Weekly E-Newsbrief
January 21, 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 |
Providers Want More Training, Resources on Managing Medical Waste, Survey Finds
Healthcare providers and administrators want more training and resources on waste management, a new survey has found. The survey was conducted by Stericycle, a provider of medical waste management, reaching 500 healthcare workers, 350 of whom are clinicians and 150 of whom are administrators. The findings were put into Stericycle’s first report on healthcare workplace safety.
Fierce Healthcare [Author: Anastassia Gliadkovskaya]
Best Practices of Highly Infectious Decedent Management: Consensus Recommendations from An International Expert Workshop
In January 2020, a workshop of subject matter experts from across the world convened to discuss highly infectious live patient transport and highly infectious decedent management best practices. This commentary focuses on the highly infectious decedent management component of the workshop.
U.S. Acknowledges Shipping Idaho Radioactive Waste to Nevada and New Mexico
The federal government acknowledged it has been shipping mixed radioactive waste from a nuclear cleanup site in Idaho to Nevada and New Mexico for disposal. In a statement that followed a protest letter from U.S. Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada, the U.S. Department of Energy said 13,625 cubic meters of material has been sent from a former dump at the Idaho National Laboratory to the Nevada National Security Site.
Santa Fe New Mexican [Author: Ken Ritter, Associated Press]
‘A Million Gallons A Minute’: How Passaic Averted Disaster in Chemical Fire
The massive fire in Passaic, New Jersey, produced sky-high flames and smoke so heavy that it could be seen in New York City. It forced firefighters to work in conditions so frigid that the water from their hoses formed icicles around them. Yet the blaze at the Majestic Industries warehouse and Qualco pool chemical plant wasn’t the worst industrial fire that the city has seen.
NJ.com [Author: Riley Yates]
Youngstown’s History of Steel Created a Health Crisis for People of Color, Activists Say
Youngstown’s long history of steel manufacturing has created a modern environmental and racial public health crisis for low-income communities and people of color, local environmental activists said. Air pollutants and ground and water contamination from the city’s steel mills still impact the health of minority and low-income communities — years after they’ve all closed down.
Mahoning Matters [Author: Amanda Joerndt]
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
U.S. Department of Labor Extends Comment Period for Rulemaking to Protect Indoor and Outdoor Workers from Heat Hazards
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is extending the period for submitting comments on the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. Comments on the ANPRM must now be submitted by Jan. 26.
Community Health Workers: Building Cultural Bridges to Address Environmental Public Health Webinar
NIEHS is hosting a webinar on community health workers on Jan. 27 at 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET. This webinar will feature two co-presentations about NIEHS-funded projects where academics are partnering with community health workers to address local environmental health issues. A community health worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served.
U.S. Department of Labor Extends Deadline for Nominations to Serve on Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health
The U.S. Department of Labor has extended the deadline for submitting nominations to serve on the Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health. Nominations must now be submitted by Jan. 31.
U.S. Department of Labor Schedules Meeting of the Maritime Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health
The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has scheduled a meeting of the Maritime Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health on Feb. 15 at 1:00-5:00 p.m. ET.
U.S. Department of Labor Reminds Specific Employers to Submit Required 2021 Injury, Illness Data by March 2, 2022
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reminds employers that the agency began collecting calendar year 2021 Form 300A data on Jan. 2, 2022. Employers must submit the form electronically by March 2, 2022. Electronic submissions are required by establishments with 250 or more employees currently required to keep OSHA injury and illness records, and establishments with 20-249 employees classified in specific industries with historically high rates of occupational injuries and illnesses.
2022 National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program
Leaders from various sectors will engage in an exchange of ideas and approaches to achieving environmental justice on March 9-11, 2022, in Washington, D.C. These interactive training sessions will feature voices of experience, research, discussions, and thought-provoking dialogue. The program format will feature the needs and challenges of communities, governments, municipalities, tribes, faith-based organizations, and others with an interest in environmental justice.
CDC Funding Opportunity: Rigorous Evaluation of Strategies to Prevent Overdose through Linking People with Illicit Substance Use Disorders to Recovery Support Services
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) is soliciting investigator-initiated research. It will support the identification and rigorous evaluation of effective strategies that link people in recovery for illicit substance use disorders to at least one evidence-based recovery support service available within their community, and, if needed, re-link people to such services following resumption of illicit substance use. The application deadline is March 14.
Brownfields Conference
Brownfields 2022 will be held Aug. 16-19, 2022, In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Brownfields Conference features a dynamic educational program of speakers, discussions, mobile workshops, films, and other learning formats that are calibrated to provide attendees with case study examples, program updates, and useful strategies for meeting brownfield challenges head on.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
International Workshop on COVID-19 Lessons to Inform Pandemic Influenza Response
While the world continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, novel influenza viruses persist as a constant pandemic threat. The global response to COVID-19 has pushed the boundaries on what is possible for rapid pandemic response in several areas, including vaccine research, development, manufacturing, equitable distribution, allocation, and administration.
Despite PPE, Medical Instrument Sterilization Workers May Face Hazardous Exposures
Workers who process reusable medical instruments and equipment may be regularly exposed to tissue, blood and patient fluids – even when wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), results of a recent study suggest. Researchers from an independent research company oversaw a pilot study in which moisture-detection paper was affixed to PPE of workers and environmental surfaces in the sterile processing department of a large, urban hospital.
A Major Winter Storm Is About to Hit the South
Forecasts of snow and ice as far south as Georgia have put a big part of the Southeast on an emergency preparedness footing as shoppers scoured store shelves for storm supplies and crews raced to treat highways and roads as a major winter storm approached from the Midwest.
Repeated Exposure to Major Disasters Has Long-Term Mental Health Impacts
Repeated exposure to major disasters does not make people mentally stronger, a recent study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health found: individuals who have been repeatedly exposed to major disasters show a reduction in mental health scores. Additionally, the research team found that the more experience the individuals had with such events, the lower their mental health was.
New FEMA Program Would Place Homeless Disaster Survivors in Apartments Instead of Trailer Parks
Amid criticism of its ability to act as landlord to the growing numbers of Americans losing their homes to wildfires, storms and other natural disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is revising how it provides transitional housing for those most in need of government help.
The Washington Post [Author: Hannah Dreier]
Tonga: Volcanic Eruption and Tsunami Cuts Off Country from The World
The small Pacific Island country of Tonga has been cut off from the rest of the world after an enormous volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami hit the country. All communication lines in the country have been disrupted with no timeframe given on restoration. Responding to one of the worst volcanic eruptions the Pacific has experienced in decades, the Red Cross is mobilizing its regional network to provide relief.
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
Low-Income Schools Facing String of Challenges after Natural Disasters: Report
As climate change increases the severity of natural disasters, low-income school districts face disproportionately greater obstacles when attempting to recover from them, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report obtained exclusively by ABC News.
ABC News [Author: Sophie Tatum]
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
Evaluating the Benefits of the NIEHS Environmental Career Worker Training Program Webinar
WTP is hosting a webinar on the NIEHS Environmental Career Worker Training Program (ECWTP) and Justice40 Stakeholder Engagement on Feb. 10 at 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET. This webinar will engage ECWTP grantees and stakeholders in discussing how they evaluate the benefits and impacts of ECWTP. The webinar will also provide an opportunity for stakeholder engagement for ECWTP, which has been named a pilot program for the White House’s Justice40 Initiative.
The Role of the Industrial Hygienist in a Pandemic: A Roadmap for COVID-19 and Beyond
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and health (NIOSH) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) have been developing guidance to help protect workers across all industries. AIHA has more than 80 years of experience protecting the health and safety of workers and their communities and has been at the forefront of efforts to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19.
IAEA Publishes Free e-Book on Nuclear Law
The The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) first ever book by global thought leaders on nuclear law has just been published in e-book format, providing free access to a compilation of essays on this highly specialized legal field. Nuclear Law: The Global Debate echoes the tagline of the IAEA’s upcoming First International Conference on Nuclear Law (ICNL2022), to take place in Vienna from April 25-29, and contains articles by leading scholars, policymakers and scientists in the field.
Call for Presentations: Third International Symposium to Advance TWH
The International Symposium to Advance Total Worker Health (TWH) invites individuals to submit proposals for a variety of sessions and preparatory workshops emphasizing the latest in TWH science and practice. Individuals can submit proposals for a variety of sessions suitable for in-person and virtual settings. Academics, practitioners, researchers, and students are encouraged to submit. The proposal deadline is Feb. 4, 2022. The symposium will take place on Oct. 11-14 in Bethesda, Maryland.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
OSHA Seeks Regional Director, Kansas City
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regional office of Kansas City seeks a Regional Administrator. The position will have direct responsibility to the Assistant Secretary for planning, programming, executing, controlling, and evaluating the administrative and technical aspects of OSHA regional activities. The deadline to apply is Feb. 14.
OHIP Summer Internship Opportunity
The Occupational Health Internship Program (OHIP) is a full time, paid summer internship designed to link the skills and interests of students with the needs of workers employed in an underserved or high hazard job. Teams of two interns are assigned to a union or worker organization where they receive supervision from a designated staff member and an academic mentor. The deadline to apply is Feb. 11.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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