Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation™ (FACE) Program

About the Program

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program and State FACE Programs study workplace fatalities and prepare reports with recommendations to prevent similar deaths.

NIOSH FACE began in 1982 and is a national research program that aims to prevent job-related injuries and deaths by:

• Investigating selected fatalities
• Identifying hazards
• Developing workplace prevention recommendations
• Sharing recommendations with employers, safety professionals, and workers

Investigators do not enforce compliance with State or Federal occupational safety and health standards and do not determine fault or blame.

Through federal funding, state health and labor departments participate with the FACE Program.

The State FACE Program began in 1989 and monitor worker deaths, conduct priority investigations, and recommend prevention strategies at the state level using the NIOSH FACE Program model. Current participating states include: California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Washington.