Weekly E-Newsbrief
January 26, 2018
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 Now Open for Spring 2018 National Trainers’ Exchange and WTP Awardee Meeting
The 7th National Trainers’ Exchange is hosted by the Western Region Universities Consortium (WRUC) in conjunction with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP). The 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. The Awardee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 9, 2018; the National Trainers’ Exchange will be held on Thursday and Friday, May 10-11, 2018. The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix hotel. The hotel room block and registration are now open!
Hanford Radioactive Monitoring Not Protecting Workers
New test results show that monitoring for airborne radioactive contamination has not protected Hanford nuclear reservation workers as the site’s highly contaminated Plutonium Finishing Plant is demolished. Two more Hanford workers have inhaled or ingested small amounts of airborne radioactive material, with tests for 180 workers still pending, according to the Department of Energy. The most recent results were for the first 91 workers who requested testing after a spread of radioactive material was discovered.
Tri-City Herald [Author: Annette Cary]
This Man Controls $3.4 Billion of Tri-City Area Work, Here’s What He Says about Hanford
A reorganization of the Department of Energy (DOE) means one man now has authority over $3.4 billion annually of work in the Tri-City area. The reorganization makes the DOE undersecretary for science, Paul Dabbar, responsible for not only Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, but also cleanup of the Hanford nuclear reservation. Although Dabbar’s authority over Hanford is new, he’s familiar with the area.
Tri-City Herald [Author: Annette Cary]
Driller in Oklahoma Explosion Has History of Fatal Accidents
Federal safety records show 10 workers have died over the past decade at well sites involving Houston-based drilling contractor Patterson-UTI, the same driller involved in a rig explosion that killed five workers this week in Oklahoma. The company was fined nearly $367,000 over the past 10 years for more than 140 safety violations, many of them serious. A 2008 report from a U.S. Senate committee described Patterson-UTI as one of the nation's worst violators of workplace safety laws.
US News & World Report/ Associated Press [Author: Sean Murphy]
Delays in Global Disease Outbreak Responses: Lessons from H1N1, Ebola, and Zika
In global disease outbreaks, there are significant time delays between the source of an outbreak and collective action. Some delay is necessary, but recent delays have been extended by insufficient surveillance capacity and time-consuming efforts to mobilize action. Three public health emergencies of international concern (PHEICs)—H1N1, Ebola, and Zika— allow researchers to identify and compare sources of delays and consider seven hypotheses about what influences the length of delays.
American Public Health Association [Authors: Steven J. Hoffman and Sarah L. Silverberg]
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
CPWR Webinar: Review of Dodge Data & Analytics Report, Safety Management in the Construction Industry 2017
The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) is hosting a webinar to review the key findings from Dodge Data & Analytics’ new report, Safety Management in the Construction Industry 2017. This study is the third in an ongoing series that examines the positive impacts of a wide variety of safety-related practices. In addition, the study explores the emerging trends of Prevention through Design (PtD) and the use of technologies, such as BIM and mobile tools to improve safety. Webinar will take place on January 30, 2018 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET.
Webinar Information: Building the Evidence Base for Disaster Risk Reduction for Health Systems in Response to Natural Disasters
This is the second in a series of webinars, workshops, pilot studies, and regional preparedness exercises to discuss the current state and future direction of critical healthcare infrastructure modeling for disaster events. Webinar will take place on February 1, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
NIOSH Webinar Series 2018: Expanding Research Partnerships
This new webinar series continues the learning and discussions on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) research and partnerships from the Expanding Research Partnerships: State of the Science Conference. The 2018 webinar series will feature intramural and extramural research within the NIOSH Program Portfolio from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. ET on February 14, May 16, and November 14, 2018.
Call for Abstracts: APHA Now Accepting Submissions for Annual Meeting and Expo
The American Public Health Association (APHA) is now accepting abstracts for the APHA's 2018 Annual Meeting & Expo taking place November 10 – 14 in San Diego, CA. The theme of the meeting is Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now. Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts on the theme and current and emerging public health issues. Abstracts are due between Feb. 20-24. Abstracts submissions have been extended for some programs to March 3. See the list of components via link below for specific deadlines.
Registration for 2018 Preparedness Summit Now Open
The upcoming 2018 Preparedness Summit will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia, April 17-20, 2018. The theme is: “Strengthening National Health Security: Mastering Ordinary Responses, Building Resilience for Extraordinary Events.” Since its beginning in 2006, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has taken a leadership role in convening a wide array of partners to participate in the Summit; presenting new research findings, sharing tools and resources, and providing a variety of opportunities for attendees to learn how to implement model practices that enhance the nation’s capabilities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and other emergencies.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
New Guidelines Intended to Reduce Fatigue Among EMS Workers
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Officials partnered to establish a set of guidelines aimed at reducing work-related fatigue among emergency medical services workers. To craft the guidelines, researchers reviewed more than 38,000 pieces of literature for evidence of fatigue among EMS workers. Included in the evidence was recent research showing that more than half of EMS workers report severe mental and physical fatigue while at work.
Prehospital Emergency Care [Authors: P. Daniel Patterson et al.]
Proceedings Report: The Global Climate & Health Summit in Bonn at COP23
The Summary of Proceedings is now available from the Global Climate and Health Summit at COP23 in Bonn, Germany. The Summit was a dynamic and interactive event, sharing learning and inspiration about the role we in the health sector can play to ramp up global ambition and implementation of efforts to mitigate climate change. The Proceedings report summarizes all the sessions and provides links to excellent resources to learn more.
Recent Hurricanes Highlight Toxic Chemical Releases in Vulnerable Communities
The year 2017 was the most destructive hurricane season in recent years, bringing devastation and heartache to people living in parts of the Caribbean and United States. During Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, knock-on effects released toxic chemicals from industrial facilities into the air and water. About a month after Hurricane Maria, community members in Puerto Rico reached out to Boston University School of Public Health, wondering if water from a well near a Superfund Site on the island was safe to drink. Evidence suggests that, the hurricanes’ chemical knock-on effects will disparately affect these communities.
Public Health Post [Authors: Moira Bixby and Paige Brochu]
Web of Exploitation: How the Construction Industry Systematically Short-Changes Immigrant Workers
Edward Gonzalez—and dozens of other Hispanic workers for R&R Steel reinforcing the concrete on the new parking garage at Eighth and Sycamore streets—would have never known they were being cheated out of tens of thousands of dollars in wages if Gonzalez hadn’t happened upon a couple of concrete workers discussing pay scales at the site.
Cincinnati Magazine [Author: Jim DeBrosse]
A Minnesota Health Advocate’s Crusade Brings Harmful Skin Lightening Out of the Dark
Skin-lightening products sold legally in the U.S. often contain ingredients other countries recognize as potential health hazards. In response, Amira Adawe has created The Beautywell Project to combat the stigma faced by women with darker skin and take on the industry that promises them beauty in a jar. Public health agencies in several major cities have launched their own investigations of tainted skin creams.
STAT News [Author: Sheila Mulrooney Elred]
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
Up to $3 Million in Funding Now Available for Locally-Focused Environmental Education Grants
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is pleased to announce that up to $3 million in funding for locally-focused environmental education grants will be available under the 2018 EE Local Grant Program. EPA will award three to four grants in each of EPA’s ten Regions, for no less than $50,000 and no more than $100,000 each, for a total of 30-35 grants nationwide. Proposals are due March 15, 2018. The Requests for Proposals will be posted on www.grants.gov later this week.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
CPWR: Researchers Wanted!
The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) is seeking partners to join their application to continue as the National Center for Construction Safety and Health Research under a new five-year cooperative agreement with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Consortium partners will develop and implement projects that are consistent with the research priorities described in the solicitation here: https://www.cpwr.com/solicitations. Concept memos must be submitted by March 30, 2018.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
CPWR Seeks to Fill Deputy Director Position
The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) seeks a full-time deputy director. Please visit the page below for specific job description. CPWR is headquartered in Silver Spring, MD. Interested candidates should email their resume and a cover letter detailing their experience related to the position to jobpostings@cpwr.com.
Health Care Union Seeks Education/Health and Safety Coordinator
The Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), NJ’s largest health care union, is seeking an Education/Health and Safety Coordinator. Position involves developing program, curricula, training materials, and provides instruction for new union officers, Local Executive Boards, and State Executive Council members, worksite leaders, and union activists. Coordinator will facilitate a union-wide health and safety taskforce. To apply, please send résumé to: Chris Whalen, HPAE Executive Director at cwhalen@hpae.org
ITUC Seeking a Climate Policy Officer
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) seeks an experienced and talented Policy Officer for their Economic and Social Policy Department at IUTC’s global headquarters in Brussels. The position requires at least 5 years of union, not for profit, or other civil society leadership experience, and a proven ability to work strategically and collaboratively to achieve agreed outcomes. The successful candidate will be responsible for environmental policy research, analysis and advocacy, and coordinating global trade unions on climate justice and industrial transformation and occupational health and safety.
The Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health (PhilaPOSH) Seeking a Director
Serving as Director of PhilaPosh is an opportunity for someone with the skills, experience, and commitment needed to help build a powerful movement for social change that unites labor, and community constituencies. The Director is responsible for the overall staffing, programming, fiscal operations, and fundraising for the Organization.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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