NIOSH aims to improve American Indian and Alaska Native worker safety

Washington — “Data describing the American Indian and Alaska Native workforce and workplace hazards among American Indian and Alaska Native workers is scarce,” says NIOSH, which has created a strategic plan for research and outreach.

The 10-year strategy details the program’s research, practice, policy and capacity-building objectives for preventing injuries and illnesses. It also outlines plans for progress evaluations – both at the midpoint of the research period and at the end. The research period is scheduled to conclude in 2032.

In 2013, NIOSH began its initiative to partner with American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, communities, organizations, and other stakeholders to identify priority issues, conduct outreach, and determine how the agency can provide workplace safety and health support.

“As sovereign nations, all 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes maintain a government-to-government relationship with the U.S. federal government,” the agency says.

According to NIOSH, 2.7 million American Indian and Alaska Native people are currently employed in the United States, making up 1.8% of the U.S. workforce.