Weekly E-Newsbrief
January 12, 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 |
Federal Fix for Rural Hospitals Gets Few Takers So Far
Rural hospitals are facing closures due to staffing shortages, low reimbursement rates, and declining patient numbers. The new federal program, the Rural Emergency Hospital program, which went into effect in January 2023, is meant to stem the closures. The program guarantees hospitals extra cash if they provide emergency and outpatient services but end inpatient care. It is facing difficulties, however, as just 18 of the more than 1,700 eligible rural hospitals nationwide have applied for and won the new designation. Many hospitals are reluctant to give up inpatient services entirely, and some are concerned about how other payment streams could be affected.
NPR [Authors: Sarah Jane Tribble & Tony Leys]
Abstract Submission for Safety Fest Tennessee is Now Open!
Safety Fest Tennessee has provided free, high-quality environmental, safety, and health training to thousands of people since 2012. A variety of classes and demonstrations are offered by individuals, small and large businesses, educational institutions, federal, state, and local governments, utilities, and health care providers. While any environmental, safety, and health, or related subject matter will be considered, infomercial-type classes that promote a specific product or service are strongly discouraged. Safety Fest will take place from April 29 to May 3, 2024, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Abstract submissions will close on February 2, 2024.
There’s a New Covid-19 Variant and Cases Are Ticking Up. What Do You Need to Know?
Nationally, a sharp uptick in emergency room visits and hospitalizations for covid-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, began in mid-December and appears to be gaining momentum. The covid virus is continually changing, and a recent version is rapidly climbing the charts. Even though it appeared only in September, the variant known as JN.1, a descendant of omicron, is rapidly spreading, representing between 39% to half of the cases. Lab data indicates that the updated vaccines, as well as existing covid rapid tests and medical treatments, are effective with this latest iteration. Tests can be bought at most pharmacies and, if you haven’t ordered yours yet, free test kits are still available through a federal program at covid.gov.
Kaiser Health News [Author: Julie Appleby]
2023 Was the Hottest Year on Record. Is This How It’s Going to Be Now?
Last year was the hottest ever recorded, according to temperature data going back to 1850, and it beat the previous record by a wide margin. The high average temperatures were largely driven by record-high ocean temperatures and a strong El Niño climate pattern. The record-breaking year helped fuel climate-driven disasters around the globe – from extreme heat that plagued Arizona for weeks, to devastating floods in Libya, to record-hot oceans that caused corals to bleach off Florida. Scientists say the extreme temperatures are in line with forecasts for how the planet will continue to warm.
NPR [Authors: Lauren Sommer & Rebecca Hersher]
The U.S. Energy Transition Explained in 8 Numbers
The power sector is key to U.S. efforts to cut planet-warming pollution this decade. Technologies for generating wind and solar energy are expected to green the economy faster than electric cars and heat pumps. While there were indications that the transition to clean energy had not gone as smoothly as some analysts predicted, there is still forward progress being made. The amount of energy produced in 2023 by large solar projects was 130% more than the U.S. generated five years ago, and 16% more than in 2022. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. dropped 3% compared to 2022 levels, a deeper cut than the roughly 1% annual decrease averaged by the country between 2012 and 2021.
Scientific American [Author: Benjamin Storrow]
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
Hazard Mapping Training Program
This training, hosted by the New Jersey Work Environment Council, will examine workplace hazards. Participants will learn how to develop a map to identify, locate, and evaluate hazards so they can be targeted for elimination. This training will be participatory, and attendees will need video capability and paper and pen for the breakout rooms. This training is relevant to workers who provide health services to individuals including those employed in hospitals, long term care facilities, physician offices, clinics/treatment centers, community health providers, and other home and education health service providers. The training will take place virtually on January 18, 2024, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET.
HHS Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge Webinars
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is creating a national competition to identify innovative and effective approaches to enhance community-driven efforts to address the health consequences of communities burdened by environmental and climate change-related hazards. Projects should have a clear focus on community specific health issues, including mental health issues, and address community or Tribal interests related to environmental and climate change-related exposures and drivers of health disparities. There are two upcoming webinars to help applicants navigate the submission process and develop evaluation metrics, SMART goals, create logic models, and more. The Tips and Guidance for Navigating the Submission Process webinar will take place on January 17, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. ET, and the Tips and Guidance for Evaluation, Logic Models, and More webinar will take place on January 18, 2024, at 02:30 p.m. ET. Submissions for the challenge close on January 30, 2024.
Tips and Guidance for Navigating the Submission Process Webinar Registration
Tips and Guidance for Evaluation, Logic Models, and More Webinar Registration
Climate Conversations: COP28
Every year, the United Nations brings together representatives from across the globe to address the climate crisis. While a record number of stakeholders converged in Dubai for COP28—including policymakers, activists, scientists, industry leaders, and journalists—determining the success of the deliberations will take months, or even years. At this month’s Climate Conversation, our panelists will discuss what the conference outcomes mean, how countries will embrace the final agreements, and what climate actions we should expect. The webinar will take place on January 18, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. ET.
Violence Prevention Training
The New Jersey Work Environmental Council will host this training to discuss workplace violence prevention strategies, identifying safety system failures in the workplace and Occupational Safety and Health Administration and New Jersey state regulations that address workplace violence. The training is relevant to workers who provide health services to individuals including those employed in hospitals, long term care facilities, physician offices, clinics/treatment centers, community health providers, and other home and education health service providers. The training will take place virtually on January 22, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET.
Transforming Safety Culture Through Employee Engagement: 7 Steps to Success
A robust health and safety culture, driven by employee engagement, creates a resilient workplace where every team member contributes to maintaining a secure and healthy environment. This webinar will feature environmental, health and safety experts as they shed light on successful employee engagement initiatives, offering valuable insights into their implementation and impact. They will showcase how these measures not only help prevent incidents but also underscore the organization’s unwavering commitment to employee well-being. The webinar will take place on February 8, 2024, from 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. ET.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
Updated Process Safety Management Rules Increase Safety for Petroleum Workers
Petroleum refineries can be hazardous places for workers. The dangerous and volatile chemicals they handle have led to tragedies like the Tesoro explosion that killed seven workers in 2010 and the Equilon incident in 1998 that killed six. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has filed a formal update to workplace safety rules designed to prevent catastrophic events like these from happening again. The updated rules govern the way workplaces handle dangerous chemicals.
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries News Release
Wildfire Smoke Workplace Safety & Health Rulemaking
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has issued new rules taking effect on January 15, 2024, that will better protect outdoor workers from wildfire smoke. The rules require employers to be prepared for the impact wildfire smoke will have on their workers by creating a response plan, providing training to employees, monitoring smoke levels, implementing a two-way communications system, and making sure employees have access to prompt medical attention. As air quality gets worse, employers must provide increasing protections to keep workers safe and healthy.
Appalachian Regional Commission – INSPIRE, SUD Recovery Ecosystem Grant Funding Announcement
The Appalachian Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership working to strengthen economic growth and community development in 13 Appalachian states, issued a Notice of Solicitation of Applications for its Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) initiative. The grant program addresses the region’s substance use disorder (SUD) crisis with investments in the creation and expansion of a SUD recovery ecosystem that helps facilitate workforce entry and re-entry. Awards issued through the INSPIRE Initiative will support a wide variety of projects on the post-treatment to employment continuum, including investments in healthcare networks to better meet the needs of SUD recovery professionals, recovery-focused job and workforce training programs, expanded recovery support networks, training and certification of recovery specialists, and more. Letters of Intent are due February 16, 2024, and the deadline for final applications is March 8, 2024.
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
U.S. Chemical Safety Board Eliminates Long-Standing Investigation Backlog
The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) announced it has eliminated its long-standing backlog of investigations. Since late July 2022, the CSB has issued 17 final investigation reports, more than the agency has ever issued in such a short period. The uncompleted reports had built up over many years, dating as far back as 2016. The elimination of the investigation backlog was a 2 year long, organization-wide effort.
EPA Requires Toxics Release Inventory Reporting for Seven Additional PFAS
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the automatic addition of seven per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the list of chemicals covered by the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). TRI data is reported to EPA annually by facilities in designated industry sectors and federal facilities that manufacture, process, or otherwise use TRI-listed chemicals above set quantities. The data include quantities of such chemicals that were released into the environment or otherwise managed as waste. Information collected through TRI allows communities to learn how facilities in their area manage listed chemicals.
Biden-Harris Administration Invests $34 Million for NOAA Fire Weather Research Through Investing in America Agenda
The Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the award of more than $34 million to reduce the risk to Americans’ lives and property from wildfires. This funding will be provided over five years to six research universities in NOAA’s Cooperative Institute system to support wildfire preparedness and response. Knowledge and tools generated from this funding will help NOAA build and deploy new observing systems that detect and monitor wildfires and their impacts, as well as to advance high-resolution models to predict fires, emissions and air quality.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
Supporting Pregnant Construction Workers: Advice for Physicians
Health care providers can help pregnant construction workers stay safe on the job. A new resource from CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training explains how. Physicians’ Alert: Pregnant Construction Worker Safety and Health outlines the hazards and challenges pregnant workers may face. Designed for workers to print and share, the document includes guidelines for providing care, as well as how a clinician can write an impactful letter to ensure the worker receives necessary accommodations on the job. CPWR notes that pregnant workers may be entitled to accommodations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, in effect since June.
Physicians’ Alert: Pregnant Construction Worker Safety and Health
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
Principal Investigator Opening for BTMed
CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training is seeking a Principal Investigator (PI) for The Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed). BTMed provides free medical screening services to construction workers formerly employed at the Department of Energy nuclear weapons sites, who may be at risk for occupational illnesses. The PI is responsible for the ethical and technical conduct of BTMed. Candidates should be located in the Washington, DC metro area with access to the CPWR office in Silver Spring, Maryland.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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