Weekly E-Newsbrief
June 10, 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 |
EPA Seeks Applications for Brownfields Job Training Grants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that approximately $12 million in funding for environmental job training grants is now available under the Fiscal Year 2023 Brownfields Job Training Program. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 25 grants nationwide at amounts up to $500,000 per award. Applications are due by Aug. 2.
Black Lung Patients, Advocates Urge Mine Safety Officials to Update Silica Dust Standards
At 69 years old, Jerry Coleman has spent almost two decades living with black lung, struggling to breathe and straining against industry that promised to look after workers with the dreaded pulmonary disease. When miners and former miners seek a diagnosis for the disease, they must also seek a diagnosis from coal company-approved doctors.
Ohio Valley Resource [Author: Katie Myers]
The Hidden, Potential Cancer-Causing, Danger in Woodworking and Art Supplies
While beautiful, these resin materials are loaded with a dangerous hormone-disrupting, and likely carcinogenic, chemical called bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether, or BADGE. BADGE is similar to bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor that can hijack the body's hormone functions at tiny concentrations.
Environmental Health News [Author: Meg Wilcox]
More Nuclear Waste Could Be Stored At New Mexico-Texas Border. Here's What We Know
At a site in Andrews, Texas, nuclear waste from across the country is stored ahead of its final disposal without a federal license. Final disposal happens at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a repository near Carlsbad, which serves as the permanent resting place for transuranic (TRU) nuclear waste generated during nuclear weapons research and production.
Carlsbad Current Argus [Author: Adrian Hedden]
Most Workers Who Died of COVID-19 In 2020 Had Something Essential in Common, Study Finds
Most working-age Americans who died of COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic were so-called essential workers in labor, service and retail jobs that required on-site attendance and prolonged contact with others, according to a recently published study led by a University of South Florida epidemiologist.
Miami Herald [Author: Daniel Chang]
Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Occupational Exposure Across and Between U.S. Cities
Occupational exposures play a key role in exposure risk for COVID-19. A new study finds wide disparities in the proportion foreign, and U.S. born Hispanic vs non-Hispanic Whites in essential and high exposure risk occupations. Occupational disparities vary substantially by metropolitan area and may help explain differences in COVID-19 disparities by local area.
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
EPA Brownfield Job Training Program Outreach Webinar
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced funding for environmental job training grants for the Brownfields Job Training Program. The Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization will also host an outreach webinar on June 15 at 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET to explain the guidelines for interested applicants and to address commonly asked questions.
OSHA, PHMSA Seek Input Ahead of UN Meetings on GHS, Transport of Hazardous Goods
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has scheduled a virtual public meeting for June 15 in advance of the 42nd session of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. In a notice published in the May 31 Federal Register, OSHA requests information and comments as the federal government prepares for the July 6-8 UNSCEGHS meeting.
Joint AIHA-CPWR Webinar: Addressing Four Major Health-Related Hazards in Construction
CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) will host a joint webinar on June 14 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The webinar will discuss the recently published AIHA guidance document on four key health hazards in construction.
Call for Experts: WHO Technical Advisory Group on Occupational Burden of Disease Estimation
The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking individual experts to serve as members of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Occupational Burden of Disease Estimation. This “Call for experts” provides information about this Advisory Group, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the selection process. The deadline to apply is June 17.
EPA Supports New Funding Opportunity from the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative for Pesticide Safety in Agricultural Communities
Through a cooperative agreement funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC) is making $200,000 in funding available for 2022-2023 to non-profit organizations for community-based projects. Applications are currently being accepted and must be submitted to PERC no later than July 1.
Pain in the Nation 2022: U.S. Experienced Highest Ever Combined Rates of Deaths Due to Alcohol, Drugs, and Suicide During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Trust for America's Health and Well Being Trust released the new report Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths. This year's report found that deaths associated with alcohol, drugs, and suicide took the lives of 186,763 Americans in 2020, the highest number of substance misuse deaths ever recorded for a single year. An expert panel will discuss the findings of the report as part of a Congressional briefing and national webinar on July 14.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
OSHA Heat Illness Prevention Campaign
Every year, dozens of workers die and thousands more become ill while working in hot or humid conditions. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Heat Illness Prevention campaign educates employers and workers on the dangers of working in the heat.
President Biden to Update ‘Sacred’ EJ Order That Never Really Worked
Executive Order 12898 on environmental justice (EJ) is being carefully reviewed by the White House, with input from outside experts, an administration official told reporters on a recent call. The White House described the 28-year-old order as a “sacred text” for which officials would propose changes in the coming months.
E&E News [Author: Jean Chemnick]
At Least 12 Military Bases Contaminating Water Supply with Toxic PFAS
Dangerous levels of toxic PFAS are contaminating water supplies in areas around at least 12 military bases, new Department of Defense (DoD) testing has revealed, drawing concern from public health advocates that the DoD is not doing enough to protect the public. The data released this week by the military shows levels for five kinds of PFAS compounds.
The Guardian [Author: Tom Perkins]
New York Lawmakers Pass Bill Limiting Warehouse Productivity Quotas
The New York State Assembly has passed a bill that aims to limit productivity quotas in warehouses shortly after it was approved by the State Senate. Introduced by New York State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Latoya Joyner back in April, the Warehouse Worker Protection Act takes aim at Amazon's labor practices.
Yahoo! Life [Author: Mariella Moon]
Epidemic Risk Perceptions in Italy and Sweden Driven by Authority Responses to COVID-19
Understanding public risk perception is an essential step to develop effective measures reducing the spread of disease outbreaks. Here we compare epidemic risk perceptions during two different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy and Sweden. The different authority response to the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a different change over time in risk perception.
Chart: Most U.S. Solar Jobs Are in Installation, Not Manufacturing
As of 2020, only 14 percent of U.S. solar workers were employed in manufacturing — and that figure includes employees building auxiliary equipment such as racking, cables and other components. A far larger share of the solar workforce — 67 percent — works in solar installation and development, according to the most recent National Solar Jobs Census.
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health will Meet on June 30
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will hold an online meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Safety and Health on June 30 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. The committee meeting is open to the public and will include an agency update and a report from the NACOSH Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Work Group.
EPA Launches Let’s Talk About Heat Challenge to Raise Awareness of Extreme Heat Risks
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Let’s Talk About Heat Challenge to protect public health by raising awareness of health risks from extreme heat. The challenge asks applicants to share innovative and effective messages about the health risks of extreme heat for our most at-risk communities. The challenge is open now through July 22.
EPA Gets $23 Million to Help Clean Up Connecticut’s Worst Hazardous Waste Superfund Site
Officials say a $23 million commitment from the Biden administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law will help complete the cleanup of Connecticut’s worst hazardous waste superfund site. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) cleanup of the Raymark Industries site in Stratford began in 1995. That was shortly after the automotive brake factory plant shut down.
WSHU [Author: Ebong Udoma]
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
Opioids and the Workplace Prevention and Response Train-the-Trainer and Leadership Training Mixed Methods Follow-up Evaluation
Evidence supports that the ‘Opioids and the Workplace’ Train-the-Trainer program and materials have contributed to helping trainees plan and conduct opioids awareness training at their organizations. Evidence supports that the Opioids in the Workplace Leadership program helped contribute to trainees taking workplace level actions to implement policies and programs.
Annals of Work Exposures and Health [Authors: Eric Persaud, Deborah Weinstock, and Paul Landsbergis]
Upstate Report Says Occupational Disease in New York Is An ‘Epidemic in Plain Sight’
A report from Upstate reveals an “epidemic hidden in plain sight” of death and injury in the workplace in New York State. According to the report, Occupational Disease in New York State: An Update, an estimated 7,016 deaths annually in New York are due to occupational disease. Additionally, 13 percent of diseases prevalent in the adult working population are attributable to occupational disease and exposure to hazardous conditions on the job.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
OSHA Seeks Safety and Occupational Health Specialist
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is hiring a safety and occupational health specialist to develop scientific occupational health guidance resources, occupational health training curriculum, including course development, and briefing materials options and recommendations for Directorate and Agency leadership. The deadline to apply is June 28.
OSHA Seeks Social Media Specialist
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is hiring a social media specialist. The position will apply principles of library management including, but not limited to, cataloging, inventory, shelving, sorting, general operational oversight, presentation, and distribution of technical resources. The deadline to apply is June 27.
MassCOSH Seeks Director and Organizer Positions
The Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that educates and mobilize workers, unions, and community activists to advocate for and promote a healthy and safe workplace. MassCOSH is hiring two positions for a Worker Center Organizer and a Youth Programs Director.
CPR Seeks Climate Justice Policy Fellow
The Center for Progressive Reform (CPR) is seeking a full-time Climate Justice Policy Fellow to help support their various research and advocacy projects in the North Carolina, Delaware River Basin, California, Maryland, Virginia, and Louisiana. The candidate should have a desire to further progressive environmental and economic policies designed to address racial inequities.
SEIU 32BJ Seeks Research Analyst
SEIU 32BJ seeks a Research Analyst with experience in the labor movement or community, racial justice, or immigrant rights organizing to support the Union’s internal and external organizing campaigns. 32BJ is hiring for one position that, depending on experience, will either be a Researcher, Research Analyst, or Research Analyst II.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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