At a glance
The Division of Field Studies and Engineering (DFSE) is a Division in NIOSH. DFSE seeks to prevent work-related illness through worksite evaluations, surveillance, research, and the development of engineering controls and interventions.
What we do
DFSE has four main research areas:
- Using occupational health surveillance and informatics methods to study trends in worker exposures, illnesses, and injuries. This includes
- Developing worker illness, injury, and hazard-tracking systems and informatics tools.
- Promoting and supporting industry and occupation information collection in surveys and records.
- Developing worker illness, injury, and hazard-tracking systems and informatics tools.
- Characterizing and reducing workplace health hazards for workplaces, agencies, and other stakeholders. This includes
- Evaluating fire fighters’ work-related deaths caused by medical conditions. www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire
- Conducting assessments of occupational exposure to nanomaterials and advanced materials. www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/field
- Evaluating fire fighters’ work-related deaths caused by medical conditions. www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire
- Conducting health and exposure field research in working populations. This includes
- Determining the incidence and prevalence of disease in workers and their children.
- Determining the nature and extent of acute and chronic responses to potentially hazardous agents at work.
- Determining the incidence and prevalence of disease in workers and their children.
- Conducting research to characterize and control worker exposures to hazards. This includes
- Developing and evaluating engineering controls to reduce workplace exposures to hazards.
- Preventing and reducing the occurrence of occupational hearing loss and musculoskeletal disorders.
- Developing and evaluating engineering controls to reduce workplace exposures to hazards.
DFSE staff also often participate in disaster and emergency response activities.
Focus
DFSE manages several NIOSH research programs, including:
Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies
This program uses workers’ compensation data and systems to improve workplace safety and health.
Exposure Assessment Program
This program develops new methods and tools to measure exposures.
Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular, and Other Chronic Disease Prevention Program
This program seeks to prevent and reduce a variety of work-related diseases and conditions.
Health Hazard Evaluation Program
This program helps employees, unions, and employers learn whether health hazards are present at their workplace and recommends ways to reduce hazards and prevent work-related illness.
Hearing Loss Prevention Program
This program provides leadership to reduce occupational hearing loss.
Musculoskeletal Health Program
This program seeks to protect workers from musculoskeletal disorders by identifying risks and improving interventions.
National Fire Fighter Registry for Cancer This program encourages the voluntary registry of fire fighters to determine the cancer incidence and trends among fire fighters.
Technology and product highlights
Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Reports
The Health Hazard Evaluation Program helps employees, unions, and employers learn whether health hazards are present at their workplace and recommends ways to reduce hazards and prevent work-related illness. Our evaluations are done at no cost to the employees, unions, or employers.
Surveillance and informatics tools
Worker Health Charts (WHC) is a data visualization website that provides information about worker health.
NIOSH Industry and Occupation Computerized Coding System (NIOCCS) translates occupation and industry text data to standardized Census, NAICS and SOC codes.
Engineering Controls Database
This database is a repository of NIOSH research findings on engineering control technology.
Mobile device apps
The NIOSH Sound Level Meter App measures sound levels in the workplace and provides noise exposure limits.
The NIOSH Lifting Equation App calculates the overall risk index for single and multiple manual lifting tasks.