What to know
Summary
National standards play a critical role in ensuring that the equipment and procedures used by workers will reliably protect them. One of the ways NIOSH translates research into practice through collaborative work with organizations that develop rigorous, lifesaving national standards that protect workers. Below are some examples of areas where NIOSH has contributed to standards development and activities.
Firefighter and first responder safety
Firefighting is among the most dangerous jobs. NIOSH has informed over 15 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards that set minimum safety requirements for training, equipment, and other efforts that protect firefighters. These include:
- NFPA 1580: Sets minimum requirements for fire department infection control programs, occupational medical programs, and health-related fitness programs.
- NFPA 1550: Sets minimum job performance requirements for safety officers at fire departments and minimum requirements for fire service-related occupational safety, health, and wellness programs and incident management systems.
- NFPA 1802: Improves portable radio design so portable radios do not inadvertently turn off, can survive higher temperatures, and can better withstand fire environments.
- NFPA 1851: Incorporates laboratory methods for validating cleaning procedures and requires independent service providers to ensure cleaning methods meet NFPA standards.
Additionally, NFPA sets design and performance standards for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs) used by firefighters and first responders. All NFPA-certified respirators must also be approved by NIOSH as NIOSH is the federal entity that approves all respirators for use in U.S. workplaces.
NIOSH participates in several key committees to inform NFPA standards for SCBAs and other respiratory protection including:
- NFPA 1970: Establishes performance requirements for structural turnout gear, open-circuit SCBA, Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) devices, and fire-resistant apparel used by emergency responders to ensure protection from heat, toxic atmospheres, and physical hazards.
- NFPA 1986: Establishes performance, testing, and labeling requirements for respiratory protection equipment used in tactical and technical rescue environment operations such as those with chemical, biological, radiological, or particulate hazards.
- NFPA 1984: Sets requirements for respirators designed to protect wildland firefighters from smoke, particulate, carbon monoxide and other combustion byproducts.
Through committee participation, NIOSH helps align consensus standards with the most important safety needs and federal respiratory protection requirements (42 CFR Part 84).
Personal protective equipment (PPE) performance
NIOSH conducts PPE research and works with U.S. Technical Advisory Groups to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as well as ANSI-accredited standard development organizations, such as ASTM International, NFPA, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists to translate findings and provide subject matter expertise.
NIOSH collaboration informs the PPE performance and test method standards that regulators, producers, employers, and purchasers use in the United States and around the world. Recently, NIOSH research and subject matter expertise contributed to the development of key ASTM standards, including:
- ASTM F3352 and F2407: Set uniform testing reporting and minimum performance and labeling requirements for isolation and surgical gowns, supporting the protection, comfort, and durability of healthcare workers' PPE.
- ASTM F1862 and F1670: Improved synthetic blood handling requirements, enhancing test repeatability and consistency in performance outcomes.
- ASTM F3407: Established a test method for evaluating respirator fit, improving how filtering facepiece respirators fit among general workers.
- ASTM F3502: Established design and performance standards for barrier face coverings, improving protection to workers, the public, and other users.
Additional Examples
Working at heights
ANSI/ASSP Z359 provides guidance to minimize risk for people working at heights. Most recently, NIOSH conducted testing to evaluate potential fall arrest forces exerted on a person during a fall when using a fall protection system and determine safe practices.
Robots in the workplace
NIOSH actively participates in robot safety standards for industrial mobile robots (ANSI/RIA R15.08-1 and ANSI/A3 R15.08-2) and collaborative robots (ANSI/RIA 15.06). To reduce unintended risk during human-robot collaboration, NIOSH developed real-time techniques for calculating worker attention and collision avoidance zones.
Machine operations
NIOSH contributes to the development and review of more than 30 voluntary standards for machine safety (ANSI/B11), including general and product-specific standards (e.g., Safety of Machinery, ANSI/B11 B11.0; Performance Requirements for Safeguarding, B11.19; and Safety Requirements for Mechanical Power Presses, B11.1).
New manufacturing technologies/processes
NIOSH contributes to nanotechnology standards, including safe handling of powder-form nanomaterials, measurement of airborne particle surface area, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration officially recognized Standard E302 for the detection and characterization of silver nonmaterial in textiles. NIOSH staff have also contributed to testing emissions standards for 3-D printers and safe practices for working with plastic feedstock materials.
Workplace air quality
NIOSH has provided expertise to the ISO Technical Committee 146 on Air Quality Sub-Committee 2 on Workplace Atmosphere, including development of sampling standards and analytical methods for assessing exposures to airborne asbestos, silica, metals, metalloids, vapors, and gases. NIOSH also led an ISO standard that outlines general requirements to measure chemical agents (ISO 20581). For healthcare facilities, NIOSH has worked with ASHRAE to develop ventilation standards. These standards are valuable references for practitioners who monitor workplace compliance and health outcomes. Moreover, manufacturers have adopted some ISO standards have been adopted by manufacturers in the design of their sampling equipment.
Occupational data for health
NIOSH and partners developed Occupational Data for Health (ODH) to support collection and use of standardized work information and terminology in electronic health records (EHRs). Beginning in 2026, certified EHR systems must be able to exchange this information, enabling consistent, interoperable work data that better serves patients and national health efforts. To support standardized entry of information about occupation and industry, the NIOSH Industry and Occupation Computerized Coding System autocoder tool enables users to enter free text occupation and industry data, returning real-time, standardized ODH occupation and industry codes through a web application programming interface.
Workplace noise
NIOSH efforts have led to improved noise measurement, hearing protection, and hearing loss prevention. NIOSH has contributed to ANSI and ISO groups focused on noise measurement, impulse noise, hearing protection devices, emergency alarm audibility, occupational noise exposure, and other workplace noise and bioacoustics standards. NIOSH also participated on the committee that reaffirmed ASA/ANSI S3.6 (Specification for Audiometers) and ASA/ANSI S12.42 (Methods for the Measurement of Insertion Loss of Hearing Protection Devices in Continuous or Impulsive Noise Using Microphone-in-Real-Ear or Acoustic Test Fixture Procedures).
Conclusion
This blog highlights key examples of how NIOSH supports standard-setting activities. This is not an exhaustive list. While other topics on which researchers have been involved such as ergonomics, exoskeletons, and vibration are not highlighted here, the activities discussed in this post provide insight into the roles and contributions of NIOSH around assisting with standards for public health and safety.
Author Information
James (Jim) Harris, PhD, PE, is Chief of the Protective Technology Branch in the Division of Safety Research (DSR), NIOSH.
Rebecca Knuth, MS, is Lead Health Communication Specialist in DSR, NIOSH.
Meghan Kiederer, BA, is a Health Communication Specialist for the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), NIOSH.
Jennifer Tyrawski, PhD, is a Health Communication Specialist in the Division of Field Studies and Engineering (DFSE), NIOSH.
Michelle Martin, MS, is a Lead Health Communication Specialist in the Respiratory Health Division (RHD), NIOSH.
Wesley R. Attwood, DrCJ, is the Senior Investigator with the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program with DSR and is the Coordinator for the NIOSH Public Safety Program.
Selcen Kilinc-Balci, PhD, MBA, is a Physical Scientist in NPPTL, NIOSH.
En Gyung (Emily) Lee, PhD, is a Research Physical Scientist in the Field Studies Branch of RHD, NIOSH.
Amanda Deering, MS, RHIA, CHDA, is a Health Informatics Scientist in the Surveillance Branch of RHD, NIOSH.
David Blackley, PhD, is a Research Epidemiologist in the Surveillance Branch of RHD, NIOSH.
Richard S. Current, PE, is a Research General Engineer in the Protective Technology Branch of DSR, NIOSH.
Jay L. Tarley, CFEI, is a Physical Scientist and Lead for the Post-Market PPE Testing Team in NPPTL, NIOSH.