NIOSH chief John Howard says in an online news update that the agency has launched the "Safe, Skilled, Ready Workforce Initiative" with the mission that every person, prior to entering the U.S. work force or starting a new job, "will have the knowledge and skills to contribute to a safe, healthy, and productive workplace. Although employers have the primary responsibility for providing a safe and healthy work environment, this can more easily be achieved when all individuals have basic, protective skills that benefit them on the job now and throughout their lives."
