Volume
1 Number 9 January 2004 |
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NIOSH,
OSHA, Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Coalition Ally to Improve Roadway
Work Zone Safety |
NIOSH
Researcher Named CDC Engineer of the Year for 2004 NIOSH
Advances Innovative Rollover Protective Structure (ROPS) NIOSH and OSHA Pursue Increased Collaboration X-ray Exposures from
Airport Screening Machines Topic Page
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Publications OSHA Fact Sheets Now Available National
Safety Council Seeking Nominations for the Robert W. Campbell Award 7th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference Long
Working Hours, Safety, and Health: Toward a National Research Agenda
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NIOSH scientists are
collaborating with the National Cancer Institute (National Institutes of
Health) and the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
(Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention) to conduct an occupational
exposure assessment using parental occupational information from the National
Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS). The NBDPS is an ongoing case-control
study that covers an annual birth population of 482,000 and includes cases
identified from birth defect surveillance systems or registries in eight
states. By integrating occupational exposure assessment into this large
surveillance effort, scientists will have the opportunity to examine the
potential role of chemical and physical agents. Information on the NBDPS
can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/bd/documents/NBDPSarticle.pdf. |
NIOSH conducts studies of pregnancy outcomes among female workers as well as biomarker studies of female reproductive hormones.
Male
Reproductive Health
Additional studies include evaluating the effects of workplace acrylamide exposure on male reproduction and neurobehavior and a collaborative study with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institutes of Health), and the National Center for Environmental Health (CDC), evaluating the relationship of fertility and semen parameters with toxicants measured in blood, urine and seminal plasma among 800 couples attempting to become pregnant. Assessing
Exposure to Potential Reproductive Hazards For more information on NIOSH reproductive health studies and publications, visit the NIOSH Topic Page http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/repro.
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NIOSH, OSHA, Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Coalition Ally to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety |
Improving roadway work zone safety and health is the goal of a new Alliance formed between NIOSH, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Coalition. The Alliance will develop hazard awareness training and educational programs on roadway work zone safety targeted to Spanish-speaking and “hard-to-reach” highway construction workers; disseminate information and case studies illustrating business and social value for reducing work zone injuries and fatalities; and share the latest research findings with the construction industry. Members of the Coalition include NIOSH, the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, the Laborers’ International Union of North America, and the International Union of Operating Engineers. For more information on NIOSH research in preventing work zone and job-related motor vehicle injuries and deaths visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/injury/traumazone.html.
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On December 18, 2003, NIOSH presented the first-ever NIOSH Lifetime Achievement Award in Occupational Safety and Health to Dr. Jorma Rantanen of Finland. The award honors Dr. Rantanen’s four decades of service in occupational safety and health, including three decades in international leadership. Among Dr. Rantanen’s achievements are serving as the Director General of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health from 1974-2003, drafting both the International Labor Organization convention on Occupational Health Services and the World Health Organization Global Strategy on Occupational Health and being named the 2003 President of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH). To read more about Dr. Rantanen visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/rantanen.pdf.
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NIOSH Seeking Nominees for National Occupational Safety and Health Teacher Award |
The NIOSH Education and Information Division funds and coordinates the efforts of a national occupational safety and health competition among teachers and instructors at vocational and technical schools and community colleges throughout the country. NIOSH and the Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE) are seeking entries from ACTE members on this year’s subject, “Promoting Safety and Health in Career and Technical Education.” The 2004 winner will receive a $750 award and plaque and his or her school will receive $250. The deadline for submissions is February 6, 2004 with the award presentation at the ACTE National Policy Seminar in March. Information on submissions can be found at http://www.acteonline.org/about/awards/awards-niosh.cfm or by contacting John Palassis at jop1@cdc.gov.
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Scott Earnest from NIOSH’s Division of Applied Research and Technology has been selected by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Engineer of the Year for 2004. The Federal Engineer of the Year Program, now in its twenty-fifth year, recognizes outstanding engineers within all federal agencies. Scott will receive the award at a luncheon in Washington, DC on January 15, 2004. The Top Ten finalists and the overall NSPE Federal Engineer of the Year for 2004 will also be announced at the luncheon. Congratulations to Scott on this fine achievement!
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NIOSH Advances Innovative Rollover Protective Structure (ROPS) |
NIOSH is advancing the development and commercialization of a high-tech system to protect tractor operators from serious injury or death in a tractor rollover, the leading cause of occupational fatalities in agriculture. Auto-ROPS consists of a sensor wired to a protective metal bar or rollover protective structure (ROPS), shaped like a squared, upside-down U and mounted behind the tractor seat. When the sensor detects that a tractor is tilting on uneven terrain in a way likely to result in a turnover, the sensor signals the latches to release, deploying the rollover bar to a level higher than the operator’s head. Instantaneously activated, the bar prevents the operator’s head from fatally striking the ground or bearing the impact of the rollover. The Auto-ROPS prototype has been successfully field tested and has received approval from the farming community. NIOSH and FEMCO, a ROPS manufacturer, are now working with tractor and power equipment manufacturers to determine ways to bring the technology to commercial use through marketing in the agricultural industry. To learn more about this technology, contact Tony McKenzie at elm6@cdc.gov. To view video clips showing Auto-ROPS in field tests, visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/autorops.html.
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An article in the December 12, 2003 issue of the Wall Street Journal on noise levels in regional jet aircraft cabins cited NIOSH as one of the three “acoustics experts” consulted by reporter Paula Szuchman for the article. The article quoted Randy Tubbs, a psychoacoustician in the NIOSH Hazard Evaluations and Technical Assistance Branch, on the role of noise as a stressor. Randy is the project officer for a NIOSH hazard evaluation assessing the occupational exposure of flight crews to cabin noise on regional jets. Information about NIOSH research and recommendations for occupational noise control and hearing loss prevention can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise.
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NIOSH and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced at the December 18, 2003 National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) meeting that the two agencies will form six jointly-chaired discussion groups to exchange information on a range of safety and health issues. Kathleen Rest, NIOSH Deputy Director, explained that the meetings build on less formal meetings that the two agencies have had over the past several years. Topics for the six work groups include: strategic and emerging issues; standards and guidance; technology, respirator certification and usage, sampling and testing methodology; data quality evaluation and analysis; training and education; and social marketing and communication.
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X-ray
Exposures from Airport Screening Machines
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New
NIOSH Series: Workplace Solutions
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OSHA
Fact Sheets Now Available The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued two new fact sheets describing the agency’s inspection process, as well as its role in investigating occupational deaths. The fact sheets are available on OSHA’s web site, http://www.osha.gov. OSHA Inspections details inspection priorities and provides step-by-step details for on-site inspections. OSHA's Role When a Worker Dies on the Job highlights agency assistance available for families of workers killed on the job and also includes information on referring cases to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution. National
Safety Council Seeking Nominations for the Robert W. Campbell Award
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NIOSH
B Reader Certification Program: Looking to the Future Open Meeting An open meeting for the NIOSH B Reader Certification Program will be held on March 4, 2004 in McLean Virginia. For more information or to register for the meeting, visit http://www2a.cdc.gov/drds/cwhsp/regform.html. 7th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference NIOSH and the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Musculoskeletal Disorders and Intervention Effectiveness teams are among the co-sponsors of the 7th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference to be held on March 8-11, 2004 in Orlando, Florida. The conference, sponsored by the Institute of Industrial Engineers, will offer sessions around six educational tracks: manufacturing applications, services and support industries, office applications, engineering and design, ergonomics programs and potpourri. For more information on the conference, visit http://appliedergonetwork.iienet.org/pages/index.cfm?pageid=133. Long Working Hours, Safety, and Health: Toward a National Research Agenda NIOSH, the University of Maryland School of Nursing, and the U.S. Department of Justice are cosponsoring the “Long Working Hours, Safety, and Health: Toward a National Research Agenda” Conference to be held April 29-30, 2004 on the University of Maryland campus in Baltimore, Maryland. This innovative conference will explore the sociological, economic, and health dimensions of long work hours. For more information on the conference, visit http://nursing.umaryland.edu/longworkhours/index.htm. There is still time to submit an abstract for the poster session; all submissions are due by January 23, 2004. For more information on the Call for Posters, visit http://nursing.umaryland.edu/longworkhours/call_posters.htm. American
Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce) 2004.
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Corrections to December’s eNews “e-errors” |
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