Weekly E-Newsbrief
August 5, 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 |
Call for Abstracts for the 2023 National Trainers’ Exchange
The 2023 Trainer’s Exchange will take place in Indianapolis, IN, May 2-4, 2023, and is hosted by OAI, Inc. in conjunction with the NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP). The National Trainers’ Exchange will bring together safety and health trainers and training stakeholders from the Department of Energy and the NIEHS WTP to exchange ideas about how to make training for hazardous materials and emergency response workers more effective and empowering. Through participatory workshop sessions, participants will share best practices, training techniques, and ways to overcome challenges. The deadline for submission is Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. EDT
‘Sending Drivers Out to Die’: UPS Workers Demand Heat Safety Amid Record Temps
With heat waves rolling out across the country, and states like Texas and Oklahoma experiencing record hot summers, workers exposed to the elements are increasingly struggling under the heat. More than a dozen UPS employees and union leaders say this year more workers seem to be getting sick and have been hospitalized because of the heat than ever before. In response, they are demanding that the company put more safety measures in place.
NBC News [Author: Adiel Kaplan]
CSB Process Safety Application
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has developed a new interactive training application focused on OSHA's Process Safety Management, or PSM, regulation. The training covers the 14 elements of PSM using the 2005 explosion at BP’s Texas City refinery as a model.
Extreme Heat Complicates Recovery Efforts in Kentucky After Major Flooding
Eastern Kentucky is facing a new danger after last week's devastating floods. Relief workers on Wednesday labored in heat indexes climbing to 100 degrees, as clean-up operations continued.
Calendar Features | Back to Top |
University of Maryland Symposium on Environmental Justice & Health Disparities
This year’s symposium’s theme is “Energy vs Power: Visions for the Future,” highlighting energy justice, climate change, power dynamics in environmental justice, and the use of technology in environmental justice work. The event will be held virtually on August 11 and 12, 2022 and in-person on August 13, 2022.
Introduction to the Disaster Available Supplies in Hospitals (DASH) Tool
DASH is an online, interactive tool for hospital emergency planners and supply chain staff to estimate supplies that may need to be immediately available during various emergencies based on their hospital’s characteristics. Speakers in this webinar will provide an overview and demonstration of DASH and share information on how it may be used from both the hospital and supply chain perspective. The event will be held on August 15, 2022, at 11:30 a.m. EDT.
EPA National Environmental Justice Community Engagement Call
The purpose of these calls is to inform communities about U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) environmental justice work and enhance opportunities to maintain an open dialogue with environmental justice advocates. The event will be held on August 16, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
NIEHS Webinar: COVID-19: Impact on Worker Mental Health and Substance Use, Workplace Solutions
This interactive webinar will introduce participants to a new module that builds on the existing NIEHS WTP Opioid/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. The event will be held on August 25, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
NIEHS Webinar: Looking Back at COVID and Planning Ahead for Future Threats
The NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP), its grantees, and recovery centers develop tools and programs to prevent occupational exposure to infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. As workplaces transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic, focus needs to be on helping employers and workers prepare for ongoing and future infectious disease threats. This webinar will take a “look back” to describe the WTP COVID-19 program and showcase some of the materials produced. The event will be held on August 31, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
Listen: As the West Heats Up, Oregon's New Outdoor Worker Protection Rules are Being Tested
After last summer's heat wave, Oregon instituted new rules to protect outdoor workers on farms, construction sites and other locations. With the state heating up again, these rules are being tested.
Improving Safety in Construction with Connected Technology
Connected safety solutions are comprised of a network of cloud-connected personal wearables that include an SOS button or latch, person-down detection, check-in request and even the option of gas detection. When coupled with an online dashboard, these devices provide full visibility into the safety of facilities and workers.
Occupational Health & Safety Online [Author: Brendon Cook]
New Report: Investing in America’s Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems for Equity and Sustainability
Ensuring that all U.S. households have access to clean water and sanitation will require a re-alignment of resources and investment, not only for centralized wastewater treatment systems but for decentralized ones too. Nearly twenty percent of America’s households today depend on onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS or onsite systems), but only about two percent of federal wastewater dollars have been invested to support these systems to date.
Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
CSB Releases Chemical Incident Data from Accidental Release Reporting Rule
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released key data reported to the agency under its “Accidental Release Reporting Rule.” The release of the data is the latest initiative undertaken by the CSB to improve transparency and provide the public with information about chemical incidents throughout the country.
World Trade Center Health Program: Quality Assurance Program Should Include Monitoring of Access to Health Services
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) made recommendations to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to monitor the access of health services for responders and survivors with conditions related to the September 11 attacks.
Nuclear Waste Cleanup: Hanford Site Cleanup Costs Continue to Rise, but Opportunities Exist to Save Tens of Billions of Dollars
The GAO found that the Department of Energy (DOE) continues to face cost increases and delays in its efforts to address 54 million gallons of radioactive waste stored in tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington State. We also found that Congress and DOE could take steps now that could potentially save tens of billions of dollars in cleanup costs for this waste.
Biden-Harris Administration Launches EPA-USDA Partnership to Provide Wastewater Sanitation to Underserved Rural Communities
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative. The new initiative will be piloted in 11 communities across the country where residents lack basic wastewater management that is essential to protecting their health and the environment.
EPA Seeks Input on Latest Pollution Prevention Grant Opportunity Funded by $100 Million Investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two listening sessions to collect input on the development of a new grant opportunity made possible by the $100 million investment in the agency’s Pollution Prevention (P2) program from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The new grant opportunity will encourage products, purchasing, and/or supply chains that are safer, more sustainable, and environmentally preferable and advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s bold environmental agenda.
U.S. Department of Labor Seeks Nominations for Four Vacancies on National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is requesting nominations to fill four membership vacancies on the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health. The 12-member group advises the Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Health and Human Services on matters related to the administration of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
Improving Mental Well-Being, Workplace Health, and Climate Resilience
NIEHS staff, collaborators, and other experts shared opportunities and obstacles during two-day workshop held by Yale’s Elevate Policy Lab. Community stakeholders, academic researchers, philanthropic groups, policymakers, and federal agencies, including NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) staff, discussed a framework called Triple Bottom Line Justice (TBLJ).
EPA Grantees Advance Use and Applications of Air Monitoring Sensors to Protect Public Health
U.S. Environmental Protective Agency (EPA) grantees from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), in collaboration with their co-investigators at Sonoma Technology, Inc., and University of California - Los Angeles, developed a toolkit to help California communities select, use, and maintain low-cost air sensors and interpret the collected data.
Job Openings | Back to Top |
OSHA Seeks a Regional Administrator in Seattle, WA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is seeking a regional administrator in Seattle, WA. The incumbent of this position serves as regional administrator, with direct responsibility to the Assistant Secretary for planning, programming, executing, controlling, and evaluating the administrative and technical aspects of OSHA regional activities.
We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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