CONSTRUCTION SAFETY AND HEALTH

About

In December, 2009, NIOSH announced its new Office of Construction Safety and Health. Construction is a key industrial sector that employs more than eight million Americans. The Office will ensure rigorous coordination of construction safety and health research, partnerships, and practice to address the safety and health challenges that construction workers face. Learn more about the work we do in our report: NIOSH’s Office of Construction Safety and Health: Accomplishments in our First Four Years

Contacts

Christine Branche
Principal Associate Director, and
Director, NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health
202-245-0625
cbranche@cdc.gov

Christine Branche is the Principal Associate Director of NIOSH and the Director of the Office of Construction Safety and Health. From July 2008 through August 2009, Christine was the Acting Director of NIOSH. Upon joining NIOSH in 2007, she worked on the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 and its Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health. Prior to joining NIOSH, Christine was in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, first as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer and matriculating to the Director, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention. Before coming to CDC, Christine worked extensively in occupational and environmental epidemiology. Her degrees include a B.A. in Biology and an M.S.P.H. and Ph.D. in Epidemiology.

G. Scott Earnest
Deputy Director, NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health and
Coordinator, NORA Construction Sector
513-841-4539
GEarnest@cdc.gov

Scott Earnest is Deputy Director for the Office of Construction Safety and Health. Prior to joining the Office of Construction Safety and Health, Scott served as Branch Chief for the Engineering and Physical Hazards Branch (EPHB) in the Division of Applied Research and Technology since 2005. EPHB conducts research in engineering controls, hearing loss prevention, and aerosol science/nanotechnology. Since joining NIOSH in 1991, he has led research in the control of occupational exposures to air contaminants by serving as a project officer, Team Leader and Branch Chief. He has over 70 peer reviewed publications and technical reports. Prior to joining NIOSH, he was an active duty, commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers. He is a member of the Commissioned Officers Association (COA) of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS), and has been active in the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). He is an expert in air filtration, industrial ventilation, and indoor air quality. He is a registered Professional Engineer (PE) and Certified Safety Professional (CSP). He received B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in industrial and mechanical engineering from the Purdue University, University of Cincinnati, and University of Minnesota, respectively. He has received the PHS Engineer of the Year award, the NIOSH Alice Hamilton Award, the Bullard-Sherwood award, the USPHS Outstanding Service Medal, and the USPHS Villforth leadership award for engineering and public health leadership.

Elizabeth Garza
Public Health Analyst, NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health
Assistant Coordinator, NORA Construction Sector
202-245-0668
egarza@cdc.gov

Elizabeth Garza has been with NIOSH since 2009 as a Public Health Analyst. She worked first with NIOSH’s Deputy Director for Program, and its Office of Global Collaborations. She began working with the Office of Construction Safety and Health in 2012. Her public health expertise and fluency in Spanish have enabled her to take the lead on disparities issues in construction. She provides programmatic assistance in support of the NORA Construction Sector Council activities. She also assists the Office in conducting outreach activities, developing r2p approaches, and managing the Construction Steering Committee. She’s a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Her degrees include a B.S. in Biology & International Relations as well as a Master in Public health (MPH). She also holds the Certified in Public Health (CPH) credential.