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The E-Newsbrief of the National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training is a free weekly newsletter focusing on new developments in the world of worker health and safety.
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The report for the fall 2023 WTP workshop, A Pulse on the Nation's Workforce: Addressing the Implications of Emerging Hazards, Careers, and Technologies, is now available on the WTP website. The workshop focused on challenges that exist in developing and equipping the workforce and strategies to enhance training models and addressed the implications of clean energy and new technologies in the workplace.
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The WTP resource, Building Blocks for a Heat Stress Prevention Training Program, has been added to HEAT.gov under the “Planning & Preparing” page in the “For Employers” section. The resource can help identify and implement steps needed to reduce the risk of heat stress for workers in indoor and outdoor environments.
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As the climate crisis intensifies and shatters heat records, emergency rooms across the country are filling up with heat-sick patients. Heat is the deadliest weather disaster, killing more people each year than hurricanes, floods and earthquakes combined. Children, elderly and pregnant people, outdoor workers, and those with chronic medical conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure are the most vulnerable to heat stress. Officials recorded nearly 120,000 heat-related emergency room visits in 2023 alone, a “substantial” increase from previous years. Health workers say that heat is straining emergency rooms that are already understaffed, overcrowded and still grappling with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Wildfire season is here again, and where there’s fire, there’s smoke, which can be as deadly as the flames themselves. Recently, a group of scientists sought to quantify the long-term outcomes of smoke exposure from California wildfires between 2008 and 2018. They estimated that up to 55,710 premature deaths were attributable to wildfire-related PM2.5 in the air. High-risk groups to wildfire smoke include pregnant women, children, adults with asthma and COPD, over 65 years old, and outdoor workers. The easiest way to monitor conditions is to check the Air Quality Index (AQI) and avoid going outdoors without an N95 mask if the AQI is above 150.
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A new study lends weight to fears that more livestock workers have gotten the bird flu than has been reported. As bird flu cases go underreported, health officials risk being slow to notice if the virus were to become more contagious. A large surge of infections outside of farmworker communities would trigger the government’s flu surveillance system, but by then it might be too late to contain. New research is the first to look for signs of prior, undiagnosed infections in people who had been exposed to sick dairy cattle, and who had become ill and recovered. Although small, the study gives fresh urgency to reports of undiagnosed ailments among farmworkers and veterinarians.
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More than four out of five workers are willing to try safety technologies, a new research report from the Work to Zero initiative at the National Safety Council (NSC) shows. NSC researchers surveyed 500 employers and 1,000 workers to collect data on the top hazards and associated risks in workplaces. Most employers and workers agreed that fatigue is a likely exposure risk. Eighty-three percent of the workers agreed that they’re open to trying and using new safety technologies. Workplace hazards are constantly evolving as job demands change, which is why it’s critical to regularly assess industry risks to better understand trends and find the right solutions.
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The Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the results of the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which shows how people living in the United States reported their experience with mental health conditions, substance use and pursuit of treatment. The 2023 NSDUH report includes selected estimates by race, ethnicity and age group. The NSDUH measures include use of illegal drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, and tobacco; substance use disorder and substance use treatment; major depressive episodes, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and other symptoms of mental illness, mental health care; and recovery from substance use and mental health disorders.
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The Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor is hosting a webinar that aims to educate working mothers, advocates, and employers about rights, resources, and avenues for support under current labor laws and policies. Key topics include rights related to family leave and flexible work arrangements, breastfeeding and lactation accommodations, and discrimination protections and resources for working mothers. The webinar will take place on August 8, 2024, from 5 – 6 p.m. EDT.
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Bridge life cycle and performance under earthquakes are critically impacted by the effects of climate change phenomena such as sea level rise, tsunamis, and permafrost degradation. This webinar will discuss the impacts and mitigation of climate change effects on the ability of bridges to resist seismic demands. Presenters will provide strategies and recommendations to address impacts. The webinar is based on Special Report 290: Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transportation, and will take place on August 20, 2024, from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. EDT.
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The Rutgers Center for Public Health Workforce Development, a WTP grant recipient, is hosting a webinar on the inhalation transmission of infectious diseases. They will discuss scientific developments and how they apply to and protect healthcare workers, steps to promote the recognition of inhalation transmission in healthcare facilities, and define infection control terminology, among other topics. The webinar will take place on September 18, 2024, from 12 – 3 p.m. EDT.
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A growing population of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) over 55 face unique challenges and opportunities for healthy aging. Researchers recently hosted a community listening session with AI/AN Elders from the Pacific Northwest, Southwest, and other regions in partnership with the National Indian Council on Aging that identified a range of barriers to Elders receiving necessary social support and care for aging-related diseases. Study participants cited an urgent need for more comprehensive and culturally informed services.
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In Texas, prison officials say that heat has not killed any inmates since 2012, but newly released autopsies show that high temperatures behind bars likely contributed to several deaths just last summer. The NPR newsroom in Texas recently obtained the autopsies of nine inmates who are named in a lawsuit against the state. At least three mention heat as a possible contributing factor in their deaths, but Texas prison officials reject that explanation. Even as climate change makes summers here hotter and hotter, two-thirds of state prisons aren't fully air-conditioned. Two of the prisoners who died last year had core body temperatures of more than 100 degrees, according to their autopsies.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army announced a joint project to conduct sampling and testing of private drinking water wells located near Army installations for the presence of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This effort will inform Army remedial actions if results indicate that PFAS is found in drinking water, because PFAS contamination has spread and may potentially be impacting the drinking water wells of nearby residents. EPA and the Army are working in partnership to identify next steps to ensure the public remains safe from exposure to PFAS potentially originating from these installations.
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The Department of Energy (DOE) announced $33 million for nine projects across seven states to advance concentrating solar-thermal (CST) systems technologies for solar fuel production and long-duration energy storage. The availability of solar fuels and clean hydrogen will help reduce dependency on fossil-fuel based resources such as feedstocks for fuels, chemicals, and other materials made from petroleum. The projects announced today will also support DOE’s efforts to kickstart a strong, domestic clean hydrogen industry by advancing lower cost methods of producing hydrogen.
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The Biden-Harris Administration has released a first-of-its kind government-wide Environmental Justice Science, Data, and Research Plan. The plan was created to support federal agencies in the advancement of environmental justice. It features high level recommendations for identifying and addressing longstanding gaps, barriers, and missing science, data, and research relevant to environmental justice. Key recommendations of the Environmental Justice Subcommittee include enhancing meaningful involvement and engagement of the public, strengthening work and partnership with non-federal entities, institutionalizing environmental justice, and fortifying just treatment, equitable access, and protection from environmental injustice.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act to safeguard public health and protect consumers and workers, with this latest proposal focused on the solvent 1-bromopropane (1-BP). Exposure to this chemical can cause serious health effects such as skin, lung, and intestinal cancer; damage to the liver, kidneys, and nervous system; and effects on the reproductive systems that lead to reduced fertility. 1-BP is a solvent that is widely used in cleaning and degreasing operations, spray adhesives, dry cleaning, insulation for building and construction materials, and in the manufacture of other chemicals. Consumer uses of 1-BP include aerosol degreasers, spot cleaners, stain removers and insulation.
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The American Chemical Society (ACS) has named 37 members as ACS Fellows for 2024. Robert Wingfield, former program director for the Midwest Consortium for Hazardous Waste Worker Training Fisk University training center has been named an ACS Fellow. The fellows program began in 2009 to recognize and honor ACS members for outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession and ACS.
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National Nurses United (NNU) seeks a health and safety representative for a position based in either the Los Angeles or San Francisco Bay Area. NNU is the nation’s largest union and professional association for nurses and leads the bedside nurses’ movement to transform the market-driven health care industry in the United States into a health care system driven by patient needs. The health and safety representative will serve as a general resource on work-related health and safety issues, appropriate and effective employer prevention measures, and occupational and environmental health advocacy issues for the organization.
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The National Roofing Contractors Association is seeking an experienced safety professional to help grow and advance new safety initiatives to support members in their efforts to reduce injuries and promote enhanced safety for their workforces. The director of safety and risk management will be responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive safety and risk management strategies across the organization and assisting and supporting member contractors’ efforts in developing and implementing effective safety and risk management programs.
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The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ), a WTP grant recipient, is looking to fill multiple positions. The DSCEJ provides opportunities for communities, scientific researchers, and decision makers to collaborate on projects that promote the rights of all people to be free from environmental harm as it impacts health, jobs, housing, education, and quality of life. They are hiring a development and grants coordinator, an assistant director of training, and a program manager for their Environmental Career Worker Training Program. All positions are located in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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