NSC Says NIOSH Staffing Reinstatement Is Encouraging but Incomplete
HHS has reinstated hundreds of NIOSH employees after widespread concern that staffing cuts threatened critical occupational safety and health research.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Jan 14, 2026
Recent reports indicate that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has reversed earlier staffing cuts at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), reinstating hundreds of employees whose positions had been eliminated in 2025.
The move follows widespread concern from safety advocates and industry groups who warned that the reductions threatened critical occupational safety and health research programs.
In response to the reported reinstatements, National Safety Council President and CEO Lorraine Martin welcomed the decision but urged further action.
“I am very encouraged by reports of the reinstatement of hundreds of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),” Martin said. “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 a separate announcement, the union representing NIOSH employees said all workers who received layoff notices in 2025 have now been fully reinstated. The Department of Health and Human Services initiated a reduction in force last April that targeted more than 90% of the agency’s workforce before reversing course on Jan. 13, 2026. Union leaders credited months of pressure from employees, labor organizations, and public health advocates for the decision.
“This moment belongs to every single person who refused to stay silent,” said Dr. Micah Niemeier-Walsh, vice president of AFGE Local 3840 and an industrial hygienist at NIOSH. “Every rally, every media interview, every petition signature led to this victory of saving NIOSH.”
Safety organizations have emphasized that NIOSH plays a central role in respirator certification, mining and firefighter safety research, and occupational health surveillance, and warned that continued staffing instability could undermine worker protection efforts nationwide.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the Content Editor for OH&S.