Department of Health and Human Services Reinstates Some NIOSH Positions

Multiple outlets have reported that some NIOSH workers who previously received reduction-in-force (RIF) notices were recently informed that their positions are being reinstated. The recissions of RIF notices affect 328 NIOSH employees, according to NPR. Earlier, CBS News reported that all workers are being reinstated in the NIOSH respiratory health division, division of safety research, division of compensation and analysis support, and the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory.

 

The news of the reinstatements roughly coincided with testimony to Congress from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, about layoffs undertaken at the department he oversees. The layoffs implemented April 1 affected roughly 10,000 federal employees, including more than ninety percent of the NIOSH workforce. Additional layoffs on May 2 eliminated virtually all remaining NIOSH positions.

 

The NIOSH layoffs are part of a broad federal reorganization that began earlier this year and is being challenged by multiple lawsuits. This week, a ruling (PDF) by a district court judge in a case (PDF) brought by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Public Health Association temporarily paused the federal reorganization. On May 14, the AFL-CIO announced that it had filed suit to fully restore NIOSH. Others opposing the reorganization through the courts include a group of nineteen states and the District of Columbia.

 

AFGE, a labor union that represents NIOSH employees, is holding a demonstration on May 22 in Washington, D.C., to support the agency’s work.

 

Since the April 1 layoffs, AIHA has launched two campaigns to restore NIOSH. The campaigns call for individuals to use the VoterVoice tool on the association’s website to send prefilled template letters expressing support for NIOSH directly to their congressional representatives.

 

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency will keep the current National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), which set nationwide limits for these “forever chemicals” in drinking water.

 

As part of this action, EPA is announcing its intent to extend compliance deadlines for PFOA and PFOS, establish a federal exemption framework, and initiate enhanced outreach to water systems, especially in rural and small communities, through EPA’s new PFAS OUTreach Initiative (PFAS OUT). This action would help address the most significant compliance challenges EPA has heard from public water systems, members of Congress, and other stakeholders, while supporting actions to protect the American people from certain PFAS in drinking water. 

 

EPA is also announcing its intent to rescind the regulations and reconsider the regulatory determinations for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (commonly known as GenX), and the Hazard Index mixture of these three plus PFBS.

 

On April 10, 2024, EPA announced the final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, including standards for PFOA and PFOS. At that time, EPA established legally enforceable levels for these PFAS in drinking water and gave public water systems until 2029 to comply with the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs).

 

To allow drinking water systems more time to develop plans for addressing PFOA and PFOS where they are found and implement solutions, EPA plans to develop a rulemaking to provide additional time for compliance, including a proposal to extend the compliance date to 2031. EPA plans to issue a proposed rule this fall and finalize this rule in the Spring of 2026.

 

To enhance engagement on addressing PFAS, EPA will launch PFAS OUT to connect with every public water utility known to need capital improvements to address PFAS in their systems, including those EPA has identified as having PFOA and PFOS levels above EPA’s MCL. EPA will share resources, tools, funding, and technical assistance to help utilities meet the federal drinking water standards. PFAS OUT will ensure that no community is left behind as we work to protect public health and bring utilities into compliance with federal drinking water standards. PFAS OUT will engage utilities, technical assistance providers and local, State, Tribal, and Territorial leaders to develop effective, practical solutions where they are needed most.

 

EPA will continue to offer free water technical assistance (WaterTA) that provides services to water systems to improve their drinking water and help communities access available funding. EPA’s WaterTA initiatives work with water systems nationwide to identify affordable solutions to assess and address PFAS, including PFOA and PFOS. Services offered to utilities include water quality testing, development of technical plans, operator training support, designing public engagement and outreach strategies, and support for accessing federal funding opportunities.  

 

Drinking water systems are passive receivers of PFOA and PFOS. Polluters can contaminate the surface waters or aquifers that these systems rely on to provide the drinking water to their communities. EPA intends to take a number of actions to reduce the prevalence of PFAS in the environment, including in sources of drinking water. Progress reducing concentrations of PFAS in drinking water sources can substantially reduce the cost burden for water systems and reduce the cost of living for the communities they serve.

 

 

Multiple U.S. Department of Labor investigations into a minor-aged worker's fingertip amputation in May 2024 found a Meadville manufacturing company violated federal law and exposed employees to a half dozen serious workplace safety violations.

 

The department's Wage and Hour Division and OSHA investigated metal components manufacturer Fostermation, Inc. and determined a 16-year-old suffered a thumb tip amputation while operating a metal forming machine.

 

"Child labor laws were established to protect minors from workplace dangers. Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of young workers," said Wage and Hour Division Assistant District Director Catherine Glencoe in Charleston, West Virginia.

 

OSHA conducted a complaint investigation and another under its National Emphasis Program on Amputations in Manufacturing Industries, and identified amputation and machine-guarding hazards and deficiencies in its lockout/tagout procedures, which prevent machines from accidentally starting.

 

The company has paid the department $50,192 in civil money penalties for its violations of child labor regulations and $14,700 in a settlement with OSHA to resolve the six serious and one other-than-serious violations found by inspectors.

 

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. Employers and workers can call the division with questions through the agency's toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Download the agency's Timesheet App for iOS and Android devices to ensure hours and pay are accurate.

 

 

EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci traveled to Puerto Rico to focus on the benefits to people and local economies during EPA’s Annual Caribbean Brownfields Week. EPA hosted events across Puerto Rico during the week and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The events supported the EPA’s mission of ensuring clean land, air and water to the public.

 

“The Brownfields program changes communities and changes lives,” said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. “We called on local leaders, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations to join us in turning contaminated and abandoned places into spaces of opportunity and growth.”

 

During this week, the EPA and its partners trained and advised entities interested in applying for funding under EPA’s Brownfields program. The events helped promote the funding and technical assistance available through the program to help assess and clean up contaminated sites, as well as the training available for individuals to prepare for good-paying careers in the environmental field.

 

Work under the Brownfields program transforms abandoned and underused properties into vibrant community assets while training residents to undertake this work. One area that requires attention are vacant housing units. Puerto Rico has more than 255,000 vacant housing units, and the U.S. Virgin Islands has over 7,000—all with untapped potential to serve their communities. EPA’s Brownfields program equips communities with tools and technical assistance to advance local redevelopment efforts.

 

Regional Administrator Martucci also noted that this effort aligned with EPA’s broader mission: “Revitalizing Brownfields directly supports the Powering the Great American Comeback initiative. By breathing new life into previously impacted sites, we preserve land, and secure cleaner air, land, and water for all residents.”

 

The week’s activities included a Workforce Development Forum and Brownfields Job-Training Application Workshop in Puerto Rico, a graduation ceremony for graduates of the Pathstone job training program, and Revitalization Resources Summits in both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

 

 

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