Newsbrief Current Issue from The National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training

Feds Get More Time to Start Up Massive Hanford Plant, Construction Began 20 years ago

A federal judge has agreed to give the Department of Energy more time to start treating waste at the $17 billion Hanford vitrification plant under construction since 2002. Handford was initially required to have treatment of some of the least radioactive waste held in underground storage tanks by the end of 2023. Due to COVID-19 setbacks the plant has an extended deadline for August 2025.

Tri City Herald [Author: Annette Cary]

As More Monkeypox Cases Pop Up, The Biden Administration is Ramping Up its Testing and Vaccine Strategy

The Biden administration says it is “rapidly expanding” access to vaccines for monkeypox, as part of a new strategy to counter the outbreak as reported cases in the United States have now topped 300.

Government Executive [Author: Courtney Buble]

Nuclear Power is Gaining Support After Years of Decline. But Old Hurdles Remain

Over the past decade, nuclear power plants across the country have been shutting down early in favor of cheaper natural gas power. Now, an influx of investment from the government and the private sector is changing the trajectory of the aging U.S. nuclear fleet and spurring development of new nuclear technology.

NPR [Author: Laura Benshoff]

In Pittsburgh Visit, Energy Secretary Touts Economic Benefits of Combating Climate Change

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said people from underrepresented groups often don’t view themselves as belonging in energy jobs. But community groups could help to steer them to the sector. “We're at the cusp of a profound opportunity to really invest in clean energy and create those jobs and those opportunities for folks in the region,” she said.

WESA Pittsburg’s NPR Station [Author: An-Li Herring]

Funds for Climate Justice Flow to Groups Around the U.S.

Fourteen environmental justice organizations from around the United States have begun to receive money under the Justice40 initiative. Organizations will receive some $3 million for work ranging from solar training in Detroit, to renovating homes to better withstand extreme weather, to a community market where farmers can sell their produce.

U.S. News [Author: Drew Costley]

U.S. Department of Labor Announces $11.7M Funding Availability of Susan Harwood Training Grants for Workplace Safety, Health Hazards Training

The U.S. Department of Labor announced a funding opportunity for $11.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to support the delivery of training and education to help workers and employers identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards. Administered by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the grants will target disadvantaged, underserved, low-income, and other hard-to-reach, at-risk workers and employers. Applications due August 1, 2022 by 11:59 p.m. EST.

U.S. Department of Labor

COVID-19: Impact on Worker Mental Health and Substance Use, Workplace Solutions

This interactive training will introduce participants to a new module that builds on the existing NIEHS Worker Training Program Opioid/Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in the Workplace training curricula. The new module is an additional training resource about the work-related causes, impacts, and solutions to addiction and mental health effects, aggravated during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Event Registration

New Long COVID and Workers Webpage

The California Department of Public Health’s Occupational Health Branch has launched a new webpage highlighting long COVID and the impact on workers. The web page includes information about requesting work accommodations, long COVID prevention, and support groups, as well as answers to frequently asked questions and more.

Long COVID and Workers

On Martha's Vineyard, Tribal Elders Work to Restore Land to its Pre-colonial State

Prompted by the threats of climate change and a desire to educate the next generation, David Vanderhoop and his wife, Saskia, are determined to restore their land to what it was centuries ago. "I just have it in my system that I have to bring the land back to a productive time, so we're setting up the land the way that my ancestors would have” Vanderhoop said.

NPR [Author: Eve Zuckoff]

Montgomery County, Ohio Creates Text Alert System to Combat Opioid Epidemic

Community members registered for the alerts will receive text messages when there is an overdose surge in Montgomery County. They will also receive information and tips about how to keep themselves safe during an overdose surge. The public health office encourages family, friends and loved ones to register.

Spectrum News [Author: Camri Nelson]

U.S. Department of Labor Begins Rulemaking Process to Revise Standards for Occupational Exposure to Lead

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to revise its standards for occupational exposure to lead. Recent medical research on workplace lead exposure shows adverse health effects can occur in adults at lower blood lead levels than recognized previously in the medical removal levels specified in OSHA’s lead standards.

News Release

U.S. Department of Labor proposes approval of Massachusetts’ Occupational Health, Safety Plan for Local Government Workers

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration published a proposed rulemaking to approve a new occupational safety and health plan for Massachusetts state and local employers and their employees. If approved, Massachusetts would be the newest OSHA-approved state plan for state and local government employees. The plan would cover approximately 6,500 public sector employers and nearly 434,000 public employees throughout the state. Private sector and federally employed workers in Massachusetts would remain under federal OSHA jurisdiction.

News Release

New WTP State Profile Available: North Carolina

The North Carolina state profile highlights Worker Training Program (WTP) grantees and their recent efforts in the state. In North Carolina, grantees deliver training to support military personnel, industrial facilities, and hurricane response and recovery. Grantees also deliver health and safety training at state agencies and community colleges.

North Carolina State Profile

Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Hiring Industrial Hygienist

The incumbent serves as an Industrial Hygienist in a medical center where duties include but are not limited to the following: asbestos control and abatement, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, hearing conversation, hazard communication, nitrous oxide, mercury, hazardous and infectious waste management, water testing and treatment, respirator program, and anti-neoplastic drugs.

Job Posting

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