The Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM), alongside a broad national coalition of safety, health, labor, and industry organizations, has taken a firm and forward-looking stand in support of robust federal investment in workplace safety. In this letter to congressional appropriators, we are urging no less than Fiscal Year 2026 funding levels for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Fiscal Year 2027—a position grounded not in abstraction, but in urgent, data-driven reality.
The facts are stark. Every day in America, 12 workers lose their lives on the job, and more than 10,800 suffer injuries serious enough to require medical attention. These incidents collectively impose a staggering $176.5 billion annual burden on the U.S. economy.
This letter makes clear: OSHA and NIOSH are not mere regulators—they are indispensable partners in prevention, innovation, and workforce resilience. OSHA’s compliance assistance, training, and cooperative programs help employers proactively reduce risks, while NIOSH’s research, certification programs, and training pipelines ensure that science and evidence drive workplace protections across every major industry sector.
For IHMM and its certificants—CSHMs, CSMPs, ASHMs, CHMMs, and others—this funding is mission-critical. It underpins the regulatory frameworks, scientific guidance, and professional ecosystems within which credentialed practitioners operate.
At its core, this effort is about safeguarding America’s workforce, strengthening economic stability, and reaffirming a national commitment: that every worker deserves to return home safely at the end of the day.
