Weekly E-Newsbrief
February 2, 2024
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 |
New Grantee Highlight on Ashlee Fitch, Director of WTP Grant Recipient Steelworkers Charitable and Educational Organization
Ashlee Fitch is the director of the United Steelworkers (USW) Tony Mazzocchi Center (TMC), the primary training division for the Steelworkers Charitable and Educational Organization. She is also the youngest principal investigator for a WTP-funded organization. As a network of several nonprofit organizations, the USW TMC delivers health and safety training to workers in various chemical, industrial, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing industries. As director of the USW TMC, Fitch prioritizes community outreach to recruit the next generation of workers.
Ashlee Fitch – Advancing Healthy Workplaces, Communities Through Solidarity and Training
Sierra Club Leaders to Join Dr. Robert D. Bullard on February 5 Black History Month Kickoff “Journey to Justice” Tour in South Alabama
Dr. Robert D. Bullard, who is often called the “father of environmental justice,” and a delegation of Sierra Club leaders from the South Region will visit Elba, Alabama on February 5 and tour the flood-damaged Black Shiloh community as part of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice Black History Month “Journey to Justice.” The Black Shiloh community has been burdened with ongoing flooding after the U.S. Highway 84 expansion in 2018. The goal of the tour is to make the 3.5 million Sierra Club members aware of this “poster child” for environmental injustice in Shiloh and use their powerful network to help the residents amplify their voices and help them get justice in 2024.
Demand For Minerals Sparks Fear of Mining Abuses on Indigenous Peoples’ Lands
Demand for lithium and other metals like cobalt, copper and nickel is soaring as the world increases manufacturing of green energy components like batteries and solar panels, but research finds more than half of these mineral projects are on or near the lands of Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and around the world. From water pollution to human rights abuses, mining has historically come with huge costs to native groups. Tribal representatives say there's a solution for the lack of Indigenous input on where, how, and if mining happens. Before mining or exploration begins, Indigenous groups should be participating, without coercion or manipulation, and with access to full information.
NPR [Author: Julia Simon]
Ouch. That ‘Free’ Annual Checkup Might Cost You. Here’s Why.
The architects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) might have assumed that they had spelled out with sufficient clarity that millions of Americans would no longer have to pay for certain types of preventive care, including mammograms, colonoscopies, and recommended vaccines, in addition to doctor visits to screen for disease, but the law’s authors didn’t reckon with America’s ever-creative medical billing juggernaut. Over the past several years, the medical industry has eroded the ACA’s guarantees, finding ways to bill patients in gray zones of the law.
Kaiser Health News [Author: Elisabeth Rosenthal]
1 Year After the Toxic Train Derailment, Is East Palestine Safe? Depends On Whom You Ask.
On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train carrying thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals derailed and spilled its contents in the town of East Palestine, on the Pennsylvania border. Three days later, in an effort to prevent a dangerous explosion, Norfolk Southern supervised a controlled vent-and-burn of hazardous vinyl chloride, which produced a toxic cloud that spread for miles over the surrounding area. In the year that has passed since the derailment and vent-and-burn, residents continue to report physical ailments that they can’t explain including nosebleeds, headaches, growths, dizziness, and gastrointestinal issues.
Grist [Author: Eve Andrews]
Heavily Used Turnout Gear May Expose Firefighters to Cancer-Causing Chemicals
Wear and tear in firefighters’ protective clothing may lead to an increased release of chemicals linked to cancer, according to a new study. Researchers tested 21 textiles used in “turnout gear,” including jackets and pants, for 53 types of polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Abrasion of the material released more PFAS across all textiles. Weathering and heat were linked to an increase in PFAS for outer shell materials. Research suggests that more than 20 types of PFAS might be present in firefighter gear and that the amount and type of PFAS vary depending on the type of textile used and the amount of stress it has been subjected to.
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
The Importance of Mentoring Women in the Trades Webinar
An expert panel will discuss the need for structured mentorship for women in the trades. Panelists will focus on best practices for program startup and review successful program structures. The webinar will take place on February 13, 2024, from 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. ET.
NIOSH Expanding Research Partnerships 2024 Webinar Series: Protecting Workers in Extreme Work Environments Through Partnerships in Occupational Safety and Health
This webinar series has been organized by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Office of Research Integration and designed to promote the work of innovative and impactful research and expand intramural and extramural partnerships in occupational safety and health. Presenters at this webinar will focus on wildland firefighter safety and health in their unique and physically hazardous work environment. It will take place on February 14, 2024, from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET.
Climate Conversations: Offshore Wind
Offshore wind is one of the many sources of clean electricity being implemented as part of the push to decarbonize the grid. As states vet and approve projects, scientists, policymakers, and communities are working to better understand the potential economic and environmental impacts of offshore wind. The webinar will be a discussion about the potential benefits and challenges presented by offshore wind, what the current economic and policy landscape for implementing the technology is, and considerations for future projects. It will take place on February 22, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. ET.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
New Chronic Covid Study Offers Insight into Which Immunocompromised Patients Are Most at Risk
Long Covid is a condition in which the acute infection subsides, but troubling symptoms persist. While there are new studies on long Covid, less well known is chronic Covid: The virus just doesn’t leave, sometimes staying in patients’ bodies long enough to mutate into new variants. This happens to people whose immune systems are compromised, whether through disease or treatment, leaving them vulnerable to infections that last weeks, months, or, in one known case, a year. New research highlights the spectrum of risk for Covid becoming chronic.
STAT News [Author: Elizabeth Cooney]
SARS-CoV-2 viral clearance and evolution varies by type and severity of immunodeficiency
As Summers Grow Ever Hotter, OSHA Appears Ready to Protect Workers
Later this year, a new rule from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) could for the first time provide federal protection against heat exposure and require companies to invest in employees’ well-being during the hottest parts of the year. Over the past several months, the agency held dozens of public meetings and collected more than 1,000 comments, many from workers, but also a number from businesses and business associations worried about the impact any rule might have on their bottom line. New research says employers might want to think twice about opposing a heat standard, because unprotected workers will deliver diminishing returns in an ever-hotter world.
Grist [Author: Katie Myers]
The Year Ahead for Workplace Safety
Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S)’s podcast hosts kick off the new year by talking about a few safety initiatives and trends that will impact the next 12 months. Those developments include efforts to combat workplace overdose deaths, address worker mental health, child labor investigations, and more “tailored” PPE design. They also preview some of the editorial efforts OH&S has in the works for 2024, including webinar programs, event coverage, online features, and more.
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
Department of Labor Seeks Nominations for Vacant Position on Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health
The Department of Labor is seeking nominations to fill one labor representative position on the Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (FACOSH). This will be a mid-term appointment, with the term ending on December 31, 2024. The 16-member council advises the Secretary of Labor on all matters relating to the occupational safety and health of federal employees. FACOSH members serve at the pleasure of the Secretary unless the member is no longer qualified to serve, resigns, or is removed by the Secretary.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $254 Million to Decarbonize America’s Industrial Sector and Revitalize Domestic Manufacturing
The Department of Energy (DOE) announced $171 million for 49 projects across 21 states to reduce industrial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and accelerate the development of innovative decarbonization technologies. The 49 selectees will support high-impact, applied research, development, and pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration projects aiming to reduce energy usage and GHG emissions from industrial subsectors, such as the chemicals industry which accounts for about 40% of all industrial energy use and emissions in the United States. Of the projects selected, 16 will be led by private industry, 22 by academic institutions, three by non-profit organizations, and eight by DOE National Laboratories.
FEMA Opens Applications for $324 Million in Assistance to Firefighters Grants Funding to Protect Firefighters and the Nation Against Fire-Related Hazards
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the opening of the latest application period for the Fiscal Year 2023 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, which will award $324 million to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters nationwide against fire-related deaths and hazards. The funding will provide critically needed resources to better equip and train emergency response personnel, enhance operational efficiencies, foster communications interoperability between emergency responders and support community risk reduction and resilience. In addition, these grants will provide direct financial assistance to eligible fire departments, nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations and state fire training academies.
Biden-Harris Administration Marks Two Years of Advancements in HHS’ Overdose Prevention Strategy with New Actions to Treat Addiction and Save Lives
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) marked two years of its Overdose Prevention Strategy by announcing bold new actions to combat overdoses. Since the launch of HHS’ Overdose Prevention Strategy in 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued to dramatically increase the nation’s treatment and harm reduction capacity. In addition to reducing barriers to medication, the updated rule also removes stigmatizing and outdated language, and updates definitions to reflect current medical usage.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
Building Total Worker Health Leaders Train the Trainer
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is holding a series of Train the Trainer courses designed for staff and members of worker organizations and unions in any industry. Participants will build skills in leadership and group facilitation, with a specific focus on total worker health. The training format is virtual with training sessions being offered as one day training or three-day training formats. One day trainings are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturdays. The three-day trainings are scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET on the first three Tuesdays of the month.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
National Institute of Standards and Technology Seeking Safety Professional
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Engineering Laboratory (EL) promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology for engineered systems in ways that enhance economic security and improve quality of life. The EL Safety Professional will provide technical safety expertise and coordinate the implementation and continuous improvement of overall safety management in EL.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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