Weekly E-Newsbrief
June 23, 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
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SBIR Fact Sheet
A new fact sheet describes the mission, goals, and benefits of the NIEHS Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) E-Learning for Hazardous Materials Program. The program supports small businesses and provides opportunities for commercialization or patents for different products. Workers involved in critical, high-risk fields continue to reap the benefits of e-learning products and technologies developed by SBIR grantees.
New State Profiles Webpage
The NIEHS Worker Training Program state profiles highlight the training and outreach activities of grantees across the United States. State profiles, previously available on the Program Highlights page, are now accessible on their own webpage with a table of contents for easy searching.
Greg Abbott Has Cut Required Water Breaks for Texas Construction Workers and Labor Advocates Say It Could Kill Them
The law, which takes effect September 1, 2023, particularly impacts ordinances in Austin and Dallas that mandate construction employees take at least ten minutes every four hours to drink water and cool off. Supporters of the bill have said the intent was to eliminate local regulations in favor of statewide policies. Advocates for workers say the bill will lead to more injury or death with rising temperatures from climate change.
As the Climate Crisis Encroaches on Workers' Lives. How is OSHA Responding?
Climate change is presenting new challenges in our everyday lives and in the workplace. One of those challenges is dangerous smoke-filled air, the kind East Coasters recently experienced due to wildfires in Canada, which is a major hazard for workers. Doug Parker, head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) discusses the climate-related hazards workers face - especially those with outdoor jobs.
‘I Have Not Seen One Cent’: Billions Stolen in Wage Theft From U.S. Workers
Workers in the U.S. have an estimated more than $50 billion stolen from them every year, according to the Economic Policy Institute, surpassing all robberies, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts, combined. Many of these stolen wages are never recovered by workers. Wage theft disproportionately affects lower-wage workers, women, people of color and immigrant workers, and negatively affects local economies and tax revenues.
The Guardian [Author: Michael Sainato]
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The Keystone Science Lecture Alabama Fire College Training to Build Response Capacity in Communities
Alabama Fire College (AFC) Principal Investigator Kenny Oldfield will be presenting this Keystone Science Lecture. Oldfield will present on the training and outreach efforts of AFC. Support your fellow WTP grantee at the hybrid event on July 17, 2023, 11:00 a.m. EDT.
Brownfields 2023
With over 180 educational sessions, exciting mobile workshops, and inspirational speakers, this event offers a unique opportunity to learn about the latest trends and best practices in brownfields remediation, redevelopment, environmental justice, and sustainability. The event will be held August 8-11, 2023, in Detroit, MI.
The National Conference on Worker Safety and Health
The National Conference on Worker Safety and Health (COSHCON) is the only national gathering of its kind. COSHCON brings together a diverse, inclusive and bilingual group of workers, occupational health and safety experts, unions, activists and academics united around common goals. COSHCON joins together to celebrate and encourage workers' power, make our workplaces safer and reduce the toll of on-the-job injuries, illnesses and fatalities. The event will be held December 6-8, 2023, in Baltimore, MD.
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His Home Sits Alongside America’s First Superfund Site. No One Told Him.
Love Canal was one of the nation’s worst toxic waste catastrophes and now — 45 years later — it is the site for a new, and sometimes unknowing, generation of homesteaders. While much of the neighborhood has been declared safe for people to live, and life has slowly returned to normal along nearby blocks, certain blocks to the east of the old canal are still considered restricted, according to state guidance dating back to the area’s cleanup.
New York Times (subscription required) [Author: Jesse McKinley]
Postal Service Workers Receive Training on How to Prevent Dog Bites on the Job
It was recently reported that over 5,000 postal workers experienced dog attacks in 2022. In Detroit recently, postal workers were trained to use objects they wear to ward off injury from dog attacks, like letter bags and hats. However, the main prevention of dog attacks on postal workers falls on dog owners. Owners should keep dogs inside when mail delivery is expected and provide training to prevent dogs from attacking people.
Social Vulnerability in U.S. Communities Affected by Wildfire Smoke, 2011 to 2021
During the 2011-to-2021 study period, increases in the number of days of heavy smoke were observed in communities representing 87.3% of the U.S. population, with notably large increases in communities characterized by racial or ethnic minority status, limited English proficiency, lower educational attainment, and crowded housing conditions. As smoke exposure becomes more frequent and intense, interventions that address communities with social disadvantages might maximize their public health impact.
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
Federal Investigators Find Piedmont Airlines Failed to Follow Required Safety Procedures to Protect Ground Crew Member from Suffering Fatal Injuries
An investigation into the fatal event by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued Piedmont Airlines a citation for one serious violation for exposing ground crew workers to ingestion hazards while performing aircraft marshalling, wing-walking, and baggage-handling tasks. Had the airline made sure that a ground crew followed required safety procedures, a 34-year-old customer service agent might have avoided suffering fatal injuries.
Meat and Poultry Worker Safety: OSHA Should Determine How to Address Persistent Hazards Exacerbated by COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a sharp increase in reports of illness among meat and poultry workers. These jobs require working in crowded plants, putting workers at greater risk of disease. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) increased meat and poultry plant inspections in the first year of the pandemic but faced enforcement challenges. Officials told the Government Accountability Office (GAO) their ability to protect workers was limited because existing standards did not target COVID-related hazards, such as jobs requiring workers to stand in close proximity. GAO recommends that OSHA assess actions needed to protect meat and poultry workers.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $192 Million to Advance Battery Recycling Technology
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $192 million in new funding for recycling batteries from consumer products, launching an advanced battery research and development consortium, and the continuation of the Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize, which began in 2019. With the demand for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage projected to increase the lithium battery market by as much as ten-fold by 2030, it is essential to invest in sustainable, reduced-cost recycling of consumer batteries in support of a secure, resilient, and circular domestic supply chain for critical materials.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
Responding to Disasters: Training Can Overcome Issues in Disaster Response
The article provides insight into addressing recurring issues NIEHS Worker Training Program grantees experience when providing training for disaster recovery workers. Addressing these issues and utilizing them as part of a continuous quality improvement process for disaster responders may help to reduce responder injuries, illness, and death during future disasters. The article is authored by Atlantic Center for Occupational Health and Safety Training principal investigator Mitch Rosen and program evaluator Megan Rockafellow-Baldoni; Clearinghouse’s Deborah Weinstock, and Kenda Freeman; and WTP’s Jim Remington.
Protecting Firefighter Health
Firefighters face many risks on the job, including exposure to chemicals that may harm their health. Contaminants in smoke and firefighting foams, for example, may contribute to the higher rates of cancer observed in firefighters compared to the general U.S. population. In this episode, Jeff Burgess, M.D., discusses the health risks of firefighting and shares best practices to reduce occupational exposures and improve firefighter health.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
University of Maryland Seeks an Industrial Hygienist
Under the direction of the Laboratory Safety Manager, the Industrial Hygienist II will play a key role in supporting the existing laboratory safety and chemical hygiene programs to increase compliance in research areas. This role provides technical industrial hygiene support and chemical safety expertise to the Laboratory Safety Group for the purposes of evaluating and selecting controls to prevent hazardous exposures in research environments.
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