{"id":932,"date":"2026-04-28T10:19:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/?p=932"},"modified":"2026-04-28T15:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T19:07:04","slug":"this-niosh-comic-book-nails-worker-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/2026\/04\/28\/this-niosh-comic-book-nails-worker-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"This NIOSH Comic Book Nails Worker Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cover<\/a><\/p>\nApril 28 is probably most recognized in the world of comics as National Superhero Day<\/a>, but it also happens to be Workers’ Memorial Day<\/a>, honoring a special kind of superhero, and World Day for Safety and Health at Work<\/a>. This post looks at two NIOSH comic books\u2014one real, one fictional; one about safety, one about a safety superhero.\n

NIOSH’s First Comic Book<\/h2>\nIn 2013 the Center for Disease Control’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health<\/a> (NIOSH) published their first comic book, Straight Talk About Nail-Gun Safety<\/em><\/a> (also available in Spanish as Pl\u00e1tica directa sobre seguridad con pistolas de clavos<\/em><\/a>). The comic book was adapted from a handbook called Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors<\/em><\/a>.\n\n\"Cover<\/a>\n\nNIOSH and OSHA prepared this handbook to provide builders and contractors with the latest information on nail gun hazards and practical advice on the steps they can take to minimize injuries on construction sites. It packs a lot of information in its 20 pages, but in spite of the lurid cover and some hair-raising anecdotes, the text can come across as technical and dry. The comic book adaptation is not as detailed, but its presentation is much more engaging, making the material easier to understand and to remember, especially for workers who may not be fluent readers. According to its introduction, the comic book was developed by cartoonist and author (and musician) Nick Thorkelson with input from residential builders and subcontractors who allowed NIOSH access to residential building sites, as well as focus group discussions with residential building subcontractors, safety specialists, and workers.\n

Nick Thorkelson<\/h2>\nAuthor and illustrator Nick Thorkelson<\/a> is a freelance cartoon and comic book artist who has created many works promoting social and economic justice and worker’s rights. His informal, sketchy, loose style of drawing and interest in social issues reflect his background in the underground comix movement. Little in the comic book or the handbook it is based on could be described as overtly political, but there is one discussion common to both books that touches on the issue of company interests vs. workers’ rights. The Nail Gun<\/em> Safety handbook mentions certain unsafe practices and polices contractors use to finish a project more quickly. The handbook then cites studies demonstrating that safe practices may result in a job taking a little longer, but the difference is negligible and not worth the danger to workers. The comic book reduces this issue to one brief comment that comes at the very end of the story:\n\n\"A\n\nIn 2009, before working on the NIOSH comic, Thorkelson collaborated on a series of graphic novels that were used to train residential construction workers in how to protect themselves from falls from roofs, ladders, and scaffolds. In a 2015 article for the journal <\/span>Composition Studies<\/em>, Molly Scanlon describes some of the principles learned from this experience that were later applied to the NIOSH comic:<\/span>\n