Enhancing safety in commercial fishing through advanced slip-resistant footwear development

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health awarded George Mason University a $671,793 cooperative agreement on September 1, 2026, to develop advanced slip-resistant footwear designed to enhance safety in commercial fishing through September 1, 2029, under the Occupational Safety and Health Program (CFDA 93.262).

The cooperative agreement funds research and product development to address occupational hazards specific to the commercial fishing industry. The award supports a three-year period of performance with place of performance in the United States. George Mason University serves as the prime recipient; the related entity The George Mason University Instructional Foundation, Inc. is identified as a parent organization but no sub-award pass-through is specified in the award documentation.

The Occupational Safety and Health Program supports extramural research and training to prevent work-related injury and illness by recognizing new hazards, defining the magnitude of workplace problems, targeting hazardous workplaces for intervention, and evaluating prevention efforts. Research and cooperative agreements under the program are typically awarded for project periods ranging from one to five years, with scientific peer review conducted by a review group followed by programmatic review by the NIOSH Secondary Review Committee.