NIOSH Honored with Top Awards at the 2015 American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Exposition

Contact: Stephanie Stevens (202) 245-0641

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received two of the top awards presented by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) at the annual American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce) held May 30 – June 4, 2015 in Salt Lake City.

Edward J. Baier Technical Achievement Award – AIHA

The NIOSH Nanotechnology Field Research Team accepted the Baier Award for their work conducting on-site assessments of potential occupational exposure to various nanomaterials, and evaluating methods to mitigate exposures. NIOSH established the Nanotechnology Field Research Team in 2006 to study nanomaterials in the workplace and help businesses better understand the health and safety challenges in this new area of materials. To date the Field Team has partnered with 65 facilities covering a wide range of nanomaterial producers and users and conducted more than 100 site visits.

NIOSH’s Associate Director for Nanotechnology, Chuck Geraci, PhD, CIH accepted the award on behalf of the Field Team. “We started the field effort to close a critical knowledge gap that we recognized early in the developmental phases of nanotechnology in the U.S.,” said Dr. Geraci. “The field research effort has been so successful that we now have three distinct field activities that have made significant contributions to the critical work of identifying and eliminating worker exposures, gaining better insight into potential worker health effects, and disseminating good work practices and control procedures. For me, personally, and for all the Field Team members,” continued Geraci, “this is a great honor to be recognized by our peers as leaders in an area where there truly was no road map to follow.”

The Baier Award, named after the first deputy director of NIOSH, is given by AIHA to the individual or group of individuals, company, academic institution, organization, or association that has made the most significant contribution to industrial hygiene in recent years through technical expertise, innovations, or scientific advancements.

John J. Bloomfield Award – ACGIH

NIOSH Industrial Hygienist R. Todd Niemeier, MS, CIH accepted the John J. Bloomfield Award given by ACGIH. The annual award is presented to a young industrial hygienist who pursues the problem of occupational health hazards primarily by doing fieldwork, and who demonstrates significant contribution to the profession.

Niemeier joined NIOSH in 2008 and currently serves as an industrial hygienist in NIOSH’s Education and Information Division. In this role, he conducts research to evaluate occupational and environmental hazards and develop appropriate guidelines used to establish NIOSH policies, scientific-decision making strategies, and recommendations.

Previously, Niemeier worked with NIOSH’s Hazard Evaluation and Technical Assistance Branch (HETAB). During his tenure with NIOSH/HETAB, he conducted more than 50 health hazard evaluations and published 16 final reports, focusing much of his efforts on biological and zoonotic exposure issues.

NIOSH is the federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. For more information about NIOSH visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/.