Weekly E-Newsbrief
April 19, 2024
The E-Newsbrief of the National Clearinghouse is a free weekly newsletter focusing on new developments in the world of worker health and safety. Each issue provides summaries of the latest worker health and safety news from newspapers, magazines, journals, government reports, and the Web, along with links to the original documents. Also featured each week are updates from government agencies that handle hazmat and worker safety issues such as DOE, EPA, OSHA and others.
Subscribing to the National Clearinghouse Newsbrief is the best way to stay on top of the worker health and safety news.
- Top Stories
- Calendar Features
- On The Web This Week
- Federal Agency Update
- Awardee Highlights/Online Learning
- Job Openings
- We Want Your Feedback
- Newsbriefs Past Issues
| Top Stories | Back to Top |
Department of Labor Issues Final Rule Reducing Silica Dust Exposure, Better Protecting Miners’ Health from Irreversible Workplace Illnesses
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced that its Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a final rule to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards associated with exposure to respirable crystalline silica, also known as silica dust or quartz dust. The final rule lowers the permissible exposure limit of respirable crystalline silica to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air for a full-shift exposure, calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average. If a miner’s exposure exceeds the limit, the final rule requires mine operators to take immediate corrective actions to come into compliance.
How Gen Z Is Becoming the Toolbelt Generation
Long beset by a labor crunch, the skilled trades are newly appealing to the youngest cohort of American workers, many of whom are choosing to leave the college path. Rising pay and new technologies in fields from welding to machine tooling are giving trade professions a face-lift. Growing skepticism about the return on a college education, the cost of which has soared in recent decades, is adding to their shine. Enrollment in vocational training programs is surging as overall enrollment in community colleges and four-year institutions has fallen. Demand for trade apprenticeships, which let students combine work experience with a course of study often paid for by employers, has boomed lately.
The Wall Street Journal (subscription may be required) [Author: Te-Ping Chen]
Rise and Grind? Working Late, Volatile Hours May Lead to Depression, Illness By 50
A new study shows that working nights and volatile schedules in young adulthood can leave you vulnerable to depression and poor health in middle age. The research examined the work schedules and sleep patterns of more than 7,000 Americans interviewed over three decades, from the ages of 22 through 50. Those with more volatile work schedules, including night hours and rotating shifts, reported less sleep and a greater likelihood of poor health and depression at age 50 than those with more stable schedules and daytime hours. Black men and women and workers with limited educations disproportionately shouldered the burden of night shifts, volatile work schedules and sleep deprivation, the study shows.
NPR [Author: Ronnie Cohen]
Native Americans Have Shorter Life Spans. Better Health Care Isn’t the Only Answer.
Native Americans tend to die much earlier than white Americans. Their median age at death was 14 years younger, according to an analysis of 2018-21 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disparity is even greater in South Dakota, where the median age of death for Indigenous South Dakotans is 22 years younger than white South Dakotans. What’s ultimately behind this low life expectancy are social and economic forces. In addition to bolstering medical care and fully funding the Indian Health Service, which provides health care to Native Americans, there needs to be a greater investment in case management, parenting classes, and home visits.
Kaiser Health News [Author: Arielle Zionts]
Wildfire Smoke Contributes to Thousands of Deaths Each Year in The U.S.
New research shows that the health consequences of wildfire smoke exposure stretch well beyond the smoky days themselves, contributing to nearly 16,000 deaths each year across the U.S., according to a recently released National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) analysis. The analysis warns that number could grow to nearly 30,000 deaths a year by the middle of the century as human-driven climate change increases the likelihood of large, intense, smoke-spewing wildfires. Wildfire smoke is rarely listed as a cause of death on people's death certificates, but the tiny particles present in smoke worsen many different health problems.
NPR [Author: Alejandra Borunda]
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
Workers Memorial Day 2024 Events
This year's Workers Memorial Day is on Thursday, April 25. From April 22-25, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administrations are hosting multiple virtual events to remember the lives that are impacted by occupational incidents, illnesses, and diseases, and to educate on the importance of workplace safety to ultimately prevent future tragedies. Events include an OSHA Awareness Conference and a Workers Memorial Expo.
Superfund Research Program 2024 Progress in Research Webinar Series
The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) is hosting their 2024 Progress in Research webinar series, Emerging Technologies in Occupational Health and Safety, showcasing NIEHS SRP-funded researchers developing curricula and educational programs focused on emergent technologies in occupational health and safety. Over the three sessions, awardees will highlight their research projects, accomplishments, and demonstrate research products. Presenters include SRP grant recipients, a WTP grant recipient and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health.
Department of Labor to Host Online Forum May 8-9 for Employers, Workers, Other Stakeholders on Compliance with Federal Workplace Regulations
The Department of Labor will host a two-day online forum on compliance with federal laws governing wages, safety and other workplace issues. The event will include presentations and panel discussions with representatives from the Department of Labor, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the IRS, the Small Business Administration, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board. The forum will be held on May 8-9, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CDT each day.
Digitizing Your Safety Program
In today's fast-paced world, navigating the complexities of safety program management can be daunting. Traditional paper and pen methods often lead to inefficiencies, especially as organizations expand and regulations evolve. Embracing digital safety software offers a transformative solution to this challenge. This webinar will explore how to leverage safety software, implementing best practices to enhance safety program performance, harness the power of safety to drive organizational improvements, among other topics. It will take place on May 30, 2024, from 12 – 1 p.m. CDT.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
Is Farmworker Dehydration a Widespread Issue?
A recent study of Florida farmworkers found that virtually all of them experienced dehydration at the end of their shift, and more than half were still dehydrated the next morning. Researchers analyzed urine samples taken from 111 workers at a vegetable farm in southern Florida. Nearly 97% of the end-of-shift samples showed probable dehydration, while 62% of the morning samples showed the same. The researchers note that farmworkers are generally paid based on the number of crops they pick, so the incentive to work longer and faster and not to take water or bathroom breaks can factor in.
Risk factors associated with indicators of dehydration among migrant farmworkers
To Stop Fentanyl Deaths in Philadelphia, Knocking on Doors and Handing Out Overdose Kits
In Philadelphia in 2022, a record 1,413 people died from drug overdoses, according to city data. Among Black residents, deaths were up 20% from the year before, with many happening in private homes. A new large-scale, citywide, door-to-door campaign in Philadelphia aims to equip homes with naloxone and other drug overdose prevention supplies. City officials hope that this proactive approach will normalize naloxone as an everyday item in the medicine cabinet, and prevent people from dying of overdoses, especially Black residents.
Kaiser Health News [Author: Nicole Leonard]
Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace
Work plays a significant role in workers’ mental health. This impact is so substantial that managers impact workers’ mental health more than doctors or therapists do. Mental health is a critical part of worker well-being and is central to overall health. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) long-standing research program in work stress shows that mental health worsens with chronic exposure to occupational stress. Research also shows that workplace risk factors can contribute to health problems outside of work.
NIOSH Science Blog [Authors: Emily Kirby & Casey Chosewood]
Study Links Petrochemical Plants in Louisiana to Premature and Low-Weight Births
About a fifth of America’s petrochemical production is concentrated on a stretch of land along the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana. That production comes with serious risks. The area has been known as ‘Cancer Alley’ because of the high rates of cancer among people who live nearby. A new study now shows how those risks may fall on the next generation as well, and this podcast episode features interviews of families in this community who have experienced first-hand the health impacts of living near these industrial facilities.
PBS News [Authors: William Brangham & Layla Quran]
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
EEOC Issues Final Regulation on Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued a final rule to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), providing important clarity that will allow pregnant workers the ability to work and maintain a healthy pregnancy and help employers understand their duties under the law. The PWFA requires most employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations, or changes at work, for a worker’s known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an undue hardship.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $830 Million in Grants to Make Transportation Infrastructure More Resilient to Climate Change
The Biden-Harris Administration announced nearly $830 million in grant awards that will help states and local communities strengthen surface-transportation systems and make them more resilient to extreme weather events worsened by the climate crisis, flooding, sea-level rise, heat waves, and other disasters. These grants are the first of their kind dedicated to transportation infrastructure resilience. Transportation assets in this grant program include roads, bridges, highways, public transportation, pedestrian facilities, ports, and intercity passenger rail. As part of this announcement, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is awarding funding under four different grant types to 80 projects in 37 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands.
DOE Releases New Report Outlining Solutions to Meet Growing Electricity Demand
The Department of Energy (DOE) outlined a wide array of solutions to address increased electricity demand on the nation’s power grid while continuing to reduce emissions. After a decade of nearly zero growth, electricity demand is increasing and is expected to accelerate over the next decade due to the expansion of industries like data centers, investment in semiconductors and batteries, and deployment of electric vehicles. The Future of Resource Adequacy report affirms that investing in all technology solutions, including clean energy generation and storage, transmission expansion and enhancement, and efficiency and demand management tools can provide ample, reliable and secure power in an age of rising electricity demand without having to rely on older, dirtier technologies.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
On the Safe Side Podcast Episode 50: Safety I vs. Safety II and April Issue Highlights
In Episode 50, the Safety + Health team examines content from the April issue, including the results of the annual Training Survey, safety and health for remote workers, and work zone safety. The podcast guest discusses the differences between the Safety I and Safety II schools of thought.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
State of Delaware Department of Labor Seeking Industrial Hygienist
The Delaware Department of Labor, Division of Industrial Affairs is seeking an experienced Industrial Hygienist to ensure workplace safety and compliance through risk assessment, hazard identification, and implementation of effective control measures. The ideal candidate will possess strong analytical skills, expertise in occupational health regulations, and a proactive approach to mitigating occupational hazards. The position is hybrid and located in Newark, Delaware.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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