Weekly E-Newsbrief
September 30, 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 |
New video highlighting NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) disaster materials and booklets
The video is a simple and accessible way to increase awareness of WTP disaster preparedness and response materials and to share these resources during trainings and outreach with workers, trainers, and communities. Spanish version will be available soon.
WHO and ILO Call for New Measures to Tackle Mental Health Issues at Work
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have called for concrete action to address mental health concerns in the working population. Two new publications which aim to address this issue – WHO Guidelines on mental health at work and a derivative WHO/ILO policy brief.
Advocates Say Rules Protecting Outdoor Workers From Heat Aren't Being Enforced
Washington state implemented new rules to keep farm workers safer when temperatures rise. But some of those workers say the state agency charged with enforcement is too sympathetic to industry.
NPR [Reporter: Eilis O'Neill]
Environmental Groups Warn of Pollution Hazards as Hurricane Ian Approaches Florida
The polluted leftovers of Florida’s phosphate fertilizer mining industry, more than 1 billion tons in “stacks” that resemble enormous ponds, are at risk for leaks or other contamination when Hurricane Ian comes ashore in the state, environmental groups say.
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
The Future of Work: Implications for an Aging Workforce Webinar
Workplace norms, policies, and practices shape work and retirement pathways by increasing or constraining older workers’ agency in work-related decisions. These work practices define the employment relationship by establishing a set of conditions, such as pay, work schedule, benefits, the degree of job flexibility, training opportunities, and health and safety conditions. The event will be held on October 4, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
Injury Control Research Center Program 35-Year Anniversary Fireside Chat
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control funds Injury Control Research Centers (ICRCs) to study ways to prevent injuries and violence and to work with community partners to put research findings into action. The webinar features CDC’s Acting Principal Deputy Director Dr. Deb Houry along with current and former ICRC directors who will discuss their thoughts on the past, present, and future of the program. The event will be held on October 6, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. EDT.
Climate Change and Health: Session I - Reducing Exposures and Promoting Resilience
The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) is hosting a Risk e-Learning webinar series focused on scientific research and tools that can be used to promote health and resilience to climate change. The series will feature SRP-funded researchers, collaborators, and other subject-matter experts who aim to better understand and address how climate change affects human exposures to hazardous substances and the public health consequences of a changing climate and identify ways to build health resilience. The event will be held on October 7, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
Sparking Solutions: Reducing Risk at the Wildland-Urban Interface
Join Resources for the Future (RFF) for Sparking Solutions webinar series, where we will discuss the benefits and challenges of addressing the wildland-urban interface (WUI) problem. The session will touch on the costs and effectiveness of alternative approaches, including land use policies, building codes, landscaping ordinances, homeowner education programs, and more; examples of community success stories; and other potential creative solutions. The event will be held on October 12, 2022, at 3;00 p.m. EDT.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
COVID-19 Outbreaks and Mortality Among Public Transportation Workers — California, January 2020–May 2022
COVID-19 outbreak incidence and mortality rates are higher in public transportation industries in California compared with all industries combined. Workers in these industries have continued to report to work throughout the pandemic, and many have jobs involving close, frequent contact with coworkers and the public.
New Training Program Uses Virtual Reality Simulations to Address the Electrical Construction Skills Shortage
Transfr, a skills training platform best known for pioneering the use of virtual reality to simulate on-the-job training, announced the launch of a new package of simulations that harness the power of virtual and augmented reality to help organizations of all kinds create pathways to careers in electrical construction.
Photo story: Fighting Fire with forecasts
When there is a large wildfire, specially trained meteorologists with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service (NWS), called Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) are often deployed to the fire incident command post. IMETs provide critical fire weather information to wildfire management teams so they can map out the safest possible tactics for firefighters, while also generating immediate and short-term spot forecasts needed for fire suppression.
Podcast: Suicide in the Construction Industry
Men in construction are dying from suicide at roughly twice the rate of workers in all industries. Episode 10 explores the contributing factors, signs and symptoms, and actions that can be taken by individuals, companies, and communities to destigmatize the issue and help one another. Dr. John Gaal, worker wellness director for the Missouri Works Initiative (Mo AFL-CIO), shares his experience and recommendations from the perspective of someone with many years in the industry and who also lost his son to suicide. The original presentation took place as part of a The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) webinar, Preventing Suicide in the Construction Industry.
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions and Funding to Address the Overdose Epidemic and Support Recovery
The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), awarded nearly $1.5 billion to support states, tribal lands, and territories’ efforts to address the opioid crisis and support individuals in recovery. The funding will also allow states to increase investments in overdose education, peer support specialists in emergency departments, and allow states to invest in other strategies that will help save lives in hard-hit communities.
DOE: Consent-Based Siting Funding Opportunity Announcement
The Department of Energy (DOE) issued a $16 million funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to support community engagement with DOE’s consent-based siting activities. This funding will foster the development of innovative community ideas and feedback specific to siting one or more federal consolidated interim storage facilities for the nation’s spent nuclear fuel. Deadline to apply is December 19, 2022.
EPA Launches New National Office Dedicated to Advancing Environmental Justice and Civil Rights
The U.S. Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) announced that it is establishing a new national office charged with advancing environmental justice and civil rights. The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights will position the agency to better advance environmental justice, enforce civil rights laws in overburdened communities, and deliver new grants and technical assistance.
EPA and Forest Service Make Popular AirNow Fire and Smoke Map, Additional Wildfire Information, Available in Spanish
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service are making the popular AirNow Fire and Smoke Map available in Spanish as a pilot project to make important air quality resources accessible to Spanish-speaking people living in areas affected by wildfire smoke. Nearly 42 million people in the U.S. speak Spanish at home.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
WTP: What’s New
Stay up to date on new Worker Training Program (WTP) resources, training materials and announcements through the National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training.
Small Business Programs (SBIR/STTR) E-Learning for HAZMAT Program Awardees
The Worker Training Program awards SBIR grants to further the development of e-learning products that support the health and safety training of hazardous materials workers, emergency responders, and skilled support personnel.
How We Can Help When Natural Disasters Strike
When facilities are damaged or destroyed, work records may be compromised or unobtainable leading to missed payrolls. During the response and rebuilding phases of storm recovery, government contracts may be quickly filled. The requirements associated with federal contracts, such as the payment of prevailing wages and benefits, may not get adequate attention, leading to federal labor violations.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
UC Berkley SPH is Seeking an Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension - Climate Resilience and Labor
The Division of Environmental Health Sciences in the School of Public Health (SPH) at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, in partnership with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, invites applications from qualified individuals for the position of Assistant Cooperative Extension (CE) Specialist in Climate Resilience and Labor. Cooperative extension specialists (or professors of CE) conduct applied research, develop applications of research-based knowledge to specific problems, and plan/organize/participate in programs designed to educate CE academics and other clientele.
Veterans Health Administration is Seeking an Industrial Hygienist
The position will be responsible for planning and implementing comprehensive industrial hygiene programs at the West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System and assume a lead role in the development of industrial hygiene goals, policy, and procedural documentation.
| 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