Nearly 200 employees at the Morgantown location of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) were informed earlier this week that they will lose their jobs as part of broader cuts within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The NIOSH facility in Morgantown is known for its research aimed at preventing work-related injuries and illnesses, particularly in coal miners.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito expressed her concerns about the cuts, stating her intention to discuss the matter with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"So I'm hoping to affect a brighter outlook from him that you have cut into the bone here at an essential service for workplace safety," said Capito. "And that would mean, I would hope that he would not just bring the functions back but the people that can perform the functions, who are as important as what the functions of that office are."
The layoffs will affect 873 of NIOSH’s approximately 1,300 employees across four different cities.