NIOSH is the U.S. federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations to

prevent worker injury and illness. NIOSH was established under the Occupational Safety

and Health Act of 1970. It is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

For more information

DIVISION OF FIELD STUDIES AND ENGINEERING

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

The Division of Field Studies and Engineering (DFSE) 

is part of the National Institute for Occupational 

Safety and Health (NIOSH). DFSE seeks to prevent 

work-related illness through a multidisciplinary 

program including worksite evaluations, surveillance, 

research, and the development of engineering controls 

and interventions. DFSE has four main research areas:

1. Using occupational health surveillance and 

informatics methods to study trends in worker 

exposures, illnesses, and injuries. This includes

• Developing worker illness, injury, and hazardtracking systems and informatics tools.

• Promoting and supporting industry and 

occupation information collection in surveys 

and records.

2. Characterizing and reducing workplace health 

hazards for workplaces, agencies, and other 

stakeholders. This includes

• Evaluating fire fighters’ work-related deaths 

caused by medical conditions. 

www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire

• Conducting assessments of occupational 

exposure to nanomaterials and advanced 

materials. 

www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/field

3. Conducting health and exposure field research in 

working populations. This includes

• Determining the incidence and prevalence of 

disease in workers and their children.

• Determining the nature and extent of acute and 

chronic responses to potentially hazardous agents 

at work.

4. Conducting research to characterize and control 

worker exposures to hazards. This includes

• Developing and evaluating engineering controls 

to reduce workplace exposures to hazards. 

• Preventing and reducing the occurrence of 

occupational hearing loss and musculoskeletal 

disorders.

DFSE staff also often participate in disaster and 

emergency response activities.

Technology & Product Highlights

Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Reports

HHE reports provide recommendations 

on ways to reduce or eliminate identified 

hazards in the workplace. 

www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe

Surveillance and Informatics Tools

Worker Health Charts (WHC) is a data 

visualization website that provides 

information about worker health. 

wwwn.cdc.gov/Niosh-whc

NIOSH Industry and Occupation 

Computerized Coding System 

(NIOCCS) translates occupation and 

industry text data to standardized 

Census, NAICS and SOC codes. 

wwwn.cdc.gov/nioccs3

Engineering Controls Database

This database is a repository of NIOSH research findings 

on engineering control technology. 

www.cdc.gov/niosh/engcontrols/ecd

Mobile Device Apps

The NIOSH Sound Level Meter App measures sound 

levels in the workplace and provides noise exposure 

limits. www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/app

The NIOSH Lifting Equation App calculates the overall 

risk index for single and multiple manual lifting tasks. 

www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ergonomics/nlecalc

www.cdc.gov/niosh/contact/im-dfse

(513) 841-4428
Find NIOSH products and get answers to workplace safety and health questions:

1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) | TTY: 1-888-232-6348

CDC/NIOSH INFO: cdc.gov/info | cdc.gov/niosh

Monthly NIOSH eNews: cdc.gov/niosh/eNews

This document is in the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted.

https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB2019136

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2019-136

May 2019

OUR SAFETY AND HEALTH RESEARCH AREAS

Prevention of Workrelated IllnessExposure Assessment Worksite Evaluations Cancer and Other 

Chronic Diseases

Hearing Loss Prevention

Reproductive Health Surveillance of Workrelated Exposures

Informatics and Data 

Visualization 

Ergonomics Engineering and Control 

Technology

Centers and Programs

Center for Workers’ Compensation Studies

This program uses workers’ compensation data and systems to 

improve workplace safety and health. 

www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/workercomp/cwcs

Exposure Assessment Program

This program develops new methods and tools to measure 

exposures. www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/exap

Cancer, Reproductive, Cardiovascular, and Other 

Chronic Disease Prevention Program

This program seeks to prevent and reduce a variety of workrelated diseases and conditions. 

www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/crcd

Hearing Loss Prevention Program 

This program provides leadership to reduce occupational 

hearing loss. www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/hlp @NIOSHNoise

Musculoskeletal Health Cross-Sector Program

This program seeks to protect workers from musculoskeletal 

disorders by identifying risks and improving interventions. 

www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ergonomics

National Fire Fighter Registry Program 

This program encourages the voluntary registry of fire fighters 

to determine the cancer incidence and trends among fire 

fighters. www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/health

OUR STAFF

DFSE has 170 full-time positions and has labs and offices in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Staff have experience in the following areas: 

Audiometry | Behavioral Psychology | Biostatistics | Engineering | Environmental Health | 

Epidemiology | Ergonomics | Health Communication | Health Services Research | Industrial Hygiene | 

Infectious/Internal Medicine | Information Technology | Industry and Occupation Data Coding | 

Occupational Health Nursing | Occupational Medicine | Operations Support | Veterinary Medicine