Weekly E-Newsbrief
May 19, 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
| Top Stories | Back to Top |
2023 FOA - SBIR E-Learning for HAZMAT and Emergency Response (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications from small business concerns (SBCs) that propose to further the development of technology-enhanced training products for the health and safety training of hazardous materials (HAZMAT) workers. Technology-enhanced training products as defined by the Worker Training Program include, but are not limited to, supporting training through various venues such as online training, mobile device training, virtual reality, and serious gaming. Applications are due July 14, 2023.
Wildfire Awareness Month: How You Can Prepare
Due to climate change, wildfires are increasing in intensity and size, resulting in damaging economic, environmental, and community health impacts. May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and the Department of Energy (DOE) is shedding light on the damaging impact of wildfires, how to prevent them, and how to protect yourself this upcoming wildfire season. Also check out resources from WTP that are aimed at protecting the health and safety of those responding to wildfires.
Cops Say They're Being Poisoned by Fentanyl. Experts Say the Risk is 'Extremely Low'
Many police officers clearly believe fentanyl poses a significant risk. The synthetic opioid is powerful, killing tens of thousands of Americans every year. However, medical experts say it's difficult to get fentanyl into the body. That's why people addicted to the drug often smoke it or inject it using needles. Researchers also say the risk of fentanyl powder poisoning someone when it's airborne like dust is extremely low.
All Things Considered [Author: Brian Mann]
Mpox Outbreak "Not Over," Warns CDC, Amid "Ongoing Community Transmission"
America's mpox outbreak "is not over" and could see a resurgence over the coming months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, ramping up their warnings after reports of "ongoing community transmission" of the virus around the country.
CBS News [Author: Alexander Tin]
Black Communities Endured Wave of Excess Deaths in Past 2 Decades, Studies Find
America’s Black communities experienced an excess 1.6 million deaths compared with the White population during the past two decades, a staggering loss that comes at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars, according to two new studies that build on a generation of research into health disparities and inequity.
The Washington Post (subscription required) [Author: Akilah Johnson]
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
CPWR’s Foundations for Safety Leadership for Residential Construction (FSL4Res)
The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) recently adapted the Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) training program to create the Foundations for Safety Leadership for Residential Construction (FSL4Res). The FSL4Res is designed to meet the unique safety issues found in the residential construction sector, particularly fall hazards, which remain the sector’s major cause of workplace fatalities. The webinar will be held on May 30, 2023, 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Webinar Series: Accelerating Healthcare Sector Action on Climate Change and Health Equity
The Health Sector Climate Pledge marks just the beginning of increased federal and private sector action to address the harmful impacts of climate change on people living in the United States. The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) is committed to supporting organizations that have signed the pledge, as well as other interested groups, on their journeys to climate resilience and emissions reduction. The next event will be held on June 8, 2023, 12:00 p.m. EDT.
White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council
The White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) is interested in receiving public comments relevant to environmental justice activities, Justice40 Initiative, Climate and Economic Justice Screen Tool, Environmental Justice Scorecard, and EJ Resources and Tools that would be beneficial from federal agencies. Written comments can be submitted until June 20, 2023.
OSHA Encourages Stakeholders to Share Feedback on Effectiveness of Leading Indicators to Improve, Develop Resource Tool
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is asking for stakeholder input on their current use of leading indicators and their impact on managing their safety and health management systems. Leading indicators are proactive and preventive measures that can provide insight on the effectiveness of safety and health activities and reveal potential problems. Submit comments through regulations.gov (Docket No. OSHA-2023-0006) by July 17, 2023.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
On The Safe Side Podcast Episode 39: Workplace Violence Prevention and Heat Illness Awareness
In Episode 39, the Safety + Health team examines the May issue’s feature story on workplace violence prevention. Also, Cal/OSHA Heat and Agriculture Program Coordinator David Hornung discusses heat illness awareness in the “5 Questions With …” interview.
Students Drafted into Trade Apprenticeships
Construct Connect UP gives qualified high school seniors an outstanding academic education while instilling in them an understanding of the world of work and the skills necessary for competing in the construction industry. The program matches students with businesses where they get experience working in the skilled trades. The culmination of the pilot program came Friday when four students — three from Escanaba and one from Kingsford — took part in Draft Day where the students were “drafted” into building trades apprenticeships.
What Happens to People After a Disaster?
Explore stories of what happens once the TV cameras leave and the reality of rebuilding after a disaster. Readings include topics of grief, mental health, material loss, and displacement caused by disasters.
Yale Climate Connections [Author: Sueellen Campbell]
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
U.S. Department of Labor Will Make $15m In Funding Available to Support Training Needed to Access Good Jobs in High-Demand Careers
Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employment and Training Administration, the Critical Sectors Job Quality grants will enable organizations such as state and local workforce boards, labor unions, employers, tribal governments, and various other workforce organizations and intermediaries to pilot strategies for improving job quality and increasing the availability of good jobs. Specifically, these grants will support industry-led, worker-centered sector strategies built through labor-management partnerships. These partnerships will address equity, job quality, and worker voice as they design training models and prepare workers for family-supporting jobs.
New DOE Portal Connects Researchers and Students with Climate Science and Training Opportunities
The National Virtual Climate Laboratory (NVCL), a comprehensive web portal for climate science projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science’s Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program, is now available. The NVCL is a portal for those who have a stake in the climate crisis, such as researchers, students, faculty, and other interested organizations. Portal users will be able to find a wide range of national laboratory experts, programs, projects, activities, and user facilities that are engaged in climate research across the BER portfolio.
Biden-Harris Administration Makes Historic, $11 Billion Investment to Advance Clean Energy Across Rural America Through Investing in America Agenda
Funding is available through two programs under President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which makes the nation’s largest-ever investment in combatting the climate crisis. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be opening a Letter of Interest process for the Empowering Rural America (“New ERA”) program, which makes $9.7 billion available to eligible rural electric cooperatives to deploy renewable energy systems, zero-emission and carbon capture systems.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
DSCEJ Unveils Updated Maps Showing Cancer Alley’s Impact on Black Communities
The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) released a new report titled “The More Things Change, the More They Remain The Same: Living and Dying in Cancer Alley” updating the organization’s' 1990 mapping project that illustrates toxic pollution in relation to poverty and minority populations in the Mississippi River Chemical Corridor, also known as Cancer Alley.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
Health and Safety Advocate
This position performs a wide variety of analyses involving health and safety policy issues at the federal, state, and local levels; assists and advises affiliates when unsafe or unhealthy situations exist, in the event of work-related illnesses or injuries, during organizing campaigns and other union activities; and leads training activities. Areas of focus, inquiry, and research include, but are not limited to biological hazards, workplace exposure to infectious diseases, safety problems, physical hazards, general health and safety issues, illness and injury data, handling and storage of chemicals, laws and regulations, protective contract language, and health and safety committees.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
We Want Your Feedback
What kinds of stories or other content would make this newsletter especially valuable to you?
Send your ideas for this newsletter to: wetpclear@niehs.nih.gov
To go back and subscribe to the newsletter, click here
Back issues of our Newsbrief are available at our archives page