Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Health

Hazard 

Evaluation

Program

What Employees 

Should Know 

Photo by ©Thinkstock
What is the 

NIOSH Health 

Hazard 

Evaluation 

Program?

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The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a part 

of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The NIOSH mission is to 

develop new knowledge about occupational safety and health and see that it is 

used to protect workers. Sometimes, NIOSH is confused with the Occupational 

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), but they are separate agencies with 

different responsibilities for ensuring safe and healthy workplaces.

The Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program evaluates workplaces 

throughout the United States. If you think something in your workplace is 

making you or other employees sick, you and your coworkers can ask for an 

evaluation. It is done at no cost to you or your employer.

The HHE Program has expertise in many areas, including health hazard 

identification, exposure assessment, symptom surveys, medical testing, and 

engineering controls. Health hazards the HHE Program can assess include 

the following:

•	 Physical agents such as heat and noise

•	 Biological agents such as mold

•	 Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and influenza

•	 Chemical substances such as solvents, metals, and particulates

•	 Psychosocial issues such as work stress 
Why Should 

You Request 

a Health Hazard 

Evaluation?

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An evaluation can benefit employees. 

•	 An evaluation can help give you a greater voice in the health 

and safety of your workplace.

•	 You will learn whether exposures or conditions in the 

workplace may harm your health.

•	 The HHE Program will tell you and your employer how to reduce or 

eliminate hazards in your workplace. 

Many employers use the information to make changes that are 

good for the health of their employees.
Who Can Request 

a Health Hazard 

Evaluation?

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Employees can request an evaluation for their own workplace. In most 

workplaces, you will need to ask two coworkers to make the request with 

you. If there are three or fewer people in the work area you are concerned 

about, then only one employee is needed to request an evaluation. 

If you belong to a union, your union representative can also make a request. 

If you are concerned about a work-related health issue where a family 

member or friend works, you cannot make a request for them. However, 

you can share information about the HHE Program with them and 

encourage them to make a request.

Do you think that something at your workplace is hazardous to your health? 

If so, request a Health Hazard Evaluation at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/request.html.
Are Employee 

Requests 

Confidential?

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If you are an employee requesting an evaluation, 

you can mark on the request form that you do not 

want your name revealed to your employer. 

As provided by federal law, the HHE Program 

protects personal information it gets from records, 

forms, or interviews. Federal law prohibits 

employers from retaliating or punishing employees 

for making HHE requests or cooperating with the 

HHE Program.

If you have any questions about how your identity and information will be protected, 

contact the HHE Program at HHERequestHelp@cdc.gov or 513-841-4382.
What Happens After 

You Request a Health 

Hazard Evaluation?

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After you request an evaluation, a health and safety 

expert from the HHE Program will contact you. 

Then the HHE Program will contact your employer 

to tell them about the request. From the information 

provided, the HHE Program will decide if an on-site 

evaluation is needed.

For common types of hazards such as mold and indoor 

environmental quality, an on-site evaluation may not 

be needed. If this happens in your case, health and 

safety experts will review information from you and 

your employer including reports about exposures, 

illness, and injury. They will recommend ways to reduce 

employees’ exposures and prevent work-related health 

problems. They may also suggest other resources.
What Happens 

During an On-Site 

Evaluation?

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If the HHE Program decides an on-site evaluation is needed, health and safety 

experts will come to your workplace at an agreed upon time. The process may 

require more than one visit. The process may involve:

•	 Observing work processes and practices

•	 Meeting with employee and employer representatives

•	 Talking privately with employees about their health

•	 Reviewing reports of exposure, injury, and illness

•	 Measuring exposures

•	 Surveying employees about their health

•	 Carrying out medical testing

When exposure measurements or medical tests are done on employees, the HHE 

Program will send the results directly to each employee. Summary information will 

be shared with the employer without revealing employees’ identities. 

If you request an evaluation you can choose to meet with the team when they are on 

site. If you do not want to meet with the team, you can help find another employee 

to represent all employees at the workplace. Regardless of what you choose, the 

HHE Program will keep you informed of its activities and progress.
What Happens 

After the 

Health Hazard

Evaluation?

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The Report

After the evaluation is done, the HHE 

Program will send you and your employer 

a report that will tell you what the HHE 

Program did and what was found. It 

also will suggest ways to make your 

workplace healthier and safer for you 

and your coworkers. Your employer 

must post the report in a location where 

you and your coworkers can read it. The 

HHE Program shares its reports with 

other federal agencies and the reports 

become part of the public record. The 

HHE Program posts its reports on its 

website where the reports are available 

to everyone for free. This allows other 

facilities to learn from the findings. The 

reports do not include your name or 

the name of the business, agency, or 

organization where you work.

The Follow Up

For on-site evaluations, after the report 

is released, the HHE Program will invite 

you or another employee representative 

to ask questions and share your 

thoughts about the evaluation. Later, 

the HHE Program will send you surveys 

by mail to get your opinion about your 

experience and give you a chance to 

describe actions taken in your workplace 

since the evaluation. To help improve 

the HHE Program, your employer 

may be asked about their interest in 

scheduling a follow-up visit. This will 

help the HHE Program learn how useful 

its recommendations were in improving 

health and safety in your workplace.
How Do You 

Request a 

Health Hazard 

Evaluation?

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The form to request an evaluation can be found at 

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/request.html.

You can fill it out online or print the form and send it by mail or fax.

If you have questions, please contact the HHE Program 

Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time

1-513-841-4382 

HHERequestHelp@cdc.gov

NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

1090 Tusculum Ave., Mail Stop R-9

Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/

Delivering on the Nation’s Promise: Safety and health at 

work for all people through research and prevention.

To receive NIOSH documents or other information about 

occupational safety and health topics, contact NIOSH:

1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)

1-888-232-6348

CDC INFO: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

or visit the NIOSH website 

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/.

For a monthly update on news at NIOSH, subscribe to NIOSH eNews

by visiting http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/eNews.

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2014-136

July 2014