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HHS Reverses NIOSH Mass Layoffs, Reinstates Hundreds of Workplace-Safety Staff

The agency's future capacity remains uncertain due to proposed deep budget cuts.

FILE - People rally on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in support of some 185 researchers and other employees of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Morgantown, W.Va., who received reduction-in-force notices as part of a larger push by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to dismiss 10,000 federal employees. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
A man casts a shadow as he walks toward the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, headquarters of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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Overview

  • Emails sent Jan. 13–14 revoked reduction-in-force notices and returned affected National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health employees to active status, HHS confirmed.
  • Reinstatements include more than 170 mine-safety personnel, according to an HHS spokesperson, restoring key teams in Spokane and Pittsburgh.
  • Roughly 875–900 of NIOSH's approximately 1,000 employees were terminated in April 2025, with about 300 recalled in May under mounting pressure and litigation.
  • HHS has not provided a public explanation for the reversal or its timing, and officials and union leaders note many workers have retired or taken other jobs.
  • Legal challenges to the layoffs remain active, and a fiscal 2026 proposal would cut about 80% of NIOSH funding, including the PPE certification program, pending congressional action.