Weekly E-Newsbrief
January 19, 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
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- Newsbriefs Past Issues
| Top Stories | Back to Top |
Department of Labor Seeks to Expand, Establish Protections for Today’s Emergency Response Workers
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration will publish a proposal in January 2024 to update an existing standard and expand safety and health protections for emergency responders, including firefighters, emergency medical service providers and technical search and rescue workers. The proposal will include major changes to protective clothing and equipment and significant improvements in safety and health practices that the industry generally accepts as standard procedures.
Construction Companies Are Exploiting Agricultural Visas to Underpay Workers. The Supreme Court Could Change That.
Various industries use visas to fill labor shortages by hiring foreign workers. H-2A visas are reserved for agriculture work. H-2B workers are eligible for overtime pay, but H-2A workers in many states are not because federal law exempts agricultural work from overtime. Since at least 2008, the federal government has allowed construction companies to use H-2A labor to build livestock confinements, and the practice has only grown since then. Some in the construction industry said using H-2A labor is an unfair competitive advantage. Domestic construction workers make about $18 an hour, roughly $4 more on average than H-2A workers doing construction jobs. H-2A workers also do not pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, meaning employers avoid paying taxes on those, as well.
In These Times [Authors: Sky Chadde & Ryan Murphy]
Food Delivery Workers, Overlooked in Life, Are Honored in Death
Delivering food has proved to be a deadly occupation for many immigrant workers. Riding bikes at all hours, they get hit by cars and are at constant risk of having accidents and falling prey to crime. More than 40 delivery workers have died since late 2020. A report by the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection published in November 2022 said that the fatality rate among food delivery workers who don’t use a car was 36 deaths per 100,000 thousand workers from January 2021 to June 2022. The Facebook page “El Diario de Los Deliveryboys en La Gran Manzana,” which translates to “The Journal of the Deliveryboys in the Big Apple,” serves as an online support network, a space to alert of bicycle thefts, traffic accidents and discriminatory encounters reported by Spanish-speaking immigrants.
New York Times (subscription may be required) [Author: Orlando Mayorquin]
Women and Minorities Bear the Brunt of Medical Misdiagnosis
Women and racial and ethnic minorities are 20% to 30% more likely than white men to experience a misdiagnosis. In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found that nearly 1 in 4 hospital patients who died or were transferred to intensive care had experienced a diagnostic error. Nearly 18% of misdiagnosed patients were harmed or died. Researchers call misdiagnosis an urgent public health problem, and racial and gender disparities are widespread. Although few doctors deliberately discriminate against women or minorities, many are biased without realizing it.
Kaiser Health News [Author: Liz Sabo]
How Miners Are Still Paying the Costs of Pursuing an “American Dream”
A new study is believed to be the first to examine mental health issues in a large population of coal miners in the United States. The survey of almost 3,000 coal miners revealed that more than 1 in 3 suffered symptoms consistent with major depressive disorder, almost 4 in 10 experienced significant anxiety, more than 1 in 4 had symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and more than 10% had contemplated suicide in the past year. Not only do coal miners experience mental health challenges, but they are also at increased risk for black lung, particularly progressive massive fibrosis.
The Daily Yonder [Author: Taylor Sisk]
What Recovery? Long Covid’s Deep Impact on Latinos
Four years into the pandemic, there is still no treatment or cure for long COVID. COVID long-haulers (as they call themselves) have reported over 200 varied symptoms, with fatigue, dizziness, heart palpitations, post-exertion exhaustion, gastrointestinal issues, and brain dysfunction among the most common. Through a recurring survey, the Census Bureau estimates that 36% of Latinos nationally have had long COVID, likely a vast underestimate, given that the survey takes 20 minutes to complete online and reaches only a sliver of the U.S. population.
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
Community is Medicine Webinar
Rising global temperatures are increasingly stressing everyone due to cascading disruptions to the ecological, economic, and social systems people rely on for food, water, shelter, jobs, health, and other basic needs. The disruptions are combined with more frequent, extreme, and prolonged emergencies and disasters that are bluntly traumatizing millions of people. The combo of toxic stresses and acute traumas are producing a growing epidemic of mental health and psychosocial problems. Webinar participants will learn about the many benefits of using a public health approach in communities to build population mental wellness and resilience for the climate crisis and its related stresses and traumas. The webinar will take place on January 30, 2024, from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. ET.
Harm Reduction Services for People Who Use Drugs: Exploring Data Collection, Evidence Gaps, and Research Needs - A Workshop
The two-day virtual public workshop will bring together data experts, program implementers and evaluators, and other key interested parties to explore data collection efforts, evidence gaps, and research needs on harm reduction for people who use drugs (PWUD). The workshop will examine harm reduction strategies and services that aim to prevent overdose and infectious disease transmission; enhance the health, safety, and wellbeing of PWUD; and offer low-threshold options for accessing substance use disorder treatment. The workshop will be held on January 30, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET and January 31, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. ET.
Advancing Risk Communication with Decision-Makers for Extreme Tropical Cyclones
This two-day workshop will explore opportunities and challenges for communicating with decision-makers about extreme tropical cyclones and identify lessons that can be drawn from engagement and communication concerning other hazards and apply it to the tropical cyclone context. Workshop discussions will also consider challenges related to communicating about rare events and compounding and cascading impacts. The workshop will be held both virtually and in-person at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, D.C. It will be held on February 5, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET and February 6, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
How Rural Communities Are Tackling a Suicide and Depression Crisis Among Farmers
More than 50,000 Americans took their own lives in 2023, the nation’s highest yearly rate of suicide on record. Farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to the National Rural Health Association. Farmers face unique stressors in their businesses, such as complex markets and weather patterns out of their control. Some health care advocacy groups are teaching people who interact with farmers to recognize signs of distress and intervene. There are also efforts to get vouchers to cover the cost of mental health counseling and assistance in connecting farmers to local therapists.
PBS News [Authors: Megan Thompson & Melanie Saltzman]
On the Safe Side Podcast Episode 47: How the Safety Pro’s Job Has Changed
In Episode 47, the Safety + Health team examines the January issue’s feature story on how the safety and health professional’s job has changed over the years. Also, National Safety Council colleague Rich Fairfax joins the podcast to discuss changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s recordkeeping requirements.
Safety + Health Magazine [Authors: Kevin Druley, Alan Ferguson, Barry Bottino, & Richard Fairfax]
Building a Safer Tomorrow: Addressing Hazards in Modern Construction
The National Safety Council estimated that 70 million U.S. construction worker days were lost in 2021 because of workplace injuries. Common risks that construction workers face include power supply, equipment maneuverability, and dust protection. Before work starts, a contractor has a lot to prepare, from personnel coordination to which machinery is appropriate and whether necessary materials are on site. Ensuring a safe and reliable power supply, access to easily maneuverable machinery, and proper personal protective equipment to shield workers from dust inhalation and potential asbestos exposure can save time and lives.
Occupational Health & Safety News Online [Author: Dave Bigham]
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
U.S. Department of Labor Awards More Than $12M to Combat Child Labor, Forced Labor in Mexico, Promote Migrant Worker Rights
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced the award of up to $12.4 million in grant funding for three organizations to reduce child and forced labor in Mexico and support migrant workers. The funding includes $4.4 million to Verite, Inc. to increase locally led actions that address child labor and forced labor in the municipalities of Chiapas and San Luis Potosí. The department also awarded $5 million to the Pan American Development Foundation to address child labor, forced labor and other labor violations and to promote the rights of workers in the domestic work sector in Mexico City and Queretaro. Additionally, the department awarded $3 million to the International Labor Organization to advance protections for migrants’ labor rights and support civil society efforts on behalf of migrant workers.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Proposed Rule to Reduce Wasteful Methane Emissions from the Oil and Gas Sector to Drive Innovation and Protect Communities
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule to tackle wasteful methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, delivering on Congress’ directive in the Inflation Reduction Act to incentivize adoption of industry best practices that reduce pollution. The proposed rule will assess a charge on certain large emitters of waste methane from the oil and gas sector that exceed emissions intensity levels set by Congress. EPA’s proposed rule addresses details regarding how the charge will be implemented, including the calculation of the charge and how exemptions from the charge will be applied.
DOE Announces $34 Million to Improve the Reliability, Resiliency, and Security of America’s Power Grid
The Department of Energy (DOE) announced $34 million for 12 projects across 11 states to strengthen and modernize America’s aging power grid through the development of cost-effective, high-speed, and safe undergrounding technologies. The selected projects will advance innovative solutions to help upgrade and expand the nation’s grid infrastructure—lowering costs, reducing inefficiencies, mitigating disruptions from extreme weather events, and accelerating the adoption of renewable clean energy resources. The teams announced today, including small and large businesses, national labs, and universities, will play a critical role in developing technologies to reduce costs, increase speed, and improve the safety of undergrounding operations.
HHS Small Ambulatory Program Awards $55 Million to 15 Tribes and Tribal Organizations
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Indian Health Service (IHS), awards $55 million in funding to 15 tribes and tribal organizations as part of the competitive Small Ambulatory Program to invest in the construction, expansion, or modernization of small ambulatory health care facilities. The IHS Small Ambulatory Program is expanding access to various outpatient services for patients, including offering new services, building on existing services, and upgrading outdated facilities. Ambulatory care settings operated by tribes and tribal organizations also provide increased access to culturally appropriate, quality health care.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
The Ripple Effect: 2022-2023 Academic Year Impact Report for the Rutgers School of Public Health Center for Public Health Workforce Development
The Rutgers School of Public Health Center for Public Health Workforce Development recently released an impact report from the 2022-2023 academic year of their highlights and accomplishments. They held 357 courses with 23,067 trainees, delivering 66,990 contact hours. The trainees came from 47 states, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and 14 other countries. The Center made strides in national disaster readiness training and developing tools for first responders confronting the opioid epidemic.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program Looking to Fill Three Fellowship Positions
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program is currently accepting applications for three fellowship opportunities. Science Policy Fellows gain first-hand experience at the interface of science and policy as they spend one year alongside decision-makers at agencies across Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Applications are due by February 7, 2024. The Early-Career Research Fellowship supports emerging scientific leaders as they take risks on research ideas not yet tested and pursue unique collaborations. There are two tracks available for this fellowship: the Human Health and Community Resilience track and the Offshore Energy track. Applications are due by March 6, 2024.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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