Weekly E-Newsbrief
June 14, 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 |
Impact Evaluation of Workforce Development in Disadvantaged Communities: The NIEHS Environmental Career Worker Training Program Report Now Available!
A new study of the Environmental Career Worker Training Program (ECWTP)'s impact showed that the program has a positive nationwide economic impact. The study shows that from 2014 to 2022, the program returned approximately 28 times the amount invested by the federal government back into the economy. Other direct benefits to the economy include increased earnings, reduction in workplace injuries, and hiring cost and crime-related cost savings. The report, flyer, and executive summary are now available on the ECWTP webpage.
9/11 First Responders with Severe Debris Exposure Have Higher Risk of Dementia, Study Finds
New research is giving a deeper look into how dust and debris from the fallen World Trade Center may play a role in the brain health of first responders. In the study, researchers at Stony Brook University in New York found severe exposure to building debris was significantly associated with a higher risk of dementia before age 65 versus those who weren't exposed or who wore personalized protective equipment such as masks or hazmat suits. The findings, which used data from 5,010 responders who were part of the Stony Brook World Trade Center Health and Wellness Program, were consistent even after adjusting for demographic, medical and social factors. This study builds on previous research from the Stony Brook team that found 9/11 first responders show signs of cognitive impairment at roughly three times the rate of the general population.
CBS News [Author: Sara Moniuszko]
Nursing Homes Are Left in the Dark as More Utilities Cut Power to Prevent Wildfires
When powerful wind gusts created threatening wildfire conditions one day near Boulder, Colorado, the state’s largest utility cut power to 52,000 homes and businesses, including an assisted living facility. The practice, also known as public safety power shut-offs, has taken root in California and is spreading elsewhere to keep downed and damaged power lines from sparking blazes and fueling the West’s more frequent and intense wildfires. As preemptive power cuts become more widespread, nursing homes are being forced to evaluate their preparedness, but it shouldn’t be up to the facilities alone, according to industry officials and academics. Better communication between utilities and nursing homes, and including the facilities in regional disaster preparedness plans, is critical to keep residents safe.
Kaiser Health News [Author: Kate Ruder]
Here’s Why an Arizona Medical Examiner Is Working to Track Heat-Relate Deaths
A small group of health experts across the country has concluded over time that thousands of Americans die every year because of climate-fueled disasters, like stronger, more dangerous hurricanes or heat waves so intense they obliterate historical records, but no one is keeping official track of the scope of the problem. A small contingent of medical examiners, epidemiologists, and public health experts is trying to keep better records of these deaths to provide insights based on their data so that policymakers, city leaders and advocates have the information needed to save lives.
NPR [Author: Alejandra Borunda]
New Round of Federal Grants Will Inject Billions into Rural Renewable Energy Projects
A new round of grants from the federal government will pay out $78 million across 12 states and 13 Tribal nations, hoping to reduce energy bills for rural people and create new renewable energy projects. The money will help fund 19 projects in Alaska, Oklahoma, Alabama, Maine and elsewhere. The projects in this round of funding range from installing new solar installations to running new electrical distribution lines. The latest round of grants focuses on communities with fewer than 10,000 people, and residents of these rural communities say that this round of grants could have a big impact on the everyday lives of many rural residents.
The Daily Yonder [Author: Will Wright]
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in Focus: A Summit to Create an Equitable World of Work
The Women’s Bureau will be hosting an all-day, in-person and online gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) Summit. The Summit will convene workers, unions, employers, government representatives, worker advocates and other stakeholders who are working to prevent and address gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work at the national, state, and local levels. It will take place on June 18, 2024, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EDT.
Climate Change & Health
Climate change can be a silent killer. It is a mounting threat to human health, with a rise in disease across almost every disease grouping. Join the expert panel, organized by the New York County Medical Society, as they talk about heat, air pollution, and vector-borne diseases – what physicians should know, and how to help patients. It will take place on June 18, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. EDT.
Wildfires Webinar
The Migrant Clinicians Network is co-hosting a webinar with Farmworker Justice for clinicians and health center staff to learn more about wildfires and wildfire preparedness for migratory and seasonal agricultural worker communities. It will discuss the health effects of wildfires and strategies to support workers and their families during a wildfire emergency. Health center staff will receive resources and strategies from clinical experts, the Migrant Clinicians Network, and Farmworker Justice. The webinar will be in English with Spanish interpretation, and it will take place on June 25, 2024, at 4 p.m. EDT.
Why OSHA Made the Switch from Hard Hats to Safety Helmets
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it is now requiring OSHA employees to use safety helmets instead of hard hats. This move reflects a larger shift throughout the industry in terms of head protection. Type I hard hats, designed to protect workers from blows directly to the top of the head, are increasingly being phased out for Type II. While Type I hard hats protect against certain impacts, Type II safety helmets are intended to protect workers from lateral impacts to the front, back, side and top of the head. This webinar will discuss the industry’s current shift to Type II helmets from Type I hard hats and what to know about rotational motion and its role in traumatic brain injuries. It will take place on July 11, 2024, from 12 – 1 p.m. CDT.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
Revolutionizing Safety: How AI Is Transforming the Workplace
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is proving to be a game-changer when it comes to workplace safety. As technology evolves, companies are racing to adjust to a new way of protecting their workers. While AI has the potential to completely rewrite how the workplace functions, many safety professionals are wondering the precise applications the technology has within the workplace. This podcast episode features the founder of Benchmark Gensuite, a company that specializes in environmental health and safety compliance software and has been integrating AI technology into its client offerings. The episode discusses how AI is enhancing safety measures across industries, how this technology plays into compliance issues and what the future might hold for AI.
Occupational Health & Safety Online [Author: Robert Yaniz Jr.]
The Financial Impact of Shifting Hurricane Patterns in our Changing Climate
Rising climate risks, such as hurricanes along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts, are putting immense pressure on insurance companies to cover escalating costs. This leaves homeowners and businesses in a precarious situation, teetering on the edge of crisis. This recording of First Street’s webinar features a distinguished panel of experts on hurricane and climate implications. The session delved into the reasons behind the evolving severity of hurricane patterns, how we can effectively track and measure these changes, and how these increasing climate risks are already leading to significant financial implications for homeowners, businesses, and local economies.
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
Biden-Harris Administration Releases Data Showing Historic Gains in Health Care Coverage in Minority Communities
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued five new reports showing historic gains in health care coverage and highlighting increases in coverage among minority communities since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s coverage provisions. HHS also announced a new, historic $500 million investment in Navigators, who play a key role in helping people across the country sign up for health care, particularly in underserved communities who have been too often ignored.
Biden-Harris Administration Invests $60 Million to Build a Climate-Ready Workforce Through Investing in America Agenda
The Department of Commerce and National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced $60 million in funding to help train and place people in jobs that advance a climate-ready workforce for coastal and Great Lakes states, Tribes, and Territories. The funding will support nine projects around the nation, with $50 million going directly to the projects and $10 million for technical assistance to support the grant recipients. Modeled after the Economic Development Administration’s successful Good Jobs Challenge, the Climate-Ready Workforce initiative is uniquely focused on preparing and placing people in good jobs that will advance climate resilience nationwide, ensuring coastal communities are prepared for the worst impacts of climate change.
EPA Determines that Alaska’s Water Quality Standards Need to be Updated Based on More Accurate Fish Consumption Rates to Protect Communities from Toxic Pollution
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a determination that Alaska’s water quality standards need to be updated to more accurately reflect the amount of fish Alaskans consume. This action requires Alaska to revise its limits on toxic pollutants in the state’s waters to ensure that eating fish supports healthy people and communities. This determination stems from long-standing concerns that the fish consumption rate used in Alaska's existing human health criteria does not reflect the fish consumption patterns of Alaska residents, including rural and Tribal consumers. Alaska’s existing water quality standards, last updated in 2003, are based on the national default fish consumption rate of about seven ounces per month, but Alaska residents consume an average of 7-14 ounces per day.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
Four Ways to Protect Your Home from Floods
As the climate warms, extreme storms are growing more common, and many homeowners are dealing with flooded basements and other costly water damage. Modifying features of your home can help reduce the risk of flooding or lessen the extent of flooding. A coastal training program coordinator has identified four modifications to protect homes from flooding, including planting native greenery, installing flood vents, regrading your property, and redirecting downspouts to prevent pooling water. An expert can help determine what steps are right for your property.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
NIOSH Seeking Associate Director for Mining
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is looking to fill an associate director for mining position. NIOSH conducts work-related research and makes recommendations to prevent worker injury and illness. The associate director for mining is responsible for managing, directing, coordinating, overseeing, and evaluating all activities of the Institute’s mining programs, along with creating and maintaining strong relationships with mining industry groups. This position also serves as a special advisor to the Institute director on all matters related to the overall NIOSH Mining Program.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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