2017

Annual Report

Photos by NIOSH
187 HHE Requests

38 Site Visits

36 

Workplaces

22

States

32

Cities

54,694

Miles Traveled

States 

visited in 

2017

Outreach

HHE website viewed 62,631 times

36 New HHE reports

Reports downloaded 

35,145 times

779 Downloads of lead and noise databases

243 Facebook posts

Reached 248,614 people

30,842 Page “likes” From 46 different 

countries

46 Presentations

18 Publications

6 out of every 10 requests 

came from employees

Services, Healthcare, and 

Manufacturing were the top 3 

sectors for requests
Evaluation of Exposures and 

Respiratory Health at a Coffee 

Roasting and Packaging Plant 

10 full-shift 

air samples 

exceeded 

the NIOSH 

recommended 

exposure limit 

for diacetyl

Diacetyl air 

levels were 

highest during 

grinding and 

blending roasted 

coffee beans

Exposures were 

higher when the 

bay doors 

were closed

1 employee 

had abnormal 

spirometry and 

1 had high 

exhaled nitric 

oxide, a 

marker of 

allergic airways

4 times as many 

employees 

reported 

wheezing than 

expected

Eye, nose, and 

sinus symptoms 

were the 

most common 

symptoms among 

employees

Recommendations

Increase amount 

of fresh outdoor

 air and improve 

plant ventilation

Find alternative 

method to 

hand-blending 

roasted beans

Avoid placing head 

directly inside 

storage bins of 

roasted beans

Report available here: https://go.usa.gov/xneSf

Findings

Evaluation of 

Hazards during 

Harvesting and 

Processing Cannabis 

at an Outdoor 

Organic Farm 

Findings

Employees used repetitive hand 

motions when trimming cannabis, 

which could lead to hand and 

wrist musculoskeletal disorders

Tetrahydrocannabinol,

the psychoactive component in 

cannabis, was detected on all 

surface wipe samples

Botrytis cinerea, a plant pathogen 

that can cause allergic reactions, 

was the main fungal species 

found in the air

Recommendations

Provide frequent breaks for 

employees when trimming 

cannabis by hand 

Wear nonlatex gloves when 

handling cannabis 

Develop a plan to rotate 

employees among jobs that 

use different muscles

Develop a cleaning schedule to 

remove tetrahydrocannabinol 

from work and tool surfaces

Photo by NIOSH

Photo by NIOSH

Report available here: https://go.usa.gov/xneS3

Photo by ThinkStock©
HHE PROGRAM

TAKE 1

Get an inside glimpse into how we conduct our evaluations by 

watching our 3 new videos! A camera crew captured the action 

during our visit to an electronics recycler.

Learn how we measure for contaminants 

and harmful materials in the air, on 

employees’ hands and workplace surfaces, 

and in employees’ bodies. 

Hear directly from the employer and 

employees about what it is like to 

participate in an HHE evaluation and their 

experience working with the program.

Grab some popcorn and watch the videos here: https://go.usa.gov/xneSr 

Photos by NIOSH Photos by NIOSH

Photos by NIOSH Photos by NIOSH

LIGHTS,

CAMERA,

ACTION!
Report available here: https://go.usa.gov/xneSx Report available here: https://go.usa.gov/xneSc

Evaluation of Fire Fighters’ Mental Health

Symptoms and Exposure to Traumatic Events,

Job Stress, and Bloodborne Pathogens

Photo by NIOSH

Photo by NIOSH

Photo by ThinkStock©

Firefighters reported high job stress and all 

experienced traumatic events at work

Some firefighters’ symptoms were consistent with 

post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, 

and depression 

Reported handling used needles or sharps 

Reported coming into contact with drugs 

Reported some type of potential bloodborne 

pathogen exposure

Recommendations

Provide training on 

suicide prevention, 

psychological first 

aid, and stress

Use nitrile gloves 

during potential 

bloodborne pathogen 

exposures and opioid 

overdose responses

Findings

Employees vaped at work

Air concentrations of 

vaping-related chemicals 

were below occupational 

exposure limits

Employees did not wear 

gloves when handling liquids 

containing nicotine

Nicotine solution was stored 

in the same refrigerator as 

employees’ food

Prohibit vaping in the 

shop with e-liquids that 

contain diacetyl and 

2,3-pentanedione

Do not store chemicals in 

food storage areas

Wear nitrile gloves when 

handling liquids that 

contain nicotine

Inspect and maintain the 

shop’s exhaust ventilation

Report potential 

exposures, 

symptoms, 

and injuries to 

supervisors

Evaluation of Chemical Exposu

at a Vape S

Findings

Recommendations

Photo by NIOSH

67%

40%

16%
Followback Program

After an evaluation, we followup with the workplace to 

see how we did and learn how things changed in the 

workplace. We do this through mailed surveys, phone 

calls, and return visits. Here’s what some employers, 

employees, and union representatives had to say:

“NIOSH made things better in our workplace. 

The positive changes that have taken place are the 

reaffirmation of our current practices and have 

supported the changes that we needed to make.”

“I was very impressed with our NIOSH team. 

They... worked closely with our medical provider 

to ensure the program put in place was compliant 

and our employees were protected.”

“NIOSH staff were very professional and 

listened well to management and labor concerns. 

No matter how the findings worked out, it was 

advantageous to have the study conducted by a 

highly credible organization like NIOSH.”

“The HHE was very informative. The employees 

have a better understanding of the resources 

available to them and how to deal with possible 

workplace hazards.”

Donnie Booher trained and fit-tested 

approximately 120 archivists from the Smithsonian 

Institute, the National Archives and Records 

Administration, and the Puerto Rican government.

While assessing damage at health clinics and 

hospitals in Puerto Rico, Mike Grant and Mark 

Methner helped to streamline the information 

collection process. Their work helped to create an 

app for responders to use in the field. 

Kendra Broadwater trained responders in Texas 

on the Emergency Responder Health Monitoring 

and Surveillance (ERHMSTM) framework. Her 

team trained 135 staff members from the Texas 

State Health Department, the Harris County 

Health Department, the University of Texas 

Health Science Center at Houston, and other 

community organizations.

Eight members of the HHE Program were deployed to 

help with CDC’s response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and 

Maria. They assisted in a variety of response efforts in 

Atlanta, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Learn 

more about some of their activities below.

HURRICANE RESPONSE 2017

Photo by NIOSH
The mission of the NIOSH Health Hazard 

Evaluation Program is to respond to 

requests from employees, employers, and 

union representatives to evaluate potential 

health hazards in their workplace. 

These evaluations are done at no cost to the 

requestor. Once the evaluation is complete, 

recommendations are made on ways to 

reduce or eliminate identified hazards. 

Health Hazard Evaluations can help reduce 

hazards and create healthier workplaces.

cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/ HHERequestHelp@cdc.gov

facebook.com/health.

hazard.evaluation.program/ 

1-513-841-4382 

Monday—Friday 

9 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. EST

NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program 

1090 Tusculum Ave, Mail Stop R-9 

Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998