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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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Stephen “Steve” Gregory Grant, Ph.D., a Principal Investigator at Nova Southern University, passed away on October 25, 2024, surrounded by family and friends. At Nova Southern University, Dr. Grant conducted important research on the effects of secondhand smoke on unborn children, and his work played a key role in advocating for laws that ban smoking in places frequented by pregnant women. A dedicated mentor, Dr. Grant was deeply passionate about teaching and took a personal interest in the success of students at all levels, from high school to graduate school. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Dr. Jean Latimer, and daughter, Schaefer Grant of Davie Florida.
Flowers in his memory may be sent to the Bonnet House (900 N. Birch Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304) on November 8, 2024. Donations in his memory may be sent to WLRN Public Radio.
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NIEHS staff and award recipients attended the American Public Health Association (APHA) Global annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they presented posters, participated in panel discussions, and received awards for their work improving occupational health and safety. WTP Occupational Health Analyst Eric Persaud, Dr. P.H., received the Eula Bringham award in the Occupational Health and Safety Section for Excellence in Occupational Health and Safety Education and Training.
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Fewer workers are dying from hazards in industries where the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has focused its enforcement resources. The DOL is mandated to investigate the causes of a certain number of worker deaths each year, including trench collapses and falls, two of the leading causes of death among construction industry workers. Preliminary agency data shows a decrease in fatalities. In fiscal year 2024, federal OSHA investigated 826 worker deaths, an 11% reduction from 928 worker deaths the previous year. Excluding COVID-related deaths, this is the lowest number of worker fatalities that OSHA has been mandated to investigate since fiscal year 2017.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released updated guidance on indoor air quality strategies for preventing the spread of common respiratory viruses in homes, schools, offices, and commercial buildings. EPA’s updated guidance reflects the latest science on indoor air quality strategies and recent ventilation recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The Lloyd’s Register Foundation, an independent global safety charity, published the results of its biennial World Risk Poll. The Foundation brought researchers from a management consulting and research company, Gallup, to conduct nearly 147,000 interviews in 142 countries and territories, asking workers about their experiences with and perceptions of harm on the job. Almost one out of five of the workers reported that they have endured serious harm on the job in the past two years; notably, 49% of such cases go unreported. Factors such as fear of reprisal, lack of management responsiveness, and obstacles in recordkeeping keep workers reluctant to report.
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Three community health workers in Huron, South Dakota, are employed by the Huron Regional Medical Center to help patients navigate the health system and address barriers, like poverty or unstable housing, that could keep them from getting care. Community health workers can also provide basic education on managing chronic health problems, such as diabetes or high cholesterol.
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Medicare regulators recently finalized rules to pay for some mental health apps, a breakthrough for digital therapeutics companies that have struggled for a foothold in the healthcare system. The new rule creates codes that allow clinicians to bill Medicare for providing the app and related services to their patients. Beginning in 2025, the codes will enable payment for mental health apps authorized by the Food and Drug Administration under a specific regulation that includes treatments for conditions like depression and substance use disorder.
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A hole that opens annually in the ozone layer over Earth’s southern pole was relatively small in 2024 compared to other years. According to scientists, the gradual recovery of the ozone layer shows that international efforts at curbing ozone-destroying chemicals are working. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) predict the ozone layer could fully recover by 2066.
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The Center for Construction Research and Training is hosting a webinar about the benefits and challenges of mentorship in the construction industry. This event will discuss and provide resources about how attendees can develop or improve a mentorship program within their union or construction company. The event will also discuss the role of mentorship in promoting social support, psychological health, safety, and wellbeing. The online webinar will take place November 19, 2024, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. ET.
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The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is hosting a webinar about protecting workplace rights. The online presentation will provide an overview of OFCCP laws, how to identify discrimination, and how to file a complaint with OFCCP. To learn more about protecting workplace rights, join the online webinar November 13, 2024, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET.
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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on Attribution of Extreme Weather and Climate Events and Their Impacts will host their first meeting in November. The committee will meet to discuss the update and expansion of the 2016 National Academies report, Attribution of Extreme Weather Events in the Context of Climate Change. contribute relevant context about the state of knowledge and discuss opportunities for this new study on extreme event attribution. The committee will hold an open session virtually November 14, 2024, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET.
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The Atlantic Center for Occupational Health in collaboration with Rutgers Center for Public Health Workforce Development is offering a training course about managing fire-related hazards in the construction industry. The training will discuss the key concepts of fire science, unique fire safety challenges, local and national regulatory requirements, overlooked fire hazards in workplaces, and basic fire prevention strategies in the workplace. The course will be hosted online on November 15, 2024, 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET.
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With the increasing intensity and frequency of climate-related natural disasters, more people across the country have experienced trauma and loss. Forest therapy, which invites people to connect with nature, could be a tool to help survivors recover, especially those who live and work in ecosystems adapted to and reliant on seasonal fires. It may be especially beneficial in addressing the broken human-nature relationships that have disrupted this cycle and left many afraid of fire.
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The latest estimate is that 106 million people do some kind of unpaid care for an adult in this country. But because family caregiving is not a public conversation, many of them feel invisible. Nearly half say they are lonely, more than twice the U.S. rate of 22%. Most assistance for family caregivers focuses on the needs of their loved ones, such as ways to retrofit the house for someone using a walker or help with paperwork. Resources aimed at the stressed-out caregiver are harder to find.
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A few miles outside Pullman, Washington, a remnant of the Palouse Prairie lies on a small hill, surrounded by undulating wheat fields. More than 100 plant species bloom at Whelan Cemetery, including pink prairie smoke, purple lupine, and yellow arrowleaf balsamroot. Beginning in the mid-1800s, settlers forced Indigenous peoples onto reservations and converted the prairie to cropland, but the soil remains rich with root matter from the plants that once grew here. Locals believe that it is possible to not only preserve what is left of the Palouse Prairie, but to bring it back – one front yard, school parking lot, and apartment complex at a time.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing payments this week to agricultural producers impacted by natural disasters, including $143 million in crop insurance indemnities for Florida producers impacted by Hurricane Milton and about $92 million for livestock producers nationwide who faced increased supplemental feed costs as a result of forage losses due to 2022 qualifying drought and wildfire.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a collaboration with Village of Franklin Park, Illinois, to help identify drinking water lead pipes, accelerate replacement of pipes, and protect public health. Franklin Park is participating in the EPA’s Get the Lead Out Initiative, which is funded entirely by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to help move the nation towards achieving 100% lead service line replacement.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Region 4 Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle joined the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben for a press event to highlight the award of a $7.7 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant emphasizing sustainable energy infrastructure, cleaner transportation, resiliency, and learning. With approximately 11,000 Tribal members and 2,300 residential units spread across Choctaw Tribal lands, these projects will directly impact 250 residences belonging to Tribal elders and disabled individuals, who face heightened risks during power outages.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Engineer position will provide guidance on in situ and ex situ treatment technologies and techniques to be used in the cleanup of hazardous materials and remediation at contaminated sites for hazardous wastes and oil. The position will serve as a member of the Environmental Response Team and will rapidly respond to environmental emergencies and uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Risk Assessor position will develop and implement novel and advanced scientific approaches within a national program related to the areas of risk assessment, in accordance with applicable EPA regulation and policy. This position will conduct, summarize, and interpret results of environmental, health, and risk analysis investigations and prepare complete reports of each study, including discussions of new approaches, techniques, or technology used.
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Past Issues of the e-Newsbrief and Other Information Is Available on the National Clearinghouse Website
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