The Fight to Clean Up the Toxic Legacy of Semiconductors

President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act last year, setting aside $52.7 billion in funding for domestic chip manufacturing. It promises a return to the days before the 1990s, when the U.S. was one of the leading producers of semiconductors — before global competition pushed many manufacturing jobs to Asia, but the old semiconductor fabrication plants, known as fabs, had an ugly side. Toxic chemicals seeped into the ground and water sources near semiconductor plants and made their way into the bodies of workers and even their children. While the semiconductor industry has phased out some dangerous substances, without more transparency about the kinds of chemicals they’re working with now, there are worries that a new generation of semiconductor workers could be blindsided by the risks.

The Verge [Author: Justine Calma]

Rift Over When to Use N95s Puts Health Workers at Risk Again

Three years after more than 3,600 health workers died of COVID-19, occupational safety experts warn that those on the front lines may once again be at risk if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) takes its committee’s advice on infection control guidelines in health care settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, and jails. The committee recently released a controversial set of recommendations the CDC is considering, which would update those established some 16 years ago. The draft guidance pays little attention to ventilation and air filtration and advises N95 masks only for new or emerging diseases and those that spread efficiently over long distances.

Kaiser Health News [Author: Amy Maxmen]

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Estimated to Affect 3.3 million in U.S., More Than Previously Thought: CDC

Health officials recently released the first nationally representative estimate of how many U.S. adults have chronic fatigue syndrome: 3.3 million. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) number is larger than previous studies have suggested and is likely boosted by some of the patients with long COVID. Chronic fatigue is characterized by at least six months of severe exhaustion not helped by bed rest. Patients also report pain, brain fog and other symptoms that can get worse after exercise, work or other activity.

STAT News

Unstable Scheduling Harmful for Worker Health: Fair Workweek Laws Gain Steam

Unstable and unpredictable work schedules in industries such as retail and food service wreak havoc on the health and well-being of employees. Sleep deprivation is a common result of unstable scheduling practices such as “clopening,” a term for an employee closing the store at night and returning the next morning for the opening shift, and on-call shifts where workers are expected to be available at a moment’s notice. Los Angeles recently passed a fair workweek law which targets grocery and retail businesses with at least 300 employees worldwide, requires employers to provide schedules two weeks in advance and targets clopening shifts by requiring at least 10 hours of rest between shifts.

The Nation’s Health [Author: Natalie McGill]

Building Capacity to Meet Current and Future Challenges and Needs Facing the U.S. Mineral Resources Workforce: A Workshop

Join the National Academies for this workshop exploring how higher education programs and their industry and federal agency partners can best prepare students for careers in the mineral resources workforce. Panel discussions and sessions include topics such as projected university enrollment trends, what skills are needed, and how to improve employee retention in this sector. The workshop will take place on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET, and Wednesday, January 24, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET.

Event Registration

Harm Reduction Services for People Who Use Drugs: Exploring Data Collection, Evidence Gaps, and Research Needs - A Workshop

The workshop will examine harm reduction strategies and services that aim to prevent overdose and infectious disease transmission; enhance the health, safety, and wellbeing of people who use drugs; and offer low-threshold options for accessing substance use disorder treatment. The two-day virtual public workshop that brings together data experts, program implementers and evaluators, and other key interested parties to explore data collection efforts, evidence gaps, and research needs on harm reduction for people who use drugs. It will take place on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET, and Wednesday, January 31, 2024, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET.

Event Registration

NYC Launching Lithium-Ion Battery Charging Pilot for Delivery Workers Amid Grim Milestone

New York City is announcing a lithium-ion battery charging pilot for delivery workers to safely charge devices in public after the city's 18th death tied to the batteries catching fire so far this year. Many of the fires are sparked by cheap, aftermarket batteries added to e-bikes, and it is now a pressing public safety issue that the New York City Fire Department is struggling to overcome. The pilot program will launch early next year and will test new technologies seen in Europe like battery swapping networks and secure bike parking docks that will allow a select group of delivery workers to charge bikes safely outside of their homes.

ABC7 New York

Watch: She Had a Home and a Good-Paying Job. Then Illness and Debt Upended It All.

Sharon Woodward used to travel the country as a medical technician. She made good money and prided herself on her skills. But in her mid-40s, Woodward retired after being diagnosed with a debilitating form of arthritis. Her condition required expensive drugs and regular medical care, which left her with more than $20,000 in medical debts. At times, she has relied on food banks to get enough to eat. Woodward is one of 100 million people in the U.S. with health care debt.

Kaiser Health News [Authors: Noam N. Levey & Hannah Norman]

AFL-CIO and Microsoft Announce New Tech-Labor Partnership on AI and the Future of the Workforce

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and Microsoft Corp. announced the formation of a new partnership to create an open dialogue to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) must anticipate the needs of workers and include their voices in its development and implementation. The partnership will deliver on AI education for workers and students, direct feedback from labor leaders and workers, and joint policy and skills development. Both partners acknowledge AI creates a real capacity to enhance workers’ jobs if used to augment work rather than diminish workers’ agency and responsibilities.

AFL-CIO News Release

Biden-Harris Administration Announces 14 Organizations to Receive Nearly $7 Million to Recruit and Train Workers for Community Revitalization and Cleanup Projects as Part of Investing in America Agenda

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 14 organizations to receive approximately $7 million in grants for environmental job training programs across the country, as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The grants through EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program will help recruit, train, and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites across the country. These grants, of up to $500,000 each, will provide funding to organizations that are working to create a skilled workforce in communities where assessment, cleanup, and preparation of brownfield sites for reuse activities are taking place.

EPA News Release

Biden-Harris Administration Calls on Housing Community to Help Expand Access to Life-Saving Opioid Overdose Reversal Medications Like Naloxone

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a joint letter to public health departments and health care systems to partner with housing providers, community development organizations, and other housing agencies to help expand access to naloxone and other life-saving overdose reversal medications in the communities they serve. Housing providers play an important role in the whole-of-society effort to save lives by ensuring that all public spaces have lifesaving overdose reversal medications on hand and people are prepared to use it. Addressing the overdose epidemic is a key priority of President Biden’s Unity Agenda, which focuses on issues where all Americans can come together and make progress for the nation.

HHS News Release

DOE Launches New Office to Coordinate Critical and Emerging Technology

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced the launch of the Office of Critical and Emerging Technology to ensure U.S. investments in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, quantum computing, and semiconductors leverage the Department’s wide range of assets and expertise to accelerate progress in these critical sectors. Critical and emerging technologies (CET) have broad applications throughout DOE, such as clean energy, national defense, and pandemic preparedness. Major advances in CET hold extraordinary potential for the economy and national security but also pose significant risks, and DOE’s new office will focus the Department’s efforts to ensuring that its capabilities are helping to solve critical science, energy, and security challenges.

DOE News Release

Safety Leadership for Residential Construction: Free Training from CPWR

A new training program from CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training is aimed at helping residential construction supervisors improve their communication and leadership skills. Free to download, the Foundations for Safety Leadership for Residential Construction, is based on CPWR’s Foundations of Safety Leadership training course. The training’s interactive format features various safety scenarios that require learners to decide which leadership skills to use to prevent falls and other workplace hazards.

Safety + Health Magazine

Foundations for Safety Leadership for Residential Construction Training

Bridge Diagnostics Inc. Seeking Health & Safety Director

Bridge Diagnostics Inc. is looking to fill the position of Health & Safety Director, who will play a critical role in ensuring a safe and healthy work environment for employees and visitors. The general responsibilities of this hybrid role include identifying and mitigating potential hazards, implementing safety protocols, and promoting a culture of safety. Expected tasks include conducting exercises to ensure effective responses to emergencies, developing and delivering safety training to employees, and assessing the need for and providing personal protective equipment to employees, among other tasks.

Job Posting

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