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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 post-workshop webpage for the Worker Training Program (WTP) Disaster Supplement Year 2 Meeting: Promoting Health, Safety, and Recovery Training Following Declared Disasters in 2022, which took place Sept. 4-5 in Wilmington, North Carolina, is now available on the WTP website. The page contains meeting information, agendas, and presentations.
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Across the country, drought, higher temperatures, and changing precipitation patterns have made fires larger, more frequent, and more intense. These changes are particularly concerning in the Southeast, where many of the region’s approximately 90 million residents live in proximity to the wildland-urban interface, where nature meets development. Research shows that low-intensity controlled burns — which Tribes have traditionally used to promote healthy ecosystems and clear brush and tinder — can reduce wildfires by 64% the following year. Controlled burns, coupled with thinning — another Indigenous technique involving selective clearing of smaller trees and underbrush — reduce the severity, intensity, and tree mortality of wildfires.
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New videos from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) feature safe practices for workers tasked with cleaning up after a flood or using portable generators. The agency warns that water cooler than 75 F will remove body heat faster than it can be replaced. To prevent hypothermia, employers should allow workers to take breaks in warm areas, consume warm food and drinks, and wear appropriate personal protective equipment. For portable generators, only use them outside and at least 20 feet away from any doors, windows, or vents to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
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New research suggests that lasting damage from storms like Hurricane Milton could result in thousands of additional deaths in future years, particularly among elderly people and infants. Researchers studied 500 tropical cyclones — rotating storms that include hurricanes — over the past 100 years and found a rising trend in the death rate shortly after a hurricane that continued for about 15 years. The trend was most pronounced in communities experiencing the worst damage, which were largely communities of color.
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Accessing methadone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, should be easier today than it has been in decades. In April, the federal government relaxed some of the rules around the treatment, but many patients are still not benefiting from those changes. Under old rules, patients who wanted methadone had to visit a clinic once a day for 90 days. Under the new rules, patients still must travel to clinics, but if they meet certain criteria, they can bring home weeks’ worth of treatment home and engage in counseling via telehealth. Additionally, providers have more flexibility to prescribe individual doses. The federal government also added guardrails to limit abuse and black-market sales.
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The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need for workforce awareness level training for infectious disease outbreaks. Researchers created and evaluated a training program modified from various existing programs that provide strategies for emergency preparedness as well as worker health and safety during a disease outbreak. Participants completed 1 of 15 instructor-led synchronous online training modules for infectious disease awareness, transmission, and control measures. Results indicated that the trainings effectively closed prior knowledge gaps and will likely improve protection of the workforce during infectious disease outbreaks.
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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Board on Human-Systems Integration is hosting a webinar that will delve into the crucial aspects of safety culture and risk abatement across four key industries: health care, mine safety, offshore oil and gas, and transportation. The event will explore how social and behavioral sciences can advance safety, and what frameworks are needed to analyze the effects of workplace conditions on safety behaviors. Key topics will include overcoming barriers, enhancing research on process safety management and risk, and defining the role of leadership in safety compliance. The webinar will take place October 29, 2024, 1-2:30 p.m. ET.
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This webinar will explore effective strategies to motivate workers, enhance engagement, and collaborate with the workforce to improve safety. Participants will learn practical techniques that to implement immediately to boost engagement, reduce risk, and increase positive recognition for the team. It will take place November21, 2024, 1-2 p.m. ET.
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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Transportation Research Board (TRB) is hosting a webinar that will provide a holistic overview of the mobility challenges of people with sensory disabilities (e.g., disabilities related to vision, hearing, spatial awareness, etc.) in emergency situations. The event will cover practical planning practices to enhance emergency preparedness, accessible and inclusive communications, and strategies to secure organizational support. The webinar will take place November 26, 2024, Noon-1:30 p.m. ET.
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The Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (P2R) Consortium, a WTP award recipient, has a training resource that covers infectious pathogens, or disease-causing organisms and viruses, found in flood waters, electrical safety, and mold remediation. The free, self-paced course can be completed through Indiana University’s Portal to Professional Education, and participants can elect to receive a certificate of completion.
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A new YouTube video from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a WTP award recipient, and the United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) features trainers at Teamsters Local Union (TLU) 519, Knoxville, on flood relief efforts in Tennessee. The trainers at TLU 519 conduct training for workers at UCOR Oak Ridge National Lab and are partnering with UPS and UCOR to assist communities affected by Hurricane Helene in rural Tennessee.
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A recovery ready workplace (RRW) aims to break down barriers that deter employees with substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health challenges from seeking help. RRWs are committed to making foundational changes in the way employers hire, treat, and support workers living in or seeking recovery. RRW moves from a “zero tolerance” policy, emphasizing disciplinary action for SUD, to a “recovery” policy, emphasizing help, hope, and realizing the economic potential of healthy employees.
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Earlier in 2024, wildfires raged near the town of Ruidoso, New Mexico, destroying more than a thousand buildings and killing two people. After the fires, weeks of relentless rain rushed off the charred landscape, flooding the town and causing even more damage and danger to residents. Wildfires destroy vegetation and coat the soil with a waxy surface, preventing water from seeping into the ground and increasing runoff. When rain hits a burn scar, that water can quickly rush downhill while picking up dirt and debris, creating dangerous floods within mere minutes.
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A California bill indicates that by July 2027, workplace first aid kits must contain a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat opioid overdoses, such as naloxone hydrochloride. The bill’s sponsor claims the law will rapidly increase naloxone accessibility and is a necessary response to the increase of fentanyl entering the state illegally. The National Safety Council commends California lawmakers for taking proactive measures to make workplaces and communities across California safer.
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The Solidarity Center is seeking proposals from qualified applicants to conduct an evaluation of a portfolio of U.S. government-funded international labor programs and their associated strategic program frameworks. The evaluation will focus on the role of workers, worker organizations, and trade unions, and will incorporate insights from key stakeholders, including solidarity advocates and activists, program practitioners, and funding organizations, among others. The center will use the evaluation to produce an evidence-based strategic framework for the labor portfolio and its linkages to building democracy and expanding human rights protections.
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The Department of Labor (DOL) announced the approval of up to $10 million in initial emergency grant funding to North Carolina to support disaster-relief jobs and training services in 25 counties in response to Hurricane Helene. The category-4 storm made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 and quickly moved inland, pushing through Georgia and the Carolinas as a tropical storm. The National Dislocated Worker Grant allows the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Solutions to provide people with temporary disaster-relief jobs for cleanup and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to address immediate, basic needs for those displaced by Hurricane Helene.
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Following storm damage from Hurricane Helene at Baxter International Inc.’s facility in North Carolina, the Biden-Harris Administration continues taking action to support access to IV fluids, including ensuring restoration of key production sites, protecting products, and opening imports, in partnership with manufacturers, distributors, hospitals, and other stakeholders. As a result of these steps, hospitals have 50% more product available to them this week compared to last, and access is expected to continue to increase in coming weeks. Baxter expects to restart North Cove production in phases and further increase allocations of certain intravenous solution product codes to 90%-100% of customers by the end of the year.
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The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released expanded guidance for animal slaughtering and processing industry inspections, superseding previous guidance that applied only to poultry establishments. The goal of the updated Inspection Guidance for Animal Slaughtering and Processing Establishments is to significantly reduce injuries and illnesses that result from occupational hazards through a combination of enforcement, compliance assistance, and outreach. According to employer-reported data, meat and poultry workers suffer serious injuries at double the rate of other workers. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupational illness cases reported in the animal slaughtering and processing industry were six times higher than the average for all industries in 2022.
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The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a Spanish version of its training course on keeping workers safe in confined spaces. The two-hour course features information on protecting workers from confined space-related hazards, requirements for safely working in these spaces, and ways to improve safety. It includes an explanation of permit-required confined spaces, along with details about equipment, rescue, and training requirements.
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Occupational Services, Inc. is seeking a full-time industrial hygienist in the San Diego area. Job responsibilities include performing industrial hygiene exposure monitoring, conducting qualitative risk assessments, performing ergonomic assessments, and delivering safety training presentations, among others.
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