Volume
5 Number 4 August 2007 |
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Global Collaborations Americas Regional Initiative to Eliminate Silicosis r2p Corner NORA News from our Partners |
Communication Products Upcoming Conferences “International Association of Fire Chiefs Fire Rescue International 2007” “3rd International Symposium on Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health” |
“American Association of Occupational Health Nurses” American Society of Safety Engineer’s “SAFETY 2008” Professional Development Conference and Exposition “12th US/North American Mine Ventilation Symposium” “International Association of Fire Chiefs Fire Rescue International 2008” Word of the Month |
As we enter the last weeks of summer, September rapidly approaches. I would like to take the opportunity to remind you that “WorkLife 2007: Protecting and Promoting Worker Health, a National Symposium,” will be held September 10-11 in Bethesda, MD. If you have not yet registered for the symposium, please visit our Web page at http://www.worklife2007.com/home.asp and plan to join us. I anticipate two days of lively discussion and exchange. Since the previous WorkLife national symposium in October 2004, much has happened at the working level to advance the WorkLife Initiative. Clearly, there is wide agreement that the time is right to explore opportunities and challenges for strategically linking worker health and safety protection with work-based health promotion. Through such linkages, I believe that we together can establish and nurture innovative ways to promote individual, organizational, and economic health related to work. I am pleased that many diverse partners have embraced these goals in the intervening three years, and that the circle of partners continues to grow. More details about the WorkLife Initiative are available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/worklife/. At the 2007 symposium, the community of partners will assess the progress made over the last three years and identify continuing needs. This is an opportunity for you to have a voice in:
The 2004 symposium invigorated the WorkLife Initiative and laid the foundation for the work that has continued since then through one-on-one meetings, telephone calls, emails, and faxes. Please join us in September and add your voice to the deliberations that will shape the next phases of WorkLife. |
MMWR: Advanced Pneumoconiosis Among Working Underground Coal Miners |
In response to reports of clusters of pneumoconiosis among underground coal miners, NIOSH instituted field surveys under the Enhanced Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program. Case studies from the field surveys are presented in the July 6 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5626a2.htm. Of the 975 miners tested in seven counties, 37 miners (4%) had advanced pneumoconiosis. Medical record data indicated that those 37 miners had worked at least 10 years without a chest radiograph. |
NIOSH-Funded Study Looks at Violence Among Emergency Department Workers |
Ninety percent of emergency department nurses interviewed reported being verbally abused at least once in the past year and nearly one-third had been assaulted, but the majority (72%) never reported the incidents. These findings are part of a new report by several outside researchers in a study funded by NIOSH. The study examined workplace violence prevention training, and incidents of violent events and subsequent injury among emergency department employees of acute-care hospitals in New Jersey. The full report, including recommendations for hospitals to improve employee training, can be accessed at http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/survweb/documents/njhospsec_rpt.pdf. |
NIOSH Study Finds Supplementary Breaks Minimized Discomfort, Did Not Impair Productivity |
A new NIOSH study supports earlier research findings that supplementary rest breaks minimize discomfort and eyestrain among data-entry employees without impairing productivity. Participants’ ratings of discomfort and eyestrain were significantly lower when four supplementary 5-minute breaks were added to the two conventional 15-minute breaks. Data-entry speed was significantly faster with supplementary breaks so that work output was maintained despite the additional 20 minutes of breaks. The study was published in the July 2007 issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. The article is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20472. |
NIOSH, the American Psychological Association, and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology will convene “Work, Stress and Health 2008: Healthy and Safe Work Through Research, Practice and Partnerships” on March 6 – 8, 2008, in Washington, DC. This conference, the latest in a series, is designed to address the constantly changing nature of work, and the implications of these changes for the health, safety, and well-being of workers. Conference topics include: traumatic stress and resiliency, fatigue, workplace diversity and discrimination, and work-family integration. The deadline for paper, poster and symposium proposals is August 31, 2007. http://www.apa.org/pi/work/wsh.html. |
Beginning on August 30, 2007, the NIOSH 800-number information service (1-800-35-NIOSH) will become part of the toll-free CDC-INFO public information contact center. CDC-INFO is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) consolidated call and e-mail handling center. Established in 2005, CDC-INFO provides one-stop access to all the information resources of NIOSH and CDC. CDC-INFO call center representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and answer public inquiries in English and Spanish. Those of you who currently use the NIOSH 800-number may notice some changes in the way inquiries are processed, especially publication requests. We ask you to bear with us through the transition phase. Please note the new telephone number: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) |
Conference Wrap-up: Third International Conference on Occupational and Environmental Exposure of Chemicals to Skin |
The “3rd International Conference on Occupational and Environmental Exposures of Skin to Chemicals” was held at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) in Golden, CO on June 17-20. NIOSH has been a major sponsor of all three conferences. This year’s conference brought together about 140 occupational and environmental health professionals, dermatologists, lab scientists and policy makers from 19 countries. Abstracts are available on-line at the conference Web site, which will be maintained by NIOSH on the topic page, “Skin Exposures and Effects” (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/skin). Plans are already underway for the 4th conference in 2009, which is currently planned to be in Edinburgh, Scotland. Information on this conference will be available in early 2008. |
During the months of May and June 2007, the Technology Evaluation Branch in NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) issued a total of 54 approvals and denied approval for 10 products. This includes the approval of 3 products with CBRN protection. Thirteen of the 54 products approved were new products, 26 were modifications to previously approved products and 2 were certified product investigations. In May, 16 applications for extension of approval were submitted and this number jumped to 44 applications submitted in June. Twenty-three applications for new approvals were received in May with 13 new approval submissions in June. Thirty-six approvals for new products were submitted in this time frame. The engineering evaluation team conducted 8 quality assurance manual audits to evaluate manufacturers’ quality assurance process and manufacturing practices. |
NIOSH is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Margaret Kitt as NIOSH Associate Director for Emergency Preparedness and Response, effective August 1. Dr. Kitt joined the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2002 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, with duties in NIOSH's Division of Respiratory Disease Studies in Morgantown, WV. Her assignments with NIOSH and CDC, and previous experience as a Senior Flight Surgeon with the U.S. Air Force, have included extensive duties related to emergency preparedness and response. Dr. Kitt received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from The State University of New York at Albany, a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Washington. Thanks to Dr. Ken Martinez, who has served in an exemplary manner as acting Associate Director since 2006, in addition to his regular duties in the NIOSH Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response. |
Dr. Joan Karr started work on July 9 in NIOSH’s Office of Extramural Programs (OEP). She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Central Missouri State University and a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Baylor College of Medicine. She has previously worked at the University of Iowa (radiation biology research), the National Cancer Institute, and Emory University. She also worked as a Scientific Review Administrator at the California Cancer Research Program and at CDC. Most recently, she worked in CDC's Office of the Chief Science Officer on formal confidentiality protection and managing the Paperwork Reduction Act team. She will be working in several sector and cross-sector areas. |
The NIOSH Booth will be on exhibit at:
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Director of the Afghan Public Health Institute visits NIOSH sites Americas Regional Initiative to Eliminate Silicosis NIOSH initiated technical assistance to Chile in these areas in 2005 and conveyed admiration for the leadership of the Chilean Ministry of Health and Institute of Public Health for making substantial advances in each area. NIOSH looks forward to continuing cooperation with WHO, PAHO, ILO and the partners of the Americas. Additional information on NIOSH's global collaborations research program is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/global. |
Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science |
NORA Wholesale and Retail Trade Sector Council |
CDC Publishes Guide for Next Decade of Public Health Research |
NIOSH Alert: Preventing Fire Fighter Fatalities Due to Heart Attacks and other Sudden Cardiovascular Events Sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of an on-duty fire fighter fatality. NIOSH incorporates findings from 131 NIOSH investigations into sudden cardiac-related deaths in a new Alert titled, “Preventing Fire Fighter Fatalities Due to Heart Attacks and Other Sudden Cardiovascular Events.” The Alert, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-133, discusses workplace exposures that put fire fighters at risk for heart disease, presents case reports highlighting important findings from the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention program, and provides recommendations to minimize the risk of injury and death to fire fighters from cardiovascular events. Since 1998, NIOSH has been investigating these deaths as part of the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire. |
“International Association of Fire Chiefs Fire Rescue International 2007” “3rd International Symposium on Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health” “International Roofing Expo 2008” “Fire Department Instructors Conference 2008” “American Association of Occupational Health Nurses” American Society of Safety Engineers “SAFETY 2008” Professional Development Conference and Exposition “12th US/North American Mine Ventilation Symposium” “International Association of Fire Chiefs Fire Rescue International 2008” |
Enhanced Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (ECWHSP): |
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