Join Us in Congratulating Jim Remington, WTP Program Analyst, on His Retirement

Jim Remington has worked for the federal government for 40 years and 1 month and will be retiring at the end of March 2024. As WTP's public health preparedness expert, he has been the first on the ground to lead the deployment of grantees and trainers. He has responded to many different disasters on behalf of WTP such as California Wildfires, Hurricane Sandy, Gulf Oil Spill, Hurricane Katrina, and many others. Thank you Jim for all that you have done for WTP and the federal government!

WTP Spring Grantee Meeting and Workshop Registration Page Is Now Live!

The registration page for the Worker Training Program (WTP) Grantee Meeting and Workshop, titled “Closing the Gaps: Designing Training with Occupational Health Disparities in Mind,” is now available. The grantee meeting will be held on April 30, 2024, from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. EDT. The workshop will take place on May 1, 2024, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. EDT, and May 2, 2024, from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. EDT. Registration will close on Friday, April 12, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Grantee Meeting and Workshop Registration

A Paramedic Was Skeptical About This Rx for Stopping Repeat Opioid Overdoses. Then He Saw It Help.

For a long time, many people who could benefit from buprenorphine, commonly known by the brand name Subutex, couldn’t get it. Until recently, doctors needed a federal waiver to prescribe it to treat opioid use disorder. Amid misconceptions about treating opioid use disorder with medication, only about 5% of doctors nationally underwent the training to qualify. As evidence supporting the drug’s efficacy grew and the urgency mounted to curb opioid deaths, Congress axed the waiver requirement in late 2022, clearing the way for greater availability. In rare cases, medics on the front lines began bringing treatment to patients’ front doors.

Kaiser Health News [Author: Lauren Peace]

Here's What to Know About Dengue, As Puerto Rico Declares a Public Health Emergency

Puerto Rico has issued a public health emergency after recording an unusually rapid rise in dengue cases over the first few months of this year. It's the latest area to grapple with a surge of infections of the mosquito-borne disease, which sickens an estimated 100–400 million people globally each year. According to the World Health Organization, about half of the world's population is now at risk for the disease. People typically contract dengue through the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with one of the four types of the dengue virus. Most people with dengue will show no signs of infection or experience only mild symptoms, such as fever, muscle and joint pain and nausea. The best way to avoid contracting dengue is to prevent mosquito bites by using insect repellents and wearing loose-fitting clothing that covers arms and legs.

NPR [Author: Joe Hernandez]

COVID’s Scientific Silver Lining: A Chance to Watch the Human Immune System Respond in Real Time

The COVID pandemic marked the first time people armed with powerful scientific tools could study how the immune system awakens to and develops defenses against a new threat, in real time, in the global population. At the start of 2020, the immune systems of nearly 8 billion people were effectively blank slates as pertains to this new coronavirus. Scientists have been able to chart how immune systems respond to a single infection, a first dose of COVID vaccine in a naive person, a first infection in a previously vaccinated person, and a first vaccination in a previously infected person, seeing clearly what each encounter activated and how those responses broadened and built on each other.

STAT News [Author: Helen Branswell]

The Rural Workforce is Changing. Colleges are Scrambling to Keep Up.

Across America, rural workforces have been stretched beyond recognition in the wake of the pandemic. The sudden move toward telework has shifted housing and labor markets, creating a crisis of affordability for long-time residents plus a growing demand for hands-on labor in health care, construction, and other fields. Amid rapid change, colleges are struggling to adapt fast enough to meet their communities’ needs. While rural areas have long faced workforce challenges, the problems have been exacerbated by the rapid pace of change. Colleges around the country are working to create flexible, skills-based education opportunities that can more quickly adapt to workforce needs.

The Daily Yonder [Author: Nick Fouriezos]

Safety at Work: Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in the Agriculture Industry

This webinar will focus on the importance of addressing gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in the agriculture industry with a focus on migrant and farm workers and how GBVH impacts worker health and safety. Speakers will include workers and stakeholders in the agriculture industry. Spanish interpretation will be available. The webinar will take place on April 16, 2024, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EDT.

Event Registration

Climate Conversations: Environmental Justice

Environmental justice and a just transition are top of mind for many of the efforts focused on combating the climate crisis and creating a more equitable world. Join the National Academies and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for a discussion about reconciling different understandings of environmental justice, the importance of community engagement in a just transition, and how centering environmental justice can accelerate implementation of climate-friendly policies. This webinar will take place on April 26, 2024, from 12:30 – 1:45 p.m. EDT.

Event Registration

Superfund Research Program 2024 Progress in Research Webinar Series

The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) is hosting their 2024 Progress in Research webinar series, Emerging Technologies in Occupational Health and Safety, showcasing NIEHS SRP funded researchers developing curricula and educational programs focused on emergent technologies in the occupational health and safety. Over the three sessions, awardees will highlight their research projects, accomplishments, and demonstrate research products. Presenters include SRP grant recipients, a WTP grant recipient and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health.

Webinar Series Information and Registration

Study Makes Case for Including Mental Health Training in Apprentice Rule Updates

A recently published study argues that mental health training should be included in construction apprenticeship training. The study report, Making a Case for Requiring Mental Health Training in the Construction Industry: A Pilot Study, tracked knowledge and attitudes regarding mental health of participants in inclusive four pre-apprenticeship programs in St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri. The pilot study was based on the results of five polls asked to attendees throughout a presentation on mental health in the construction industry.

Construction Forum

Think Tank Lists 10 Strategies for Countering Rise in Child Labor Violations

State and local governments can play a critical role in protecting teens from workplace injury and death amid a nationwide surge in child labor law violations, a recently published report states. Citing data from the Department of Labor, the nonprofit think tank says child labor violations rose 88% between 2019 and 2023. The report’s authors lay out 10 strategies to deter and address the violations and describes policy approaches and notes already existing precedents for similar laws.

Safety + Health Magazine

Policies For States and Localities to Fight Oppressive Child Labor Report

The Role and Value of Women in Worker Safety

As Women's History Month and Women in Construction Week fall in March, OH&S’s SafetyPod examines the role of women in worker safety. The podcast guest discusses her experience in workplace safety, as well as the unique abilities and value that women bring to worker safety. Other topics discussed include how safety organizations are cultivating that value, and the future of women in workplace safety.

Occupational Health & Safety News Online [Author: David Kopf]

EPA Invites Applications to Serve on Advisory Council for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will be seeking applications to serve on the newly established Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions Advisory Council (HBCU-MSI AC). The HBCU-MSI Advisory Council will provide independent advice and recommendations on how HBCUs and MSIs can help identify any barriers to equal employment opportunity, nurture the next generation of environmental leaders, and ensure that these vital institutions of higher learning have the resources and support to thrive. EPA is soliciting applications to fill 15-20 vacancies on the HBCU-MSI AC from a variety of sectors including, but not limited to, representatives from business and industry, academia, non-governmental organizations, and local, county, and Tribal governments.

EPA News Release

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $6 Billion to Transform America's Industrial Sector, Strengthen Domestic Manufacturing, and Slash Planet-Warming Emissions

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $6 billion for 33 projects across more than 20 states to decarbonize energy-intensive industries, reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions, support good-paying union jobs, revitalize industrial communities, and strengthen the nation’s manufacturing competitiveness. The projects will create and maintain tens of thousands of high-quality jobs and help accelerate the commercial-scale demonstration of emerging industrial decarbonization technologies. They will focus on the highest emitting industries where decarbonization technologies will have the greatest impact, including aluminum and other metals, cement and concrete, chemicals and refining, iron and steel, and more.

DOE News Release

Department of Labor Announces Findings of February 2024 Impact Inspections Completed at 13 Mines with Histories of Repeated Safety, Health Violations

The Department of Labor (DOL) announced today that its Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) completed impact inspections at 13 mines in nine states in February 2024, identifying 207 violations. The agency began conducting impact inspections after an April 2010 explosion in West Virginia at the Upper Big Branch Mine killed 29 miners. MSHA’s impact inspections since 2023 identified 3,134 violations, including 885 significant and substantial, and 59 unwarrantable failure findings. The agency conducts impact inspections at mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to poor compliance history; previous accidents, injuries and illnesses; and other compliance concerns.

DOL News Release

NSC Ramps Up Fight Against Workplace Overdoses

The National Safety Council (NSC) has launched a new set of initiatives targeting opioid overdoses in the workplace. Overdoses account for nearly 10% of workplace fatalities and are the leading cause of unintentional death in the United States. These initiatives include a free e-learning course and a Workplace Wellbeing Hub. Additionally, the council is partnering with Emergent BioSolutions, the maker of NARCAN Nasal Spray, to provide access to the overdose reversal medication. Employers can purchase the medicine via NSC and have it delivered to their workplaces.

Safety + Health Magazine

Naloxone for Suspected Opioid Overdose eLearning

Workplace Wellbeing Hub

Worker’s Justice Project Seeking Director for Los Deliveristas Unidos

The Los Deliveristas Unidos (LDU) of the Worker’s Justice Project (WJP) organizes and advocates for app-based delivery workers in New York City. Their 65,000 app-based delivery workers transport billions of dollars of goods each year yet do not benefit from minimum wage or workplace safety protections because they are classified as independent contractors. The director of LDU will work to strengthen and lead WJP’s LDU team to build power for low-wage, immigrant workers in the app delivery industry. The director will oversee and manage all aspects of the LDU/deliveristas division, including health and safety, workforce development, and organizing programs that are core to fighting and winning stronger worker protections in the app-based delivery industry.

Job Posting

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