NIOSH eNews - November 2008

In many parts of the country, November provides a last respite before cold temperatures and snow set in. For landscape services workers, it is a particularly busy month. Their trucks and vans are a common sight as lawns and gardens are raked, mowed, fertilized, and planted for winter and spring.

Landscaping and groundskeeping add immeasurably to the beauty we see around us, and we respect the labor and care that go into this work.

We safety and health professionals have a welcome opportunity to show our appreciation by doing all we can to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses among landscapers and groundskeepers. With a rate of about 25 deaths per 100,000 workers, the danger of fatal work-related injuries among this population is similar to that of other high-risk worker groups such as miners, but less well recognized. Although landscape services workers make up 0.8 percent of the U.S. workforce, disproportionately they account for 3.5 percent of all occupational fatalities.

A new NIOSH fact sheet, Fatal Injuries Among Landscape Services Workers, highlights the fact that work-related motor vehicle fatalities—the leading cause of death on the job for all worker populations—also account for the largest percentage of fatal occupational injuries for landscape services workers. Deaths from falls, being struck by falling objects, and electrocutions occur more frequently among landscape services workers than among the overall U.S. workforce. Many landscape services workers are self-employed or work for a small business. Forty-one percent are Hispanic, compared with 16 percent of the total U.S. workforce. As a rule, these factors of diversity pose a challenge for traditional approaches in safety training and education. In addressing this question, the fact sheet notes numerous sources for free training and educational materials in Spanish as well as English.

For employers, the fact sheet strongly emphasizes the following strategic steps necessary for worker safety:

Establish, maintain, and enforce a comprehensive safety program with written rules and safe work procedures.
Systematically identify and control potential hazards at a worksite before the job starts.
Comply with mandatory safety and health regulations.
Heed consensus safety standards for heavy equipment, power tools, and other devices routinely used on the job.
Provide meaningful training and education to help workers recognize potential hazards and know how to work safely.
Monitor the condition of workers in physically demanding tasks.

The fact sheet is downloadable at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-144/. I would invite you also to consult and use four other new resources that we have added to the NIOSH Web site for identifying and addressing potential hazards in outdoor work. These are NIOSH safety and health topic pages on insects and scorpions http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/insects, venomous spiders http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/spiders/, venomous snakes http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/snakes, and poisonous plants http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/plants. Additional guidance for the hazards of working outdoors can be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/outdoor/.

Landscape services workers put in long and productive hours from early in the morning to late in the evening. The results of their labor give all of us great visual pleasure every day. I hope that our new resources will help to make sure that their working hours are safe and healthy ones.

Dr. Paul Leigh Receives NIOSH Director’s Award

Congratulations to Paul Leigh, Ph.D., from the University of California, Davis, who received the NIOSH Director’s Award 2007 for his work on developing estimates of the national costs of occupational injuries and illnesses and for his efforts to promote the use of these estimates to improve worker safety and health. The award was presented on October 21 at the National Occupational Injury Research Symposium. Further information can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-10-20-08.html.

Online Ordering Available for NIOSH Publications

Did you know that you can now order NIOSH publications on line at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/pubs/niosh.aspx? You can order up to 18 different titles at once, including CDs and videos. Order limits have been placed for each document and are listed next to the publication number. If you need additional information or are requesting copies of a NIOSH publication which exceeds the order limit, please contact Sherri Diana at sdiana@cdc.gov or by phone at 513-533-8471.

Join NIOSH on Facebook

NIOSH is actively listed and maintained on the most popular social networking services. These services offer NIOSH unique exposure, extend our outreach, and give users the ability to subscribe to NIOSH products in various ways. Please join us on our newest site on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-DC/NIOSH-National-Institute-for-Occupational-Safety-and-Health/28902055276.

Road Traffic Remembrance Day

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is November 15. In recognition, the CDC homepage will feature the NIOSH Safety and Health Topic: Motor Vehicle Safety to highlight the work NIOSH does to reduce the toll of road traffic injuries at work, which are a leading cause of workplace death, injury, and disability in countries around the world. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/motorvehicle/.

College Credit for Blogging? NIOSH Science Blog Enters the Classroom

Assistant Professor of Occupational Safety and Health at Old Dominion University, Charlene Brassington was so impressed by the NIOSH Science Blog that she used it as a midterm assignment for her graduate course, Risk Assessment and Decision Analysis. Professor Brassington said, “We are constantly challenged to seek more appealing ways to engage our current generation of students. We are also always trying to drive them into new sources of information.” For more information, contact Professor Brassington at cbrassin@odu.edu.

WorkLife Initiative Releases Essential Elements to Improve Worker Health

A guide for employers and employer-employee partnerships wishing to establish effective workplace programs that sustain and improve worker health is now available on the NIOSH Web site. The guide, Essential Elements of Effective Workplace Programs and Policies for Improving Worker Health and Well-being, is a key part of the NIOSH WorkLife Initiative, which is intended to identify and support comprehensive approaches to reduce workplace hazards and promote worker health and well-being. The guide is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/worklife/essentials.html.

‘Bug Bomb’ Risks, Precautions Noted in MMWR Article

Case reports about illnesses associated with exposures to pesticides from “bug bomb” products, factors for risk of such exposures, and practical precautions for users are described in an article from collaborative research by NIOSH and partners. The study was published in the October 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5741a3.htm). Also, on October 17 the New York Department of Environmental Conservation announced New York state actions to reduce risks of harmful exposures, citing the NIOSH study as an impetus to those actions (http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/48084.html).

Western Occupational Network (WestON) Meeting

The first Western Occupational Network (WestON) meeting was held September 25–26, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. Sponsored by the NIOSH Denver Regional Office, the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists, and the NIOSH Mountain and Plains Education and Research Center (ERC), the meeting provided a venue for over 60 state occupational safety and health professionals throughout the western U.S. to meet and share ideas for collaboration, information exchange, and capacity building. For more information on this conference or initiatives to foster state capacity in the West, please contact Yvonne Boudreau (AYB1@cdc.gov).

NIOSH Nanotechnology Research News Notes

The NIOSH Nanotechnology Research News Notes, October 2, 2008, highlights recent accomplishments by NIOSH in its strategic research and partnerships addressing the health and safety implications and applications of nanotechnology. These recent accomplishments include two peer-reviewed scientific papers in key research areas, two international partnership activities, and a professional award presentation. More information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-10-02-08.html.

Health Hazard Evaluation Report on Baggage Screeners Now Available

The Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program investigated employees’ potential exposure to X-ray radiation during baggage screening at twelve airports throughout the U.S. The full HHE report that includes results and recommendations from the investigation is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2003-0206-3067.pdf.

NIOSH Science Blog: Your Comments Wanted on Immigrant Health and Safety

What experiences have you had with developing successful interventions for immigrant workers? What types of materials are needed to better assist safety and health professionals in providing information and training to foreign-born workers? Share your thoughts with us and others on this topic on the NIOSH Science Blog through November 7 (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/index.html).

NIOSH Team Provides Technical Course in Peru

NIOSH technical experts (seated) and CENSOPAS representatives with class participants. Photo: Aaron Sussell, NIOSH

A five-member NIOSH interdivisional team visited Peru’s National Institute of Health (INS) in Lima, Peru, September 15–19, to present a technical course, "Determination of Silica and Heavy Metals in Work Environments" in collaboration with the National Center for Occupational Health and Protection of the Environment for Health (CENSOPAS). The NIOSH team provided occupational health training in silica and heavy metals with an emphasis in laboratory analyses, sampling, quality assurance programs, control banding, and evaluation of interventions. All attendees were trained in each area since the participating countries frequently have only one person to assess health hazards, perform site visits, analyze samples, and report results. Nearly 40 professionals were trained at CENSOPAS, including attendees from Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Colombia. The Peruvian representative from the Pan American Health Organization also attended the training program. A site visit was performed at Cementos Lima, one of the largest cement producers in the world. Course evaluations completed by the participants indicated that the course was well received. The NIOSH team included Kevin Ashley, Catherine Beaucham, Rosa Key-Schwartz, Faye Rice, and Aaron Sussell.

Male Reproductive Effects from Occupational Exposure to Boron

With an increased demand for boron-containing industrial and medical products, more workers are being exposed during mining and processing of boron ore, and more communities may be exposed to boron containing industrial wastes. Dr. Wendie Robbins (UCLA) completed a NIOSH-funded project focused on boron workers in China. Her findings showed that male boron workers experienced a decreased ratio of Y-bearing versus X-bearing sperm compared with men who did not work in the boron industry, and a shift in gender ratios of their offspring at birth, with boron workers having proportionally fewer sons at birth compared with the control group. This change of gender ratios has implications for the population as well as the affected individuals, with potential impacts for both community populations and socioeconomic dynamics. For additional information, contact Wendie A. Robbins, RN, Ph.D., at wrobbins@sonnet.ucla.edu.

California Reports Action on Vaccine Needle Safety

As part of its state-based occupational health surveillance activities, the California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch, recently alerted California state health officials about the lack of a safety device to protect users from job-related needlestick injuries from one of the Novartis flu vaccine products. Further information about the state agency's alert and subsequent actions is posted on the California Department of Public Health Web page at http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohb/Pages/New.aspx#novartis. More information about prevention of job-related needlestick injuries, including state laws, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, and other resources, is available on the NIOSH topic page at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bbp/.

r2p Corner

New Construction Equipment Visibility Topic Page

NIOSH has added a new safety and health topic page on blind areas around construction equipment for safety personnel and instructors to raise awareness on the hazards of working around construction vehicles and equipment. Blind area diagrams for 38 types of construction equipment are available for download or print. A blind area diagram is a detailed visual representation of the area around a vehicle or piece of equipment that cannot be seen from the operator’s position. The NIOSH Safety and Health Topic: Highway Work Zone Safety, Construction Equipment Visibility can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/highwayworkzones/BAD/default.html. For more information about NIOSH research on construction equipment visibility contact David E. Fosbroke at def2@cdc.gov.

NORA

National Construction Agenda Finalized

The first finalized national sector agenda is now available on the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) homepage (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/). The NORA Construction Sector Council finalized its Agenda after considering public comments on the previous draft. The National Construction Agenda consists of fifteen strategic goals designed to address ten "top problems" of the construction industry over the next decade.

NIOSH Docket Archives

NIOSH Docket Archive 0120: Beryllium Sensitization http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/NIOSHdocket0120.html

NIOSH Docket Number 099A: Current Intelligence Bulletin: Asbestos Fibers and Other Elongated Mineral Particles: State of the Science and Roadmap for Research http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/NIOSHdocket0099A.html

Communication Products

Keeping Knees Healthy in Restricted Work Spaces: Applications in Low-Seam Mining
This document provides workers in lower-seam (42 inches or less) mines with information to keep their knees healthy (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/pubs/pubreference/outputid2716.htm).

Estimating the Permeation Resistance of Nonporous Barrier Polymers to Sulfur Mustard (HD) and Sarin (GB) Chemical Warfare Agents Using Liquid Simulants
This document is a report of the results of the NIOSH Chemical Warfare Agent (CWA) Simulant Project that the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-141/).

Fatal Injuries among Landscape Services Workers Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides guidance for landscape services workers on preventing fatal on-the-job injuries (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-144/).

Workplace Solutions: Personal Protective Equipment for Health Care Workers Who Work with Hazardous Drugs
This document provides information on NIOSH recommendations that employers provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect healthcare workers who handle hazardous drugs in the workplace (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2009-106/).

Two New NIOSH FACE Program Reports Available

Farmer Dies Leading Heifer Toward a Loading Chute to a Livestock Trailer
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/mi/06mi205.html

Truck Driver Electrocuted When Raised Long-Bed Dump Trailer Contacted 4,800-Volt Overhead Power Line
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/mi/06mI185.html

New NIOSH Health and Safety Topic Page: Poisonous Plants

This topic page provides information for protecting outdoor workers from exposure to poisonous plants (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/plants/).

Call for Abstracts

American Occupational Health Conference 2009—Deadline January 31, 2009
April 26–29, 2009, San Diego, CA. Call for academic abstracts submissions (http://aohc2009.abstractcentral.com).

American Association of Occupational Health Nurses 2009 Symposium and Expo—Deadline March 1, 2009
April 17–23, 2009, Orlando, FL. Call for poster presentation submissions (http://www.aaohn.org/education/symposium-expo/cfp/index.cfm).

Upcoming Conferences

“No Fit Test” Respirator Workshop
November 6, 2008, Pittsburgh PA (http://cpheo.sph.umn.edu/mcohs/)

Professional Conference on Industrial Hygiene (PCIH) 2008—Look for us at booth #28!
November 6–11, 2008, Tampa, FL (http://www.aiha.org/pcih08/)

International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) Fall Meeting: Protection 2033
November 11, 2008, Arlington, VA (http://www.safetyequipment.org/#inside)

8^th Conference of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology
November 12–14, 2008, Valencia, Spain (http://www.ea-ohp.org)

2008 NIOSH Direct-Reading Exposure Assessment Methods (DREAM) Workshop
November 13–14, 2008, Washington, DC (http://www.team-psa.com/dream2008/main.asp)

International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) 2008 Annual Conference
November 15–20, 2008, Overland Park, KS (http://www.iaem.com/events/annual/intro.htm)

International Roofing Expo
February 3–5, 2009, Las Vegas, NV (http://www.theroofingexpo.com)

International Conference on Road Safety at Work
February 16–18, 2009, Washington, DC. This meeting is open to the public. (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/twu/global/)

19^th Annual Construction Safety Conference & Expo—Look for us!
February 17–19, 2009, Rosemont, IL (http://www.buildsafe.org/)

2009 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Annual Meeting and Colorado Mining Association (CMA) 111th Annual National Western Mining Conference
February 22–25, 2009, Denver, CO (http://sme2009.abstractcentral.com)

Emergency Nurses Association Leadership Conference
March 4–8, 2009, Reno, NV (http://www.ena.org)

29^th Triennial Congress of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH 2009)
March 22–27, 2009, Cape Town, South Africa (http://www.icoh2009.co.za)

American Association of Occupational Health Nurses 2009 Symposium and Expo
April 17–23, 2009, Orlando, FL (http://www.aaohn.org/education/symposium-expo/cfp/index.cfm)

Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) 2009
April 20–25, 2009, Indianapolis, IN (http://downloads.pennnet.com/fe/fdic2008/2009indycallforpapers.doc)

2009 Nanotech Conference & Exposition
May 3–7, 2009, Houston, TX (http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2009/)

American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce)—Look for us!
May 30–June 4, 2009, Toronto, Ontario (http://www.aiha.org/aihce09/plan/)

American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Professional Development Conference and Exposition “SAFETY 2009”
June 28–June 30 2009, San Antonio, TX (http://www.asse.org)

2009 American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Johnson Conference on Emerging IEQ Issues
July 13–16, 2009 in Burlington VT. Email elight@building-dynamics.com for information.

19^th International Symposium on Shiftwork and Working Time
August 2–6, 2009, Venezia, Italy (http://www.shiftwork2009.it)

Voluntary Protection Programs Participants Association Annual Conference—Look for us!
August 24–27, 2009, San Antonio TX (http://www.vpppa.org/)

Word of the Month

Boron: A nonmetallic element used widely in a variety of industrial applications and products, including use as a component in some glass products, ceramic materials, and alloys.

NIOSH eNews on the Web: www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/

NIOSH eNews is Brought to You By:

Acting Director	Christine M. Branche, Ph.D.
Editor in Chief	Max Lum
Story Editor	Tanya Headley
Story Editor Emeritus	Tara Hartley
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Technical Lead	Glenn Doyle
Technical Support	Joseph Cauley

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From the Director's Desk --Christine M. Branche, Ph.D., Acting Director, NIOSH

Beauty and Safety