National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training

October 4, 2023 • 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. EDT

Event Registration Link

Commit to C.A.R.E. (C2C) is an online public health awareness campaign to promote awareness and control of infectious diseases in the built environment. The campaign was initially funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is the result of a partnership between the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the Integrated Bioscience and Built Environment Consortium.

A significant part of the campaign is the C2C website, a central place to access science-based information about various infectious diseases and how to reduce their spread in the workplace. C.A.R.E. is an acronym that reflects the principles of community, awareness, responsibility, and equity. The C2C website has free resources and tools that can be used to educate workers and communities, thereby influencing personal actions to make the built environment safer by reducing the spread of infectious diseases. C2C believes protecting yourself and others should not be difficult or complicated; therefore, all C2C tools are developed with the needs of a non-scientific, non-medical audience in mind. Additionally, C2C tools are designed to empower accountability and responsibility while facilitating fair and equitable access to information.

In this webinar, panelists will share details about C2C and how organizations, including small to medium size businesses, can use available tools and resources to enhance workers’ awareness to reduce infectious disease risk in the workplace. Panelists will showcase the many resources that are available through the C2C website.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the mission and goals of the C2C online public health awareness campaign.
• Increase public awareness of infectious disease and how to reduce risks in occupational settings and the built environment.
• Explore the application of a COVID-19 risk assessment tool.
• Share more about the free products and resources that are available to the public.

Moderators

Sharon D. Beard, M.S., is the director of the NIEHS Worker Training Program, managing a diverse, multi-million-dollar portfolio of NIEHS-funded worker training grants issued nationwide in the areas of hazardous waste handling and transport, emergency response, and nuclear and radiation safety. An industrial hygienist, Beard has worked with the program for over 25 years. She works on numerous committees to raise awareness and promote engagement on topics surrounding equity, environmental justice, and public and occupational health. She is currently a member of the NIEHS Diversity Speaker Series Planning Committee, the NIEHS Environmental Health Disparities and Environmental Justice Facility, the Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice, the Brownfields Federal Partnership Interagency Working Group, and collaborates with NIEHS colleagues to facilitate research translation through the Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH) Program. She is also a member of the APHA and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. Beard holds a master’s degree in environmental science and management from Tufts University in Massachusetts, and a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in business from Western Carolina University in North Carolina.

Gary Johnson Jr., M.P.A., is an industrial hygienist within the NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP). Prior to joining the NIH, Johnson worked as an industrial hygienist with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Borders Protection, Occupational Safety and Health Division. He was the national medical surveillance coordinator and managed an agreement for CBP with Federal Occupational Health, as the contracting officer representative. Immediately before this, Johnson was an assistant area director/supervising industrial hygienist for the Baltimore/Washington Area Office of the U.S. Department of Labor–OSHA. There, he was responsible for the operations and efficiency of a group of industrial hygienists and safety and occupational health specialists. Johnson earned a master’s degree in public administration at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky. He earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental health, with industrial hygiene, from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Panelists

Lawrence (Larry) D. Sloan, M.B.A., F.A.S.A.E., C.A.E., has served as CEO of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) since October 2016. Prior to this, he served as CEO for seven years at SOCMA, a trade association representing the interests of the U.S. specialty chemical industry. Sloan started his nonprofit career at the Adhesive and Sealant Council, a trade association, and was promoted to his first CEO role there in January 2005. He led this group for five years. Sloan began his career as a chemical engineer at Air Products and later worked for Nalco Chemical Company in marketing, manufacturing, and sales capacities. Prior volunteer leadership roles include serving as elected chair on the ASAE Research Committee; as a board member and 2012 chair of the National Association of Manufacturers’ Council of Manufacturing Associations; as a board member of the Société de Chimie Industrielle; as an executive committee member of the Science History Institute’s Joseph Priestly Society; and as a board member of the Chemical Educational Foundation. Sloan earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and later graduated from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where he earned his M.B.A.

Kenneth (Ken) F. Martinez, (CAPT USPHS Ret.), has 33 years of CDC expertise in hazardous agent exposure characterization and mitigation control practices in the manufacturing and healthcare industries. He currently serves as the chief science officer (CSO) for the nonprofit, Integrated Bioscience and the Built Environment Consortium (IBEC). As CSO, Martinez coordinates the Science Advisory Board and oversees all IBEC-sponsored symposia and conferences, among other leadership responsibilities. Martinez concurrently serves as a contractor and pathogen subject matter expert for the NIEHS Worker Training Program.

Addtional Information

Individuals with disabilities who need accommodation to participate in these events should contact Kerri Voelker at voice telephone: 919-794-4710 or email: kvoelker@michaeldbaker.com. TTY users should contact the Federal TTY Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Requests should be made at least 5 business days in advance of the event. Live closed captioning will be provided in English.