NIOSH eNews Web page

4^th Anniversary of NIOSH eNews
As we celebrate the 4th anniversary of NIOSH eNews, we want to thank you, our readers, for your continued interest. We value your input and do our best to be responsive to your ideas and suggestions. As we look ahead to future issues, we invite you to share your thoughts on how we can continue to meet your needs.

• What do you like about eNews?
• What would you like to see changed in eNews?
• What topics or issues would you like for us to address?

Please share your thoughts and ideas by emailing us at NIOSHeNews@cdc.gov. We look forward to hearing from you!

MMWR Observes Workers Memorial Day 2007
Features articles on lung disease, nonfatal injuries and illnesses, lead exposure.

NIOSH Recognizes Excellence and Dedication in Occupational Safety and Health Research
Annual awards ceremony honors breadth of NIOSH research.

In Memoriam: Dr. Kevin Granata
Longtime NIOSH grantee remembered as one of the best in his field.

Two Research Articles Address Obesity and the Workplace
Scientists examine implications for occupational safety and health.

Public Comments Accepted for Endicott-Study Draft Feasibility Report, Draft Asbestos Research Roadmap
Endicott-Study Draft Feasibility Report: Deadline May 28
Draft Asbestos Research Roadmap: Deadline May 31

Notice of Public Meeting
Safety and health in the horse racing industry and best practices

NIOSH, OSHA Issue Safety Bulletin on Blunt-Tip Needles
Agencies recommend use of blunt-tip needles to reduce risk of needle stick injuries.

NIOSH-Developed System Targets Fire Prevention and Suppression in Mining Equipment Cabs

MMWR: Nail-Gun Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments

Join the NIOSH Director at the “AIHce Morning Show”
Annual “American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo” set for June 2-7 in Philadelphia.

Latest Numbers from the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL)

The NIOSH Docket

Launch of New CDC Homepage
Check out the redesigned workplace safety and health page.

Early Registration for WorkLife 2007
Register now!

Awards and Recognition

r2p Corner
National Safety Council Webinar

NIOSH and EPA MOU

NORA
What’s Happening in NORA?

News From Our Partners
Partners Release Handbook for Criminal and Epidemiological Investigations

Youth Job Safety Campaign Focuses on Construction

Communication Products
NIOSH has released the following new publications:

NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Reports

Upcoming Events
“ASSE Professional Development Conference - Safety 2007”

“NSTI Nanotech 2007”

“Occupational and Environmental Exposures of Skin to Chemicals”

"2007 Johnson Conference: Workplace Aerosol Sampling to Meet ISO Size-Selective Criteria"

“3^rd International Symposium on Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health”

“WorkLife 2007: Protecting and Promoting Worker Health Symposium”

“International Roofing Expo 2008”

Word of the Month
Dual Cab Fire-Inerting System

 From the Director's Desk

One of NIOSH’s priorities has always been good communication in various meanings of the term. From the time we opened shop in 1971, we have prided ourselves on our vigorous development and dissemination of scientific information – the one-way street of communication, if you will. We have been equally proud of our record in fostering and maintaining a dialogue with an ever-expanding audience of stakeholders on the parallel, two-way avenue of interaction.

For the first 25 years of our existence, we relied on the instruments available at the time: the printing press, the hard-wire telephone, and the face-to-face meeting. Then came the Information Revolution. Having become accustomed so quickly to Web sites, cell phones, blogs, memory sticks, and other fixtures of modern communication, it is sometimes difficult to realize that many of these standbys have been around for less than a decade.

Thanks to this explosion of capabilities, communication can engage more people more effectively than ever before. We in NIOSH have tried to take advantage of those opportunities to better serve our partners in occupational safety and health. This month’s issue of eNews points up some examples:

• Thanks to the computer technology underlying NIOSH eNews, we can keep you updated regularly on new developments at NIOSH with an electronic bulletin that comes directly to your desktop. This month marks the fourth anniversary of eNews, and as we note elsewhere in this issue, we welcome your suggestions for keeping this Web-based bulletin fresh and engaging.
  
  
• The word “docket” summons an image of heavy, bulging binders on a bookshelf, but NIOSH has overhauled its docket room for the 21^st Century. We are now providing on-line access to many of our docket materials, with more to be added.
  
  
• With Web-based seminars, the size of an audience is no longer limited by the size of a room. More information follows elsewhere in this issue about an upcoming “Webinar” that teams the National Safety Council and NIOSH.

In times past, the flow of information usually ceased for the day when the printing press was shut down, the lights in the office were turned off for the night, and everybody went home. Thanks to modern technology, communication from and with NIOSH is no longer limited by circumstances to eight hours a day, five days a week. It is 24/7.

As also noted elsewhere in this issue, NIOSH lost a valued colleague in last month’s tragedy at Virginia Tech. Dr. Kevin Granata was a respected scientist and a good friend of NIOSH. As an instructor, a mentor, an innovator, and an internationally recognized expert in biomechanics, he was a shining light of our professional community. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family and associates.

 MMWR Observes Workers Memorial Day 2007

In observance of Workers Memorial Day, April 28, the latest issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) highlights new data from NIOSH research in three areas: lung disease among flavor-manufacturing workers, nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses, and lead exposure among women of childbearing age. The April 27 issue can be viewed at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5616.pdf.

 NIOSH Recognizes Excellence and Dedication in Occupational Safety and Health Research

On May 1, NIOSH presented the annual Alice Hamilton Award, James P. Keogh Award, and Bullard-Sherwood Research-to-Practice Award.

• The Alice Hamilton Award was presented to NIOSH technical products of superior scientific merit in 2006 in four categories. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hamilton.
  
  
• The James P. Keogh Award for Outstanding Service in Occupational Safety and Health was presented to Dr. Steven Sauter. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hamilton/keoaward.html.
  
  
• Winners of the Bullard-Sherwood Research-to-Practice Award were selected for their outstanding contributions in three categories. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hamilton/bullard-sherwood.html.
  

 In Memoriam: Dr. Kevin Granata

NIOSH remembers Dr. Kevin Granata, Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Tech. Dr. Granata was one of 32 victims of the April 16 shootings. Professor Granata was a NIOSH research grantee for over 10 years and his research focused on the biomechanics of lifting, including the effects of posture, spinal cord stability, and exercise on the risk for occupational lower back injuries. One of the chief findings from his research was that the benefit of exercise for reducing injuries is related to an improvement in neuromuscular control and spinal stability, a valuable finding for the development of personal and industry-sponsored exercise programs intended to reduce lower back disorders. NIOSH honors Dr. Granata for his contributions to reducing occupational injuries and for his heroic actions on that day to save his students. To read more about Dr. Granata’s outstanding career, visit the VT Web page, http://www.esm.vt.edu/php/newsItem.php?item=151.

 Two Research Articles Address Obesity and the Workplace

“Work, Obesity, and Public Health” discusses key areas in which work, obesity and occupational safety and health may intersect, based on available scientific evidence, and highlights the ethical, legal, and social issues related to the topic. The article, co-authored by 11 NIOSH scientists and one external partner, appears in the March 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/full/97/3/428.

Results from a NIOSH-funded study by Duke University researchers of the relationship between obesity and workers’ compensation claims and costs appear in the April 2007 Archives of Internal Medicine. http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/167/8/766.

 Public Comments Accepted for Endicott-Study Draft Feasibility Report, Draft Asbestos Research
 Roadmap

Endicott-Study Draft Feasibility Report: Deadline May 28
NIOSH is inviting public comment by May 28 on a draft report addressing the scientific feasibility of conducting a cancer study among former employees of an IBM facility in Endicott, N.Y. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/103/default.html.

Draft Asbestos Research Roadmap: Deadline May 31
A reminder: NIOSH will accept public comments on the draft document, Asbestos and Other Mineral Fibers: A Roadmap for Scientific Research, until 5:00 p.m., EDT, May 31. NIOSH is encouraging public comment through the Web page, and through a May 4 public meeting. The draft document and contact information for sending comments by email, fax, and mail are available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/099/.

 Notice of Public Meeting

 NIOSH, OSHA Issue Safety Bulletin on Blunt-Tip Needles

 NIOSH-Developed System Targets Fire Prevention and Suppression in Mining Equipment Cabs

NIOSH has partnered with industry to develop a dual cab fire-inerting system to prevent and suppress mining equipment cab fires. The system is currently in production by Ansul Co. (Reference to a company name or product does not constitute a commercial endorsement by NIOSH.) More details about the technology are available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/pubs/pubreference/outputid2288.htm, or by contacting Maria DeRosa, NIOSH (MDerosa@cdc.gov).

 MMWR: Nail-Gun Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments

 Join the NIOSH Director at the “AIHce Morning Show”

Attendees of the “2007 American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce)” will have the opportunity to participate in the “AIHce Morning Show.” During this unique general session, NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D., and Edwin Foulke, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, will answer attendees’ question. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions to aihcemorningshow@aiha.org by May 7.

While attending the “AIHce Expo 2007,” be sure to check out the NIOSH pavilion featuring audiology demonstrations (#1335) and the NIOSH exhibit booth (#1329) for the latest safety information. For more information on AIHce, visit http://www.aiha.org/Content/CE/aihce.

 Latest Numbers from the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL)

 The NIOSH Docket

NIOSH has developed a new NIOSH Web page for the NIOSH Docket, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket. The Docket is a repository of NIOSH policy products, including Federal Register Notices, transcripts of public meetings and external peer review comments.

 Launch of New CDC Homepage

 Early Registration for WorkLife 2007

 Awards and Recognition

NIOSH congratulates the following employees on their recent accomplishments:

• Kim Clough-Thomas had the winning logo design for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Energy Program. Kim is a Visual Information Specialist in the NIOSH Health Effects Laboratory Division.
  
  
• The journal article, "Causes and Prevention of Symptom Complaints in Office Buildings: Distilling the Experience of Indoor Environmental Quality Investigators," was selected as a Highly Commended Paper winner at the 2007 Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence. The article was co-authored by Ken Wallingford of the Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies.
  
  
• John L. McKernan of the Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies was selected as the recipient of the 2007 U.S. Public Health Service’s Edward (Ted) Moran Award for the Environmental Health Category.
  
  
• Mark Methner of the Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies was selected as the 2007 Public Health Service Young Scientist of the Year for the Scientist Category.
  

 r2p Corner

NIOSH and EPA MOU
To advance research concerning environmental microbiology in the area of Homeland Security, NIOSH and the National Homeland Security Research Center of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on February 20 to work collaboratively. To learn more about this MOU contact Ken Martinez at KMartinez@cdc.gov.

 NORA

 News From Our Partners

Partners Release Handbook for Criminal and Epidemiological Investigations
A new handbook will assist public health and law enforcement personnel in understanding each other’s information requirements and investigation procedures during an epidemiological or criminal terrorist investigation. The “Criminal and Epidemiological Investigation Handbook” is a joint effort by CDC, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Army Soldier Biological Chemical Command. http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/docs/CrimEpiHandbook2006.pdf.

Youth Job Safety Campaign Focuses on Construction
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., and key construction industry stakeholders launched the agency's 2007 Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign (http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=14107) during an April 17 event at Thomas Edison High School of Technology in Silver Spring, Md. Now in the second year of a five-year campaign, OSHA is striving to reduce work-related injuries among teenagers by teaching them on-the-job safety early in their careers. This year’s campaign focuses on construction. More details and resources are available online at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/teenworkers/construction/index.html.

 Communication Products

NIOSH has released the following new publications:

• Technology News 511, “Development of a Mobile Manipulator to Reduce Lifting Accidents” [DHHS (NIOSH) Pub. No. 2007-111] http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/pubs/pubreference/outputid2208.htm.
  
  
• “Truck Driver Occupational Safety and Health-2003 Conference Report and Selective Literature Review” [DHHS (NIOSH) Pub. No. 2007-120] http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-120.

NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Reports
The Service Sector

• Work stress. NIOSH responded to a request from management and union representatives to evaluate work in a 911 emergency response and dispatch center. NIOSH recommended improving supervisory training, enhancing working relationships among different groups of employees, and further evaluation of job satisfaction. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/1997-0137-3026.pdf.
  
  
• Polychlorinated biphenyls and metals exposure. NIOSH responded to a request from employees at a facility that recycles transformers. NIOSH recommended changes to engineering and work processes and providing personal protective equipment. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2006-0006-3039.pdf.

The Manufacturing Sector

• Chemical exposures. NIOSH responded to a union request to evaluate various exposures at a plant manufacturing steel bars and coils. NIOSH recommended engineering improvements, hearing conservation and other medical surveillance programs, and other changes to better protect the health of employees. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2003-0175-3033.pdf.
  
  
• Sudden hearing loss. NIOSH responded to an employee request to investigate the occurrence of sudden hearing loss in one ear among three employees. NIOSH did not identify any workplace exposure that could explain the sudden hearing loss, which was more likely viral in origin. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2005-0188-3038.pdf.

The Health Care and Social Assistance Sector

• Indoor environmental quality. NIOSH responded to a union request to evaluate concerns at a medical center and methadone clinic. NIOSH recommended improving ventilation to correct identified deficiencies and implementing a violence prevention program. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2003-0205-3032.pdf.
  
  

 Upcoming Events

“ASSE Professional Development Conference - Safety 2007”
The conference will be held June 21-27 in Orlando, FL. http://www.asse.org/education/pdc/.

“NSTI Nanotech 2007”
The conference will be held May 20-24 in Santa Clara, CA. http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2007/.

“Occupational and Environmental Exposures of Skin to Chemicals”
The conference will be held June 17-20 in Golden, CO and is cosponsored by NIOSH and the Colorado School of Mines. http://www.mines.edu/outreach/cont_ed/oeesc.

"2007 Johnson Conference: Workplace Aerosol Sampling to Meet ISO Size-Selective Criteria"
The conference will be held July 16-20 in Burlington, VT and is sponsored by ASTM International. Information can be found at http://www.astm.org under Symposia and Workshops.

“3^rd International Symposium on Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health”
The conference will take place in Taipei, Taiwan on August 29-September 1. NIOSH is a cosponsor of the conference. http://nano-taiwan.sinica.edu.tw/EHS2007/index.htm.

“WorkLife 2007: Protecting and Promoting Worker Health Symposium”
The Symposium will be held by NIOSH and partner agencies and organizations September 10-11, in Bethesda, MD. http://www.worklife2007.com/home.asp.

“International Roofing Expo 2008”
The International Roofing Expo, 2008 will be held February 21-23, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV. http://www.theroofingexpo.com/Roofing07/public/Content.aspx?ID=6980&left=0&Nav=0.

 Word of the Month

Dual Cab Fire-Inerting System: A technology for preventing and suppressing fires inside the cabs of mining equipment to protect employees who are operating the equipment. When a fire is detected in the cab or in the engine of the equipment, an inert gas mixture is discharged into the cab through nozzles. The mixture reduces the oxygen concentration in the cab to a level low enough to prevent the ignition of flammable vapors evolved during engine hydraulic fluid and fuel fires and/or to suppress combustion, but high enough to remain breathable.