Volume
5 Number 2 June 2007
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Volume
5 Number 2 June 2007 |
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Follow-up: NIOSH/OSHA Bulletin Available for Public Review and Comment NIOSH to Host Prevention through Design Workshop in July New Director Named for NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory |
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Utah Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center Established by State Statute |
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| r2p Corner NORA News From Our Partners Communication Products |
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Upcoming Events “Occupational and Environmental Exposures of Skin to Chemicals” "2007 Johnson Conference: Workplace Aerosol Sampling to Meet ISO Size-Selective Criteria" “3rd International Symposium on Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health” |
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“WorkLife 2007: Protecting and Promoting Worker Health Symposium” |
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The prevention of work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths is an imperative that transcends cultures, languages, and borders. Through the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international bodies, scientists and health professionals from different countries work together every day to achieve this common, globe-spanning goal. We in NIOSH are pleased to be part of this network of research, education, and outreach. By leveraging our expertise in partnership with colleagues abroad, we help to support this critical aspect of U.S. leadership in the global economy. At the same time, this investment of time and effort yields great dividends to our stakeholders domestically. In developing countries, where resources typically are scarce and local expertise is hard to come by, health and safety professionals have had to find new and ingenious ways to help fledgling industries build capacity. In the U.S., small businesses face a similar challenge in designing and using effective interventions when budgets are lean and expertise is not available in-house. Building on the lessons learned abroad, NIOSH and its partners are helping small employers to meet this challenge and, in the process, to improve their competitiveness and their profitability. These observations are by way of noting an international milestone that NIOSH helped to nurture. On May 22, the World Health Assembly, the supreme decision-making body for WHO, endorsed a Global Plan of Action on Workers’ Health. The Assembly’s resolution is of the utmost importance in motivating WHO’s member countries to action. WHO’s Global Network of Collaborating Centers in Occupational Health contributed to the development of the Global Plan, which builds on a long history of WHO leadership in international occupational safety and health. The Global Plan is significant because it positions WHO, the U.S., and our partners abroad to meet the challenges that we all face in the 21st Century. As the Collaborating Centers stated in a 2006 declaration that formed the basis for the historic Global Plan, “new employment patterns and rapidly changing working conditions present a challenge to the protection and promotion of the health and safety of workers. New global health threats pose an increased risk of epidemic and pandemic diseases.” In the words of the Collaborating Centers, the Global Plan provides a “way forward” to anticipate and meet the occupational health and safety needs associated with those enormous changes. As the Chair of the Global Network of Collaborating Centers, I am gratified that NIOSH helped to develop the Global Plan. I am equally proud that the Centers have already taken the next step to move the Global Plan from a declaration of action to a blueprint for action. In anticipating that the Global Plan would be endorsed, we and our colleagues have developed a work plan to implement the Global Plan, containing about 200 collaborative projects that are under way in six areas of activity critical to the success of the Global Plan. I look forward to updating you on future progress under the Global Plan. In the meantime, I invite you to read the Global Plan and the associated work plan at http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA60/A60_20-en.pdf, and to become familiar with other aspects of the NIOSH Global Collaborations Program at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/global. Please join me in congratulating WHO, NIOSH, and Collaborating Centers staff and their colleagues for their hard work in helping WHO to achieve this success. |
Follow-up: NIOSH/OSHA Bulletin Available for Public Review and Comment |
In the last issue of NIOSH eNews, we announced the release of a joint NIOSH and Occupational Safety and Health Administration Safety and Health Information Bulletin. We now invite the public to review and provide technical comments on the Bulletin for the protection of surgical personnel from needle stick injuries while using suture needles. Comments on the bulletin or any new data, research, or information on the topic will be accepted until July 27, 2007. Refer to the NIOSH Web page, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/106 for details. |
NIOSH and partners will hold a workshop on July 9-11 in Washington, DC, to launch a national initiative to promote the widespread adoption of Prevention through Design (PtD) principles. PtD can be defined as addressing occupational safety and health needs in the design process to prevent or minimize the work-related hazards and risks associated with the construction, manufacture, use, maintenance, and disposal of facilities, materials, and equipment. Further details on PtD and the workshop can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ptd. |
NIOSH is pleased to announce that Jürgen Brune will head the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory beginning August 1, 2007. Dr. Brune has extensive experience in the mining industry and has been a member of the NIOSH Pittsburgh Research Laboratory since 2004. Dr. Brune has been responsible for research in mine ventilation, mine rescue and response and on the prevention of mine fires and mine explosions. During the past year, he led PRL’s research effort in determining the design criteria for explosion resistant mine seals following the explosion disasters at the Sago and Darby mines. |
At the employer's request, NIOSH evaluated employee concerns about indoor environmental quality (IEQ) issues, including odors and dustiness, at the U.S. Department of the Interior's headquarters building in Washington, D.C. The building is undergoing extensive renovation and modernization. To help resolve the concerns, NIOSH recommended that demolition and construction areas be kept under negative pressure for the duration of the renovation project, and that other measures be taken to meet professional IEQ guidelines, maintain good housekeeping, and maintain good communication with employee about IEQ issues. |
| Mitch Singal, a long-time Medical Officer at NIOSH and a Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, died on May 2 from a fall near his home in Ann Arbor, MI. Mitch served in the NIOSH Hazard Evaluation and Technical Assistance Branch throughout his career and provided service to thousands of workers through the Health Hazard Evaluation Program. NIOSH extends deepest sympathy to Mitch’s family on their loss. |
Utah Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center Established by State Statute |
| In March 2007, the State of Utah statutorily established the Rocky Mountain Center (RMC) at the University of Utah as a center for education and research in occupational safety and health (OSH). This represents the first time an education and research center for OSH has been established by state law. RMC currently receives funding from NIOSH where it is one of the 16 federally-supported Education and Research Centers (ERC) in the U.S. The NIOSH ERCs provide needed academic and continuing education for OSH professionals as well as perform scientific research related to worker safety and health. More information on the RMC can be found at http://uuhsc.utah.edu/rmcoeh. |
NIOSH congratulates the following employees on receiving awards at the recent 2007 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Honor Awards Ceremony.
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| NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory will hold a public meeting to discuss a proposed total inward leakage (TIL) program for half-mask air-purifying particulate filtering respirator certification with plans to later include similar requirements for all respirator certifications. The meeting will be held June 26 in Pittsburgh, PA. More information about the meeting can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/resources/certpgmspt/meetings/062607/lttr-062607.html. |
"2007 National Institute for Farm Safety Conference" |
NORA Cross-Sector Council |
With funding from the National Toxicology Program, NIOSH scientists are investigating whether tungsten-oxide fibers are more persistent in the lung than non-fibrous tungsten-containing particles. Contact Aleksandr Stefaniak at AStefaniak@cdc.gov for details. Mark your calendars for the "4th National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS)," October 21-23, 2008 in Pittsburgh, PA. NOIRS is the only national symposium focusing solely on occupational traumatic injury research and prevention. Contact Nancy Stout at NStout@cdc.gov for more information and look for updates on the NOIRS Web page, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/noirs/noirsmain.html. Congratulations to Martha Waters for being awarded the 2007 American Industrial Hygiene Association Alice Hamilton Award. The award is presented annually to an outstanding woman who has made a lasting achievement in the field of occupational and environmental hygiene. NIOSH presented information on occupational silica exposure and avian and pandemic influenza to attendees of the "23rd Annual Kentucky Governor’s Safety and Health Conference and Expo" on May 8-11. From Italy to Arizona, NIOSH scientists are spanning the globe as invited lecturers on the topic of nanotoxicology. Numerous presentations were also given on the topic at the recent "Society of Toxicology Conference". Contact Vince Castranova VCastranova@cdc.gov for details. NIOSH is leading national research to develop a new generation of self-contained self-rescuers (SCSR) that will provide longer durations of air for miners trapped underground in mine emergencies. The dockable/hybrid SCSR will simplify the process of transferring from one breathing air device to another during a mine emergency. Learn more at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/researchprojects. |
NSC 2007 Research Poster Award Program |
NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Report: Evaluation of ergonomic risks for musculoskeletal disorders in the Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities Sector.
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“Occupational and Environmental Exposures of Skin to Chemicals” "2007 Johnson Conference: Workplace Aerosol Sampling to Meet ISO Size-Selective Criteria" “3rd International Symposium on Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health” “WorkLife 2007: Protecting and Promoting Worker Health Symposium” “International Roofing Expo 2008” |
NIOSH eNews on the Web: www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/
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Special topic pre- and post-meeting workshops will be offered in addition to the "WorkLife 2007: Protecting and Promoting Worker Health Symposium,"
September 10-11. For more information or to register for workshops and the symposium, go to 
“Arc Flash Awareness” – A DVD Video Module with Information and Discussion Topics for Electrical Workers, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-116D. 
“Blast Area Security” - A DVD Video Module with Video Transcript and Discussion Topics for Surface Miners. 
IC9496: “A Technology Review of Smart Sensors with Wireless Networks for Applications in Hazardous Work Environments” 
IC9494: “A User’s Guide for the Bplane, Bstepp, and Bwedge Computer Programs” 
“Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling” DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-131 
“NIOSH Bibliography of Communication and Research Products 2006” DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2007-125