Register Now for Spring 2018 National Trainers’ Exchange and WTP Awardee Meeting

The 7th National Trainers’ Exchange is hosted by the Western Region Universities Consortium (WRUC) in conjunction with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP). The Exchange will bring together safety and health trainers and training stakeholders from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the NIEHS WTP to exchange ideas about how to make training for hazardous materials and emergency response workers more effective and empowering. The Awardee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 9, 2018; the National Trainers’ Exchange will be held on Thursday and Friday, May 10-11, 2018. The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix hotel. Registration closes Friday, April 27, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Meeting & Registration Information

Accommodation and Transportation

Hanford Waste Treatment Plant: DOE Needs to Take Further Actions to Address Weaknesses in Its Quality Assurance Program

The Department of Energy (DOE) has taken several actions to identify and address quality assurance problems at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at its Hanford site in Washington. Among the actions taken is the implementation of the Managed Improvement Plan by DOE’s Office of River Protection (ORP) and the WTP contactor. The nuclear waste treatment plant DOE and its contractor are building at DOE’s Hanford site in Washington has faced persistent challenges, and the cost of the project has more than tripled to nearly $17 billion. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that DOE's quality assurance efforts did not always ensure detection of problems such as engineering errors and construction deficiencies, and some problems are recurring.

GAO Report

Trump Administration Extends Opioid Public Health Emergency

The Trump administration has extended its opioid public health emergency, according to a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson, as lawmakers and White House officials grapple with how to combat a crisis killing more people per year than car accidents. This is the second extension of the national public health emergency, which President Trump first announced in a declaration in late October. The initial order lasted 90 days, as does each extension by the Health and Human Services secretary.

The Hill [Author: Rachel Roubein]

Flint Crisis, Four Years On

Since 2014, Flint has received millions of dollars in aid, and the state of the water is improving – but residents are still left with physical ailments and lifelong fears. Four years later, you might think things have improved in the Michigan city. But resident LeeAnne Walters is still bathing her kids in bottled water, which she heats on the stove in four separate pots and a plastic bowl in the microwave.

The Guardian [Author: Jessica Glenza]

Fifth Annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction

The National Safety Stand-Down was created five years ago as a combined effort by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and CPWR—The Center for Construction Research and Training, and other partners. For the past four years, the Stand-Down Campaign has had an impact on fall prevention and on the awareness and education of millions of workers in construction. Now in its fifth year, every participant can build on their strengths and welcome millions more to safety on the job. The National Safety Stand-Down will be held on May 7-9, 2018.

NIOSH eNews

Registration Now Open for EPA Safer Choice Partner & Stakeholder Summit

EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) is announcing its third Safer Choice Partner & Stakeholder Summit. The Summit provides an opportunity for partners, purchasers, retailers, NGOs, trade associations, chemical manufacturers, and other interested stakeholders to collaborate on exploring topical questions and developing solutions that can advance Safer Choice. This year’s discussion will focus on the value of the Safer Chemical Ingredients List as a starting point in identifying Low Priority Substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act, as well as priorities for the Safer Choice program. The Summit will be held on May 14, 2018, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

Summit Information and Registration

Tribal Environmental Health Summit

Registration for the 3rd Tribal Environmental Health Summit is now open. The Summit is sponsored by Oregon State University College of Public Health and Human Sciences, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and the Native Environmental Health Research Network. The theme for this year is “Sustaining Long-Term Partnerships and Projects with Native American Communities.” The Summit will be held on June 25-26, 2018, in Corvallis, Oregon. Abstract submissions are due May 31, 2018.

Summit Registration

Submit Your Abstract

Save the Date: Safe + Sound Week

The second annual Safe + Sound Week will be held August 13-19, 2018. The event is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the value of workplace safety and health programs. These programs can help employers and workers identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving a company’s financial bottom line. Throughout this week, organizations are encouraged to host events and activities that showcase the core elements of an effective safety and health program, including: management leadership, worker participation, and finding and fixing workplace hazards. For more information and to sign-up for email updates, visit the Safe + Sound Week webpage.

Safe & Sound Week

CPWR: Safe Workplace + Sound Business

ToxicDocs: Opening a New Era of Evidence for Policies to Protect Public Health

The latest issue of the Journal of Public Health Policy includes a section focused on the new dataset and website Toxic Docs. Toxic Docs, a project based at Columbia University and the City University of New York's Graduate Center, contains millions of pages of once-secret corporate documents about asbestos, polyvinyl chloride, benzene, silica, and lead. It provides scholars and activists with an important new resource to harness the power of new search technologies, worldwide Internet availability, and the growing recognition of corporate practices as a fundamental social determinant of health.

JPHP [Author: Nicholas Freudenberg]

JPHP Issue and Articles

Toxic Docs

Musculoskeletal Health Research to Benefit Surface Stone, Sand, and Gravel Miners

In October 2017, the NIOSH Musculoskeletal Health Cross-Sector Program published the first blog post in a series to highlight musculoskeletal health research at NIOSH. This is the fifth installment in the series, that discuss how best to promote musculoskeletal health and reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among surface stone, sand, and gravel mine workers. NIOSH has conducted research and developed tools to help mine workers identify and remediate risk factors. Examples of some of that research is listed below.

NIOSH Science Blog [Authors: Emily Warner et al.]

Mining Publication: Simple Solutions for Surface Mine Workers [Authors: J Pollard et al.]

Mining Product: ErgoMine

The Role of Telehealth in the Medical Response to Disasters

Use of telehealth, or technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical care, education, and health administration, has increased dramatically in the past decade. Common modalities include live video teleconferencing, store-and-forward technology (eg, radiograph readings), remote patient monitoring (eg, telehealth coverage of intensive care units), mobile health applications, text, and email. The frequency and severity of disasters have also increased over the same period. The confluence of these unrelated phenomena presents an opportunity for creative thinking about how telehealth can strengthen the medical response to disasters.

JAMA International Medicine [Authors: Nicole Lurie and Brendan G. Carr]

FY 2018 Disaster Supplemental Relief Funding

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced general policies and application procedures for the Disaster Supplemental Notice of Funding Opportunity. Subject to the availability of funds, this investment assistance will help communities and regions devise and implement long-term economic recovery strategies through a variety of non-construction and construction projects, to address economic challenges in areas where a Presidential declaration of a major disaster was issued. Applications are accepted on a continuing basis and processed as received.

Funding Information

Representative Cole Advocates Sustained Funding for Biodefense and Emergency Health Response

U.S. agencies need a more predictable and accessible source of funds to support a rapid response to public health emergencies, including outbreaks of disease and bioterror attacks, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) said last week. Cole addressed a panel of government officials testifying at a House Appropriations Committee hearing aimed at helping lawmakers craft a fiscal year 2019 budget for the nation’s biodefense activities that fall under the purview of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Homeland Preparedness News [Author: Bill Yingling]

Achieving Tangible Results for Vulnerable Communities

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its FY2017 Environmental Justice Progress Report. The report identifies the tangible results that the EPA has achieved in minority, low-income, tribal and indigenous communities across the country. 2017 marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice. The accomplishments highlighted in the report affirm through action how, after a quarter century of progress, environmental justice (EJ) is deeply ingrained in EPA’s fabric.

The EPA Blog [Author: Charles Lee]

Environmental Justice FY2017 Progress Report

Webinar: Opportunities from the New Federal "BUILD Act" Brownfields Law

The BUILD Act (Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development) is the first major legislative change to Brownfields since passage of the original statute in 2002. During this webinar, you’ll hear from experts regarding increased eligibility for funding, additional liability protections, and changes to grant programs. The webinar will feature officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a local community, national brownfield experts, and the coordinator of the National Brownfields Coalition. This webinar is made possible with funding provided by EPA.

Webinar Information and Registration

Featured Safety Jobs with the American Society of Safety Engineers

Featured Jobs

Featured Safety Jobs with the American Industrial Hygiene Association

Featured Jobs

We Want Your Feedback

What kinds of stories or other content would make this newsletter especially valuable to you?

Send your ideas for this newsletter to: wetpclear@niehs.nih.gov

To go back and subscribe to the newsletter, click here

Back issues of our Newsbrief are available at our archives page