Volume
6 Number 6 October 2008
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Volume
6 Number 6 October 2008 |
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| r2p Corner News from Our Partners Burn Injuries in Oregon |
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Communication Products Spanish versions of the following NIOSH publication and topic page are now available |
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Three New NIOSH Environmental Air Quality Health and Safety Topic Pages Are Available |
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From
the Director's Desk |
Tere's StoryThe broadcast entertainment media – movies, TV, and radio – have great power to enlighten audiences and reinforce positive messages about health and safety. I am pleased that NIOSH has engaged in a pioneering effort that used dramatic storytelling to portray the human impact of occupational injuries, and to communicate the importance of preventing them. NIOSH worked closely with partners from diverse communities to provide coordination, subject matter assistance, technical information, and translation for a dramatic storyline on the Spanish-language TV network Telemundo. The storyline on Telemundo’s Pecados Ajenos (The Sins of Others), a popular melodrama or telenovela, told the account of Tere, a young woman who comes to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. Tere finds employment at a construction site where her boyfriend Ramón also works. She and her fellow workers receive some safety instruction, but it is in English and Tere is not able to understand it. Ramón gives her a summary in Spanish of the most important points. Tere tries to do the safe and right thing when she asks another worker to help her by handing her painting supplies up to her after she climbs a ladder. “Just carry everything up,” the other worker says. “It’s faster that way. Nothing will happen to you …” The events that result – when Tere loses her balance and falls from the ladder – illustrate the devastating personal consequences of an occupational injury. The details of Tere’s story touch on many pressing issues that we confront every day as safety and health professionals. They also put a human face on the mission that drives our shared efforts. By joining with our partners, we had a wonderful opportunity to reach a wide audience that we might not otherwise touch at all through our traditional channels of communication. Moreover, it was an opportunity to present viewers with information that we hope that they can use in their daily lives as workers, relatives or loved ones of workers, employers, and others in a position to prevent occupational injuries. Adjunct efforts that reinforced the educational value of the storyline included a public service announcement that Telemundo produced and aired, a news feature that aired on some Telemundo local affiliate stations, a Telemundo web feature on construction safety, a NIOSH web page at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/features/constructionfalls/telenovela_falls.html, and a CPWR web resource on ladder safety http://www.mitrabajoseguro.org/. The effort also provided a rich source of knowledge and first-time experience that NIOSH is exploring to identify lessons learned, successes in achieving the objectives of the project, and things that might be done differently or better next time. Our mission in the 21st Century demands that we explore new channels for communicating with the general public and with our increasingly diverse work force. Tere’s story points the way for many more opportunities to do so. |
Be Our Friend on MySpace! |
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Whether you have never been on MySpace or consider yourself an expert user please visit our new MySpace site http://www.myspace.com/niosh and we hope you will become our friend! As a friend of NIOSH you have access to NIOSH videos, blogs, photos and more; all in one central location. For more information email us at NIOSH nioshmyspace@cdc.gov. |
NIOSH-Administered WTC Grant Announced |
| The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the awarding of a grant on September 30 to New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation to provide health services to non-responder populations in New York City affected by the World Trade Center attack. The grant will be administered by NIOSH. The announcement can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r080930.htm. |
NIOSH Blog to Focus on Worker Exposure to Metal Working Fluids |
| Did you know that over 100 million gallons of metal working fluids (MWFs) are produced every year, and over 1 million employees are exposed to these MWFs? NIOSH’s Hazard Evaluations and Technical Assistance Branch is hosting the NIOSH Science Blog from October 6th until October 19th, which will focus on Metal Working Fluids. You can view the blog and join the discussion by visiting http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/. |
Last Chance to Register October 17, 2008 for the NIOSH D.R.E.A.M. Workshop |
 NIOSH will host the “D.R.E.A.M. (Direct Reading Exposure Assessment Methods) Workshop” on November 13 – 14, 2008, in Arlington, VA. The workshop will facilitate discussions on research needs in the area of direct reading methods for assessing occupational exposures. Input from the workshop will be used to set research priorities for the methods. Registration and additional information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/drm. |
NIOSH Presents Online Course on Color Coding of Respirator Air Purifying Elements |
| NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory researchers Jay Parker and Bill King will present an online class on Color Coding of Respirator Air Purifying Elements: NIOSH Requirements and Limitations at an American Industrial Hygiene Association Teleweb on November 18, 2008. Early registration is open through November 7. For more information go to http://www.aiha.org/Content/CE/DL/TeleWebColorCoding.htm. |
NIOSH Conducts Public Review of Draft CIB, Skin Notations for Chemicals |
| NIOSH is conducting a public review of a draft Current Intelligence Bulletin, "A Strategy for Assigning the New NIOSH Skin Notations for Chemicals." A copy of the draft document, a request for comments through November 7, 2008, and information about a public meeting in Cincinnati, OH on the draft on November 6, 2008, can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/109/. |
NIOSH Seeks Comments on Draft Criteria Document:Hexavalent Chromium |
| NIOSH is inviting public comment until January 31, 2009, on a draft Criteria Document: Occupational Exposure to Hexavalent Chromium. A public meeting to discuss the draft document will be held January 22, 2009, in Cincinnati, Ohio. A copy of the draft document and further information can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/144/. |
r2p Corner |
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The sampler in use: The worker wears the sampler clipped to his shirt. The inlet of the sampler is close to the nose and mouth of the worker to ensure that the aerosol sampler is collecting the aerosol particles that the worker is actually breathing. |
NORA |
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News From Our Partners |
Pesticide Poisoning Surveillance Program Obtains Funding Support in North CarolinaIn July 2008 legislation was passed in North Carolina that provided the NC Division of Public Health (NC DPH) with funds to continue surveillance of acute pesticide poisonings. Developments leading to this event began in May 2006 when the NC DPH concluded an investigation involving three migrant farm women who delivered babies with birth defects within several months of each other. All three women worked on the same farms in North Carolina and Florida in 2004.The investigation determined that these women had likely experienced unacceptable levels of pesticide exposure, based on hours worked during restricted entry periods, and that one birth outcome was possibly due to pesticides. Consequently, in partnership with the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute/Southern Coastal Agromedicine Center at East Carolina University, NC DPH, along with federal partners (NIOSH/CDC and EPA), initiated efforts to highlight pesticides as an important issue needing more attention. In February 2008, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley assembled the Governor’s Task Force on Preventing Agricultural Pesticide Exposure which consisted of key government leaders in health and agriculture. Task force recommendations resulted in surveillance funding from North Carolina and new anti-retaliation and recordkeeping laws to help protect farmworkers. For more information contact Sheila A. Higgins RN MPH, Manager, Occupational Surveillance, NC DPH at 919-707-5940 or email sheila.higgins@ncmail.net. Burn Injuries in OregonWork-related burn injuries are a priority area for NIOSH and the Oregon Worker Illness and Injury Prevention Program (OWIIPP). While the overall number of work-related burn injuries in Oregon has remained relatively constant, workers in certain industries (e.g., accommodations & food services, manufacturing), occupations (e.g., cooks), and populations (e.g., young workers) are disproportionately affected. Burns can be very serious and may result in thousands of dollars in healthcare costs and lost work days. OWIIPP partners with NIOSH to prevent work-related burns in Oregon by tracking the number of burns that occur on-the-job and sharing data findings with partners and stakeholders throughout Oregon to increase awareness and promote prevention. Routinely, we analyze commercial insurance carrier data for burn injury claims. The findings are used by our partner to do targeted prevention among policy holders. We generated demographic data on the costs associated with hospitalized burn injuries to increase awareness of its financial burden. We also published “Burn Injuries,” a publication that provides Oregon data, case summaries, prevention recommendations, and more (http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/owiipp/docs/Edition5Burns.pdf). Work-related burn injuries are preventable. Efforts to raise awareness and to develop prevention strategies for high-risk groups should be continued. For more information about OWIIPP or burn injury activities, visit http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/owiipp/index.shtml. |
Communication Products |
Workplace Solutions: Control of Hazardous Dust during Tuckpointing (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication Number 2008-126). Guidelines for Permitting, Construction, and Monitoring of Retention Bulkheads in Underground Coal Mines (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication Number 2008-134). http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/pubs/pubreference/outputid2833.htm Spanish versions of the following NIOSH publication and topic page are now availablePrevención de muertes entre bomberos por ataques cardíacos y otros episodios cardiovasculares agudos (Preventing Fire Fighter Fatalities Due to Heart Attacks and Other Sudden Cardiovascular Events. DHHS [NIOSH] Publication Number 2007-133). Directrices provisionales de NIOSH sobre el equipo de protección personal y la ropa para las personas que trabajan en la limpieza después de las inundaciones (NIOSH Interim Guidance on Personal Protective Equipment and Clothing for Flood Response Workers) Three New NIOSH Environmental Air Quality Health and Safety Topic Pages Are Available:Dampness and Mold in Buildings Building Ventilation Maintaining Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) during Construction and Renovation |
Upcoming Events |
Registration Open - The International Conference on Road Safety at Work Look for us2008 National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS) FFA American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Exposition Call for AbstractsAmerican Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo – Deadline October 6, 2008 2009 ASTM Johnson Conference on Emerging IEQ Issues – Deadline October 15, 2008 American Occupational Health Conference 2009 – Deadline January 31, 2009 American Association of Occupational Health Nurses 2009 Symposium and Expo – Deadline March 1, 2009 Upcoming Conferences2008 National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS) A Healthier Workforce: Perspectives for Iowa and the Nation American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Exposition 2008 Worker Safety and Health Technical Conference PCIH 2008 ISEA Fall Meeting Protection 2033 8th Conference of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology 2008 NIOSH Direct-Reading Exposure Assessment Methods (DREAM) Workshop International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) 2008 Annual Conference International Roofing Expo International Conference on Road Safety at Work 2009 SME Annual Meeting and CMA 111th Annual National Western Mining Conference Emergency Nurses Association Leadership Conference 29th Triennial Congress of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH 2009) American Association of Occupational Health Nurses 2009 Symposium and Expo Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) 2009 2009 Nanotech Conference & Exposition ASSE Professional Development Conference and Exposition “SAFETY 2009” 2009 ASTM Johnson Conference on Emerging IEQ Issues 19th International Symposium on Shiftwork and Working Time |
Word of the Month |
| MySpace is a social networking community where users can share information, photos, interests and more with a network of friends. You can visit the NIOSH MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/niosh. |
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