The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a research institute created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, and since 1973 it has been a division of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The purpose of NIOSH is to gather data documenting incidences of occupational disease, exposure, and injury in the United States. After gathering and evaluating data, the agency develops "Criteria Documents" for specific hazards; in some cases the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has used these documents as the basis for specific legal standards to be followed by industry. NIOSH has developed databases which are available to other federal agencies, as well as state governments, academic researchers, industry, and private citizens. The organization also conducts seminars for those in the field of occupational safety and health, as well as for industry, labor, and other government agencies. NIOSH prepares various publications for sale to the public, and it provides a telephone hotline in its Cincinnati, Ohio office to answer inquiries.

In April of 1996, NIOSH and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSH) commemorated their twenty-fifth anniversary in an event that was jointly sponsored by those two agencies and by the Smithsonian Institute. CDC Director David Satcher stated, "Thanks in large measure to NIOSH's efforts, the Nation has made dramatic advancements in recognizing that safe and healthful workplaces are an integral part of good public health, and that the tools we use to curb infectious diseases also work against occupational diseases—knowledge, timely intervention, and prevention."

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National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Pkwy., Cincinnati, OH USA 45226 Fax: 513-533-8573, Toll Free: (800) 35-NIOSH, Email: eidtechinfo@cdc.gov,