Weekly E-Newsbrief
January 6, 2023
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 Report: Ebola Biosafety and Infectious Disease Response Worker Training Program
After the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) implemented infectious disease response training for workers who could be exposed to infectious diseases on the job. This report provides an overview of accomplishments for the Ebola Biosafety and Infectious Disease Response (IDR) WTP. The IDR WTP was active from June 1, 2016, to May 31, 2020.
Ebola Biosafety and Infectious Disease Response Worker Training Program Full Report
Unionized Healthcare Workers Earned Higher Pay: Research
A new study found that unionized healthcare workers worked fewer hours and made more money while receiving superior non-cash benefits. Unionized workers reported earning $123 more per week than nonunionized workers, receiving better health insurance from their employer (both in terms of employer’s contribution and the kind of insurance plan), and higher chance of having a pension or other retirement benefits at work.
Wave of Job-Switching Has Employers on a Training Treadmill
For nearly two years, companies have complained that they are caught in an unending cycle of hiring and training workers, only to see them leave in a matter of weeks or months. Constant recruiting and training drains management resources, and new hires often do not stick around long enough for that investment to pay off. These challenges have been on vivid display in the hospitality industry, which experienced much-higher-than-normal turnover rates in this period.
The New York Times [Authors: Sydney Ember and Ben Casselman]
NY Docs Are Now Required to Prescribe Naloxone to Some Patients on Opioid Painkillers
A recently enacted New York law aims to ensure that naloxone is available if needed by people who take prescription opioids. Under the law, doctors must co-prescribe naloxone to certain patients who are at risk of an overdose when writing the patients’ first opioid prescription each year.
Kaiser Health News [Author: Michelle Andrews]
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
Safety & Health Training for American Indians & Alaska Natives in the Western U.S. – Session Two
In this webinar, NIEHS Worker Training Program grantees will discuss health and safety training partnerships with American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes. The first presentation will be given by Alabama Fire College and the Saint Regis Mohawks. The second presentation will be given by the United Steelworkers – Tony Mazzocchi Center. The webinar will be held on January 10, 2023, 2:00 p.m. EST.
NYCOSH Long COVID & Workers Compensation Forum
NYCOSH hosts a panel with medical and academic experts, and private attorney Robert E. Grey, to educate the public on the risks associated with long COVID and to call for policy changes to the workers’ compensation system that would support ill workers. The panel will discuss the clinical manifestation of long COVID and highlight NYS Workers’ Compensation System’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a public health crisis, emphasizing the alarming degree of under filing for ill workers. The hybrid event will be held on January 19, 2023, 10:00 a.m. EST.
Sharing Your Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Data: Metadata, Standards, and Tools
This 3-day virtual workshop will raise awareness of and encourage use of metadata, standards, and tools that researchers can use to comply with the National Institutes of Health Data Management and Sharing Policies and promote effective management, sharing, and reuse of environmental health sciences data. The event will be held on January 13 and 19, 2023 and February 1, 2023.
National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH); Request for Nominations
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) invites interested persons to submit nominations for membership on the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH). Nominations for NACOSH membership must be submitted (postmarked, sent, transmitted, or received) by February 2, 2023.
Building Total Worker Health Leaders SHIFT Train the Trainer February 2023
The SHIFT Total Worker Health Train the Trainer course is designed to build Total Worker Health leaders who will be able to effectively engage small groups of workers in a design process focused on employee safety, health, well-being, and leadership development. Participants will learn and practice facilitation skills for group engagement, how to implement and facilitate the design model used in the Healthy Workplace Participatory Program. The training will be held on February 3, 2023, 9:30 a.m. EST.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
Workplace Violence and Harassment Remain Widespread as Victims Fear Speaking Up: Survey
Nearly a quarter of workers worldwide have endured workplace violence or harassment, but only half of the victims discuss their experiences, results of a recent survey show. Respondents discussed workplace exposure to physical, psychological, and sexual violence and harassment.
Watch: Local Firefighters Discuss Occupational Cancer Risk
In this news clip firefighters from a department in Texas highlight colleagues lost to cancer and the various occupational exposures they encounter. In 2022, 75 percent of the names added to the wall at the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial were firefighters who died from cancer which could be attributed to occupational exposure.
The Adverse Health Effects of Disaster-Related Trauma
A new study has found that individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to experience disaster-related home loss, and they are also more likely to develop functional limitations following the disaster.
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
U.S. Department of Labor Urges Employers to Enhance Workplace Safety Measures, Protect Workers From Crane Hazards Following Fatality in Guam
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration is urging employers in Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands to enhance safety measures to protect workers against crane hazards following a crane-related death at the Port Authority of Guam. The incident is currently under investigation.
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Signs Major Declaration for the Havasupai Tribe
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced federal emergency aid has been made available to the Havasupai Tribe to supplement Tribal response and recovery efforts in areas affected by flooding. This declaration makes federal funding available to Tribal and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the flooding.
Revised: Investigation Finds American Airlines Retaliated Against Flight Attendants Who Reported Worker Illnesses Caused by Fumes in Aircraft Cabins
A whistleblower investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration found American Airlines Inc. retaliated against employees who filed complaints about the illnesses with the company. Flight attendants alleged the airline docked attendance points and discouraged them from reporting work-related injuries and illnesses.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
American Indian and Alaska Native Safety, Health Training Showcased
The NIEHS Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH) network hosted a webinar highlighting organizations that train American Indian and Alaska Native workers and communities in hazardous materials safety, with funding from the NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP). The Dec. 7 webinar was the first of two PEPH webinars featuring WTP grantees and their efforts to deliver safety and health training to tribal communities.
Environmental Factor [Author: Lee Cannon]
Mobile Apps from the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety
Mobile apps can be a great resource for workers. The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) offers multiple free apps to help employers and employees in a variety of industries.
Occupational Health and Safety Online [Author: Alex Saurman]
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
IBT Seeks an Occupational Safety Professional/ Industrial Hygienist for Worker Training Program
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) are seeking a highly motivated Industrial Hygienist in comprehensive practice to provide technical and regulatory health and safety support to Teamster members and affiliates. The position reports to the Program Manager of the IBT Worker Training Program.
Strategic Organizing Center Seeks Deputy Director of Health and Safety
The Strategic Organizing Center (SOC) is seeking a Deputy Director of Health and Safety to assist in the coordination of the SOC’s Health and Safety Program. The Deputy Director of Health and Safety will conduct innovative research projects, help shape and execute campaigns that challenge America’s largest corporations to take responsibility for how their business practices impact working families and their communities.
EPA Seeks Environmental Protection Specialist
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking an Environmental Protection Specialist for the Tribal & Multi-Media Programs Office. The position is open for the EPA Region 5, based in Chicago.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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