Weekly E-Newsbrief
April 7, 2023
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 |
Registration Ending Soon: 2023 National Trainers' Exchange and Awardee Meeting
The National Trainers’ Exchange will bring together WTP awardee organizations and Department of Energy stakeholders to meet and exchange ideas about how to make training for hazardous materials and emergency response workers more effective and empowering. In workshop sessions, participants will be encouraged to share their thoughts on training techniques and best practices, as well as how to overcome challenges to deliver training. The National Trainers' Exchange and awardee meeting will be held on May 2-4, 2023. Registration will close April 14, 2023, 11:59 p.m. EDT.
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Promoting Health, Safety, and Recovery Training following Declared Disasters in 2022 (Admin Supp Clinical Trial Not Allowed), FAQs Available
This initiative would support partnerships between WTP grantees, worker populations, local community organizations, and other federal partners with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality related to responding to and recovering from activities associated with major disasters. Applications are due by April 25, 2023.
We Can Do It: Empowering Women in Construction Trades
A recent webinar series hosted by an NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) grantee, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training, focused on women in construction trades, highlighting hiring trends, barriers in retention, and future strategies for them to build careers and thrive.
Environmental Factor [Author: Meredith Hernlund]
Stopping the Spread of Respiratory Infections at Work: Guide
The new WTP training tool, Respiratory Infection: An Overview for Workers and Employers, is highlighted in Safety and Health Magazine. This guidance will inform workers and employers about the infectious agents in workplaces that can cause respiratory infections and illnesses.
Where Did the Workers Go? Construction Jobs Are Plentiful, But Workers Are Scarce
Even with more money to repair rundown roads and build new bridges, worker shortages loom over an industry already strapped for people. With fewer workers, projects could take longer to complete, becoming more expensive as they drag on. The number of people actively applying for construction jobs online fell about 40% between 2019 and 2020 and has been flat ever since.
NPR [Author: Mary Yang]
‘Father of Environmental Justice’ Robert Bullard Honored by Harvard Law School Environmental Law Society
The Harvard Law School Environmental Law Society presented Robert D. Bullard with the Horizon Award. Bullard is a professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University and director of the school’s Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice.
The Harvard Crimson [Author Sabrina R. Hu]
Calendar Features | Back to Top |
National Public Health Week, April 3-9, 2023
For this National Public Health Week (NPHW), we learn from the communities we're born in and that we build together. Our cultures shape our health, and we look to our community leaders as our health leaders. We celebrate the unique and joyful ways different cultures focus on health and we look to how we can learn from each other, with humility and openness. Each day recognizes a specific public health topic with factsheets and resources available on the website.
World Health Day 2023
World Health Day and The World Health Organization’s (WHO) 75th anniversary is an opportunity to look back at public health successes that have improved quality of life during the last seven decades. It is also an opportunity to motivate action to tackle the health challenges of today ̶ and tomorrow. World Health Day and WHO’s 75th anniversary will be observed on April 7, 2023.
What Does Total Worker Health Have to do With Industrial Hygiene?
In this session, Total Worker Health (TWH) will be defined and examples of specific applications in the workplace will be reviewed. While TWH is not a “one size fits all” recipe, it is critical that industrial hygienists understand its key concepts and functional elements. Industrial hygienists practice the art and science of anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of hazards to worker health, an essential ingredient in the application and implementation of TWH concepts. The webinar will be held on May 18, 2023, 12:00 p.m. EST.
2023 FOA - SBIR E-Learning for HAZMAT and Emergency Response (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications from small business concerns (SBCs) that propose to further the development of Technology-enhanced training products for the health and safety training of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) workers. Technology-enhanced training products as defined by the Worker Training Program (WTP) include, but are not limited to, supporting training through various venues such as online training, mobile device training, virtual reality, and serious gaming. Applications are due July 14, 2023.
On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
Measurement and Management of Systemic Risk in Gulf of Mexico Offshore Oil and Gas Operations Have Improved Since Deepwater Horizon Disaster, But Progress Lags in Some Areas
Most of the offshore oil and gas industry operating in the Gulf of Mexico has shown considerable improvement in systemic risk management, which is now approaching a middle stage of maturity across most risk elements, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report, which assesses both industry and regulatory progress against the reforms that were recommended following the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, also states that progress has been uneven, and critical gaps remain in comprehensively addressing the management of systemic risk offshore.
Calls for Equity in Construction is About More Than Addressing Discrimination
Opportunities for minority contractors are out there, though not at the level that some observers hope for. A Cuyahoga County, Ohio-led disparity study found gaps between the number of local minority- and women-owned shops and the contracts awarded to them. Among other findings, the 2020 report revealed that only 4.6% of primary construction contracts – or about $51.5 million of $1.1 billion in total spend - were given to minority- or women-run businesses.
Ideastream Public Media [Author: Douglas J. Guth]
How Second-Chance Hiring Programs Can Strengthen the Workforce
Across the U.S., businesses are teaming up with not-for-profit organizations, focused on training persons with previous convictions, to implement hiring programs inclusive of people with convictions. The Second Chance Business Coalition, a group of large private-sector companies, including JPMorgan Chase and Eaton, now has more than 40 members working together to promote second-chance hiring.
HR Dive [Author: Ginger Christ]
After an Accident, Father and Daughter Reflect on What it Takes to Live Again
In 1990, Les Harris was just beginning his career in construction. A father of two young children, he looked forward to working to buy a house and take care of his family. Everything changed when a work site accident left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
U.S. Department of Labor Urges Caution for Workers Involved in Recovery Efforts After Powerful Storms Impact Mississippi, Southeast
After severe weather swept through much of the Southeast and spawned at least 27 tornadoes, workers involved in cleanup activities face dangers during recovery operations. To reduce these dangers, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration urges employers to ensure that workers have the proper training, equipment and expertise to perform cleanup activities. Workers face hazards related to falls, downed power lines, fallen trees, struck-by hazards, and heat illness as they conduct recovery operations.
EPA Proposed Rule - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units Review of the Residual Risk and Technology Review
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to strengthen and update the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units, commonly known as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants, to reflect recent developments in control technologies and the performance of these plants.
Readout: U.S. Department of Labor Hosts Discussion on Safety and Health Agency's New Authority to Provide Visa Certifications to Better Protect Workers
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched a new U and T Visa Certifications webpage. "U Visas" and "T Visas" allow victims of specific crimes to help law enforcement detect, investigate and prosecute crimes without fear of retaliation based on their immigration status. Workers may fear retaliation for speaking up about unsafe working conditions, especially if they lack citizenship status or legal employment authorization, or if they have a work visa that is tied to their specific employer.
PCAST: Reports on the U.S. Public Health Workforce and Extreme Weather Risk; Discussion of ARPA-I
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) held a meeting to discuss and consider for approval two reports to the President: Supporting the U.S. Public Health Workforce and Extreme Weather Risk in a Changing Climate. PCAST also heard a presentation from the Department of Transportation on the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA-I).
Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
Workers Memorial Day Toolkit
More than 50 years ago on April 28, Workers Memorial Day, the Occupational Safety and Health Act went into effect, promising every worker the right to a safe job—a fundamental right. The law was won because of the tireless efforts of the labor movement, which organized for safer working conditions and demanded action from the government to protect working people. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) has developed a toolkit for promoting and advocating for worker health and safety to prevent injury and fatalities.
International Chemical Safety Cards Now Available in German
The International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs) provide essential health and safety information on 1,700 chemicals in a concise format. The ICSCs are available free of charge through the website and in multiple languages using the multi-lingual search page. The ICSCs have now been made available in German, bringing the number of language versions available to fifteen.
New EPA Flood Cleanup and Mold Resources
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed new and updated flood cleanup and mold remediation resources. The resources include factsheets, videos, infographics, and full briefs. All resources are easily accessible through the summary pages using their corresponding QR code. Also, these links and more are available on the National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training’s Hurricanes and Floods page.
Job Openings | Back to Top |
The Institute for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness at Nova Southeastern University Seeks a Director of Grant & Service Programs
The grant-funded Director will oversee teams on Project SEAMIST (SouthEast Area Marine Industry Safety Training) and the Southeast Area Hazardous Maritime Instructor Training grant. Responsibilities include reviewing current operations, developing strategic plans, monitoring budgets and resource allocation to optimize program services, implementing marketing plans and maintaining client relations. This is a Full-time, Hybrid position with benefits. Job posting under 993438.
We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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