Metzler, Richard

National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, NIOSH, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, USA

Every day, in nearly every type of work setting throughout the U.S., from crop fields, warehouses, health care facilities, and construction sites to mines, plants, and emergency rescue operations, workers rely on personal protective technologies to prevent job-related injury, illness, and death. In fiscal year 2001, Congress provided funding for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to establish a national laboratory to help protect those workers, including those who respond to public health needs in the event of a terrorist incident. NIOSH responded by establishing the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, PA. Its mission is to provide national leadership in preventing occupational disease, injury, and death for those workers who rely on personal protective technologies, through partnership, research, service, and communication. Personal protective technologies include protective devices such as respirators, chemical-resistant clothing, hearing protectors, and safety goggles and glasses that provide a barrier between the worker and an occupational safety or health risk. This presentation will provide an update on the establishment of the new NIOSH laboratory including a description of its research and standards development programs.