Occupational Health

Occupational Health KSC offers an extensive array of medical and environmental services to ensure the safety and well-being of NASA, Air Force, and contractor personnel stationed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). The program adheres to various regulatory guidelines, such as those set by OSHA, NASA, and the USAF, and goes beyond regulatory requirements to provide non-emergency treatments for occupational injuries and illnesses, as well as addressing life-threatening conditions regardless of their cause.

In addition to routine evaluations of facilities and operations, KSC's Occupational Health team conducts extensive environmental testing, industrial hygiene assessments, hazardous materials waste management, public health awareness and inspection, occupational health services, and health education and wellness programs. These services encompass a wide range of areas, including drinking water testing, gym, childcare, and recreational facility inspections, and food concession monitoring.

The health education and wellness program aims to promote personal health awareness, healthy lifestyles, and early detection of health conditions and diseases. Services under this program include cardiovascular disease screenings, counseling, smoking cessation initiatives, a state-of-the-art fitness center, first aid and occupational health facility fire department training.

KSC also provides health training programs in various disciplines, such as AHA Heartsaver AED, AHA Heartsaver First Aid, Blood borne Pathogens, AHA BLS for Healthcare Providers, AHA Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support. On-site demonstrations are available for CPR/AED/BBP courses, which can be scheduled by calling 867-8229.

The Occupational Health team at KSC also specializes in aerospace medicine services, planning and implementing aerospace medicine, occupational medicine, and environmental health programs to safeguard the health and well-being of the KSC workforce. This includes providing launch and landing medical support for NASA's human space flight programs.

Furthermore, KSC offers musculoskeletal rehabilitation services through RehabWorks, a free on-site service for employees suffering from work, non-work, or sports-related injuries, as well as post-surgical care. Certified/Licensed Athletic Trainers (ATC/L) provide injury assessments and rehabilitation services to maximize long-term recovery and reduce lost work time.

Biomedical engineers at KSC perform design, testing, analysis, and evaluation of personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers handling toxins, such as rocket propellants. PPE includes liquid air and supercritical air supplied breathing apparatus and whole body suits. Devices that protect against heat stress are also evaluated.

Unique communications systems have been developed, fabricated, and deployed from this lab to ensure the health and safety of employees. KSC also provides sanitation and public health services, including routine monitoring and assessment of hazards, and support to contractors in developing policies and procedures to reduce and prevent productivity challenges.

These services cover food safety inspections, food vending inspections, food recall coordination, epidemiological investigations, animal bites, sanitary nuisance investigations, daycare surveillance, bottled water testing, public facilities inspection, and disease vector surveillance/mosquitoes.

To access these services, employees are encouraged to contact the Occupational Health team at KSC.