Weekly E-Newsbrief
April 22, 2022
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 |
Health Care Workers Were at Highest COVID Risk in Workplace
U.S. health care workers were most likely to be infected with COVID-19 at work during the pandemic's first year, according to a new study that challenges previous research suggesting their risk was highest off the job. Researchers said their findings could help guide efforts to better protect health care workers during future infectious disease outbreaks.
Green infrastructure helps cities with climate change. So why isn't there more of it?
Federal agencies are beginning to hand out billions of dollars in infrastructure spending, the largest investment ever made in the country's water system. Much of it will go to improving pipes, drains and stormwater systems. But some scientists and urban planners are pushing to fund projects that are better adapted to the changing climate.
NPR [Author: Lauren Sommer]
A New Bird Flu is Spreading in American Birds and it May Be Here to Stay
More than 28 million poultry birds, like chickens and turkeys, have been lost in the U.S. because of a new bird flu. The virus either made the birds sick or they were culled to prevent its spread. Unlike previous bird flus, this one is also affecting a lot of wild birds.
NPR WUNC [Author: Nell Greenfieldboyce]
Fall 2021 Workshop Report, Advancing Partnerships to Improve Worker Health and Safety
Partnerships are the backbone of the NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP), and they help support the advancement of health and safety training. The fall 2021 workshop report describes the different types of partnerships across WTP, as well as the best practices that grantees use to build and maintain collaborations for training on a local and national scale.
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
USMWF's Striving for Workplace Safety Event, Registration Open
United Support & Memorial for Workplace Fatalities (USMWF) is hosting an event on current U.S. occupational safety issues. Session topics include, fire safety, lead safety and protection, and lessons learned from COVID-19 and protection workers health and rights. The event will be held on April 28, 2022 at 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. CT.
Southeast Texas Disaster Expo to be Held in Beaumont
The expo will over 40 booths and displays designed to educate Southeast Texas residents on potential disasters that can affect the region. The expo will be held at Ford Park Exhibit Hall on April 23 at 10 a.m.-4 p.m. CT.
AIR CARES Webinar: Employment as a Social Determinant of Addiction
The webinar hosted by AIR Center for Addiction Research and Effective Solutions (AIR CARES) will focus on efforts to provide workplace accommodations for those with substance use disorder and best practices for retaining valuable employees irrespective of their drug use. The event will be held on April 28, 2022 at 1:00-2:00p.m.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
Covid hasn’t given up all its secrets. Here are 6 mysteries experts hope to unravel.
Experts are humble about forecasting the evolution of the virus. Any predictions rest on a guiding principle: All viruses want to do is replicate and spread, and strains will outcompete others by either becoming more inherently contagious or by managing to infect even people who have some level of protection, or both.
Letter: Comprehensive Services Needed to Solve Opioid Epidemic
In this letter to the editor, the author discusses the need for access to comprehensive treatment for opioid use. The author states, “Few are able to fully recover from substance use disorders through medication alone. That’s why we need to ensure access to all treatment options and wraparound services like counseling, peer support, job training/employment and housing”.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch [Author: Emily Jung]
GNTC Creates New Lineworker Training Program with Support of Georgia Power
Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) and Georgia Power have partnered to develop curriculum and training for future lineworkers. The training will provide students with hands-on experience using donated equipment such as bucket trucks, power poles and climbing equipment. Students will also have an opportunity to earn a commercial driver’s license through the program.
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
EPA Approves the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Water Quality Standards
The approval allows the Tribe to protect the water quality of the lakes and rivers used for swimming, boating and fishing. Water quality standards serve as the basis for several Clean Water Act programs, including issuing permits for discharges and assessing water quality. The Southern Ute Indian Reservation is in southwest Colorado.
U.S. Department of Labor, Puget Sound Shipbuilders Association Renew Alliance to Promote Worker Safety
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Puget Sound Shipbuilders Association in Seattle have renewed an alliance to continue a collaborative relationship that provides shipyard workers and companies with information about hazards and resources to promote safe, healthful workplaces and workers’ rights.
HHS Directs $227M Toward Community Health Worker Training Programs
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration expects to award the money to roughly 75 entities, which could include public and private higher education organizations, state and county governments and American Indian tribal organizations. Organizations have until June 14 to apply for the funds.
Fierce Healthcare [Author: Dave Muoio]
U.S. Department of Labor Announces Proposal to Reconsider, Revoke Final Approval of Arizona's State OSHA Plan After Pattern of Failures
The U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposal to reconsider and revoke the final approval of Arizona's State Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) plan, in response to nearly a decade-long pattern of failures to adopt and enforce standards and enforcement policies.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
Utah County Planning to Host CERT Trainings
The new Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) courses help everyday citizens respond to large-scale disasters and emergencies. Training will cover before, during and after major disasters and emergencies through preparation, planning, mitigation, response, and recovery. Courses begin April 28, 2022, online and in person.
Daily Herald [Author: Laura Giles]
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
International Chemical Workers Union Council seeks Instructor
The International Chemical Workers Union Council seeks applications for the position of Instructor at its Center for Worker Health and Safety Education, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Instructors teach emergency response and hazardous waste classes in Cincinnati and at various national locations. Topics include the use of personal protective equipment, rights and responsibilities, resources, hands-on spill response, and other related topics to the membership of twelve participating organizations.
Gulf Research Program’s Early-Career Research Fellowship
Applications are open for 2022-2024 cycle of the Environmental Protection and Stewardship track. The fellowship focuses on advancing scientific knowledge and its application to predict and prepare for ecosystem changes in the Gulf of Mexico and its coastal zones as the region navigates a changing climate and energy transition. The application closes on May 4, 2022.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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