NIOSH Recognizes the National Day of Remembrance

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has posted a tribute to the National Day of Remembrance for Cold War Era workers.  Below is their tribute. Thank you NIOSH.

Honoring Quiet Sacrifice

This month, our country recognizes a group of workers who quietly made personal sacrifices to protect our country and our freedom. The U.S. Senate designated October 30, 2009, as a National Day of Remembrance for American nuclear weapons program workers and uranium miners, millers, and haulers.

These workers did not just do a job. During a time when our country was at war, and later, during the Cold War, they discreetly built a nuclear weapons program to protect and defend their families, neighbors, and fellow citizens across the country. And in doing so, some of these workers were exposed, often unknowingly, to the types of workplace risks that NIOSH now strives every day to prevent. Some of these workers sacrificed their health, and some lost their lives as a result of these exposures.

From the beginning of our involvement in this compensation program, NIOSH’s core values have been an integral part of our activities. In particular, the core values of quality of science, transparency, and accountability are at the heart of the actions, decisions, and communications in this program.

As NIOSH continues to fulfill its role under EEOICPA, we recognize the debt of gratitude owed to the workers who quietly made sacrifices to protect our country, and honor that debt with our commitment to quality of science, transparency, and accountability in our work.

We invite you to join NIOSH in honoring these workers on the National Day of Remembrance, October 30, 2009.