for millions of workers across all industries.
NIOSH plays a key role in:
- Conducting research on toxic exposures, heat stress, workplace violence, and injury prevention.
- Developing safety standards that inform OSHA policies, such as protections from asbestos and silica dust.
- Publishing multilingual safety materials for workers in high-risk sectors.
- Funding education and training programs—including vital initiatives led by local COSH groups.
Without NIOSH, workers lose the science, education, and infrastructure that helps them return home safely every day.
The Consequences: More Death, More Injury, Less Accountability
Workplace injuries and fatalities are already far too common—and the dismantling of NIOSH threatens to make a broken system even worse. Currently, working Americans already face harsh conditions:
- A worker dies every 99 minutes.
- Black and Latino workers suffer disproportionately.
- The Latino fatality rate is 4.4 per 100,000 (vs. 3.5 average).
- Private industry employers reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023.
- Over 8,900 severe injuries were reported to OSHA in 2023.
- 33,890 heat-related illnesses were reported between 2011-2020.
NIOSH provides the evidence and tools to prevent these tragedies. Gutting it sends a clear, cruel message: corporate profits matter more than human lives.
“NIOSH reports in multiple languages are crucial,” added Martinez. “They ensure all workers—regardless of their language proficiency—can understand and act on safety information. Eliminating these resources means more injuries, more deaths, and more suffering.”
An Attack on Worker Protections—and an Unchecked Gift to Corporations
The dismantling of NIOSH by Secretary Kennedy is not just bad policy—it’s a betrayal. It destabilizes a cornerstone of occupational safety, undercuts OSHA's ability to set effective standards, and silences vital research that exposes dangerous working conditions.
“What Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is doing,” said Martinez, “is giving more power to corporations and stripping protections from the people who keep this country running. This is about putting margins over lives.”
Without NIOSH, workers lose access to critical education, protections, and life-saving data—especially those most vulnerable to harm. This is not restructuring. It is erasure.
National COSH: Standing with Workers, Fighting for Justice
National COSH and its nationwide network of local affiliates will not stand by silently. We are doubling down on our mission to protect workers, expose unsafe conditions, and demand that NIOSH be fully funded and restored.
“This is a tragedy for the intentions to gut NIOSH,” said Martinez. “It will leave essential workers without knowledge and tools—and the result will be deadly.”
We call on Congress, labor leaders, and the American public to speak out now. Demand the reversal of this reckless decision. Workers deserve safety—not silence.
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