The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is finalizing development plans for a $110 million state-of-the-art research facility in the Uptown Innovation Corridor. Uptown is already the region’s hub for innovation and research, so adding NIOSH’s facility boosts the Corridor’s research capacity and increases opportunities for institutional collaboration.
NIOSH is the federal agency dedicated to the research and prevention of work-related illnesses and injuries. As a result, NIOSH’s recommendations shape the lives of working Americans every day.
“Our mission is to protect the health and safety of workers through research, and we are the only federal agency with that mission,” said Terri Schnorr, Director of the Division of Field Studies and Engineering, NIOSH.
Covering workplaces across industries requires NIOSH’s research to span a wide range of topics. A few examples include:
Conducting research on how to control environmental hazards, such as creating better ventilation systems to prevent employees from breathing contaminants or designing quieter equipment to limit noise in the workplace.
Visiting workplaces to evaluate exposures and any related health concerns.
Tracking work-related diseases using machine learning software to identify continuing and emerging issues.
Developing smartphone apps to help keep employees safe. Recent examples include an app that measures noise levels and an app that provides real-time heat index and hourly forecasts, specific to a location, as well as occupational safety and health recommendations from OSHA and NIOSH for working in heat.
NIOSH shares the results of its research with organizations that can make a difference by setting new standards, like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. But most importantly, NIOSH provides the information to employers and employees so they can make changes in their workplaces.
“Most companies are small businesses and don't have access to occupational health and safety professionals to understand the hazards in their workplace or to figure out solutions. We are here to help provide those resources,” said Schnorr. “Our work doesn’t stop with publishing in scientific journals. We create products that bring this information to a wide group of stakeholders.”
Currently, NIOSH has two facilities in Cincinnati, making collaborating time consuming and difficult. In its new facility, NIOSH will locate all Cincinnati employees—approximately 500 workers—under one roof. Employees include engineers, biologists, chemists, physicians, industrial hygienists, epidemiologists, administrators and support staff.
“We feel that we will have more synergy and more efficiency when we are together in one facility,” said Schnorr. “We also see a great advantage to being in Uptown because it's near important partners for our work, including the University of Cincinnati, centers for medical care and research, and the EPA. That's a big benefit for us. We hope that by being closer with these partners will further stimulate innovation and collaboration around issues that we work on.”
NIOSH already has close partnerships with UC and the EPA. The organizations share health information and NIOSH professionals have even lectured at the university. In addition, NIOSH’s facility includes an electron microscope that they’ve made available to students and faculty at UC, and the close proximity will increase opportunities to share equipment.
“The Uptown Innovation Corridor is a vibrant area of the city and we are looking forward to pursuing opportunities to collaborate with all of those companies and organizations,” said Schnorr.
Master plans for the Corridor call for a holistic environment where small and large companies and organizations can co-locate to collaborate with one another and the Uptown anchor institutions. NIOSH’s existing—and future—collaborations and its focus on research make the agency a perfect fit.
“The Corridor is designed to leverage the strengths of the Uptown anchor institutions, including medicine, research and technological advancements, to attract innovative businesses and top talent to Cincinnati,” said Beth Robinson, President and CEO, Uptown Consortium, Inc. (UCI). “We believe that NIOSH’s mission to conduct wide-raging research and develop innovative solutions to industry problems will be a huge asset in the Corridor.”
NIOSH is in the process of selecting an architecture and engineering firm to design the building. According to Schnorr, there is a tentative timeline for the development—plans are expected to be completed in spring 2021 and NIOSH hopes to occupy the building in 2023.
For more information on the Uptown Innovation Corridor, visit www.uptowninnovationcorridor.com.