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Volume 4 Number 12 April
2007
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“PtD”:
the three letters mean Prevention through Design, and the acronym describes
the concept that Benjamin Franklin had in mind when he coined the phrase,
“An ounce of prevention …”
PtD
means investing that ounce of prevention by incorporating occupational health
and safety up front in designing the features and contents of a workplace. It
means saving a pound of cure through smart planning in the very early design
phase to prevent or minimize work-related hazards associated with the
construction, manufacture, use, maintenance, and disposal of facilities,
material, and equipment.
This
year, PtD becomes part of NIOSH’s tool chest as we join with our
partners to launch the PtD National Initiative. Our shared goal is to bring
together engineers, architects, and other designers with employers, the
worker community, government agencies, occupational safety and health
professionals, insurers, and others to develop a national strategy for
Prevention through Design, and to identify achievable end-points.
As
the chart indicates, PtD will encourage stakeholder input through a
sector-based approach consistent with the one used under the National
Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). This approach will seek input on
research, education, practice, and policy to be considered in strategic
planning, leading to the implementation of PtD in the consideration of
occupational safety and health in design. The goal: prevention or reduction
of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
 As of this writing, our initial
partners include the American Society of Safety Engineers, the Center to
Protect Workers' Rights, Liberty Mutual, the National Safety Council, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and ORC Worldwide. We
anticipate that many others will join in coming weeks and months.
Further information will follow on
the NIOSH web page and in upcoming issues of eNews. In the meantime we
hope you consider ways in which you can participate with us in this new
initiative. We in NIOSH look forward to working with you.
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NIOSH,
partners make roads safer for workers and motorists.
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 April 23-29 is the First United Nations (UN) Global Road
Safety Week!
The First United Nations Global Road Safety Week is intended to raise
awareness around the globe about road traffic injuries. Among these
activities, NIOSH will be represented at the second UN Road Safety
Stakeholders’ Forum on April 25. More information on Global Road Safety
Week can be found at http://www.who.int/roadsafety/week/en/.
NIOSH global occupational road safety research information can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/twu/global/.
NIOSH, diverse
partners sign Roadway Work Zone Safety Agreement
NIOSH and partners have formed a new alliance to improve the safety of
workers and motorists in roadway construction zones. The alliance will
develop hazard awareness training and education programs aimed at
Spanish-speaking and other vulnerable highway construction workers about safe
practices in roadway work zones. More information is available at http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/alliances/roadway/roadway.html.
April 2-6 is National Work Zone Awareness Week.
To learn more, visit the 2007 National Work Zone Awareness Week Web site at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/outreach/wz_awareness.htm
or the NIOSH Highway Work Zone topic page, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/injury/traumazone.html.
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NIOSH Assists
Local Officials in Evaluating Possible Meth Contamination
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On March 7, NIOSH responded to a
request from the Grant County, KY Sheriff’s Office and Northern
Kentucky Drug Strike Force for technical assistance in evaluating suspected
methamphetamine (meth) contamination in two vehicles and a home. Using an
innovative NIOSH-designed field method, NIOSH scientists John Snawder and
Cynthia Striley identified multiple locations where meth was present, and
provided technical advice for officers’ safety on control and
remediation. For more details on testing for meth contamination and
remediation of such sites, contact John Snawder at JSnawder@xxxxxxx or Cynthia Striley at CStriley@xxxxxxx.
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2007
ACTE-NIOSH Award Winner Announced
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 James Hauck is the recipient of
the 2007 Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)-NIOSH National
Competition for Occupational Safety and Health. Mr. Hauck is a carpentry
instructor and safety advisor from Middlesex County, East Brunswick, NJ. The award
is presented annually and recognizes excellence in promoting safety and
health among educators in career and technical education. Shown in the photo
are, from left to right, ACTE President Robert E. Scarborough, 2007 Winner
James Hauck, and NIOSH Chief of Staff Frank Hearl, who was in attendance to
present the award.
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Articles
Address Pesticide Exposures in Retail Employees, Farm Workers
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Two
recent articles by NIOSH scientists and their colleagues provide findings and
recommendations on work-related pesticide exposures:
- Research reported in the March-April 2007
issue of Public
Health Reports, a peer-reviewed journal of the
U.S. Public Health Service, found 325 cases of acute pesticide
poisonings in the U.S. retail industry in 1998-2004. The article
recommended strategic measures to reduce the risk of such cases. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/pesticides/phr2007.html.
- In an article available
on-line from the journal Environmental Health Perspectives,
researchers examined three incidences in 2004 and 2005 in Florida and
North Carolina in which infants with birth defects were born to
farmworkers who had recently worked in fields treated with pesticides.
The article is available at www.ehponline.org/members/2007/9647/9647.pdf.
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Reports from
NIOSH-funded extramural studies
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News on ERC Pilot
Project Study
Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of death in the
line of duty for both volunteer and career firefighters and it is linked to
the performance of emergency duties, according to a recent report in The New England Journal of
Medicine by Harvard researcher Stefanos N. Kales, MD,
MPH, and colleagues (N Engl J Med 2007;356:1207-15). This research was
supported in part by a pilot project research training grant from the
NIOSH-funded Harvard Education and Research Center for Occupational Safety
and Health at Harvard University.
Teens exposed to injury, robbery and sleep deprivation on the
job
Results from a NIOSH-funded study reveal that teen workers
are at risk of being injured or robbed on the job and many work late on
school nights. The study, “Work-Related Hazards and Workplace
Safety of US Adolescents Employed in the Retail and Service Sectors,”
was published in the March 1 issue of the journal Pediatrics (2007;119:526-534).
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Eliminating
Silicosis Focus of Latest Issue of GOHNET
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Agricultural
Workers’ Morbidity and Mortality
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 NIOSH has released
“Respiratory Disease in Agriculture: Mortality and Morbidity
Statistics,” a report of surveillance data on occupationally relevant
respiratory disease in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries. The
report can be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-106/.
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Update from
the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL)
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CBRN PAPR Approved
NIOSH issued its first approval of a powered, air-purifying respirator (PAPR)
intended to protect wearers from chemical, biological, radiological, and
nuclear (CBRN) exposures. The BE-10-BR loose-fitting PAPR is made by the 3M
Company. (Mention of a company name and product does not represent a
commercial endorsement by NIOSH.)
February figures on the respirator certification and approval
process.
During February, the Technology Evaluation Branch (TEB) issued 33 respirator
approval decisions and one denial. TEB received 26 applications for
extensions of approval and nine applications for new approvals. The
Engineering Evaluation team conducted four quality assurance manual audits to
evaluate the quality assurance process and manufacturing practices. There were
six new approvals or modifications of approvals for CBRN respirators
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Important
Dates for “WorkLife 2007: Protecting and Promoting Worker Health Symposium”
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NIOSH Submits
Nominations for Prestigious Science Award
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Occupational
Safety and Health Performance Poetry
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A video featuring the performance
of an inspirational poem in honor of the 35th Anniversary of the
Occupational Safety and Health Act is posted on the NIOSH web page at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/video/OSH_poem.html.
The poem was written and is performed by Stacy Smallwood, a public health
professional and performance poet, and was a highlight of the 2006 NORA
Symposium.
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Christine
West is one of the recipients of the U.S. Public Health Service Chief Nurse
Officer Award. LT West was chosen for her outstanding capabilities and
leadership as a nurse epidemiologist.
 On February 22, Ken Mead received
three awards in Washington D.C. Ken was selected as both the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention Engineer of the Year and the U.S. Public
Health Service Engineer of the Year. The National Society of Professional
Engineers recognized Ken as one of the Top Ten Federal Engineers of 2007.
Pictured from l-r are CAPT Scott Earnest and CDR Ken Mead.
Dr. Vladimir Murashov, Special
Assistant to the NIOSH Director, was recently acknowledged by the Office of
Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President for
his leadership in the federal interagency Nanotechnology Environmental and
Health Implications (NEHI) Working Group’s efforts to develop research
priorities for environmental, health, and safety research of engineered
nanoscale materials.
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New Appointments
in the NIOSH Office of the Director
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Dr. Michael Galvin, formerly
director of the NIOSH Office of Extramural Programs, has been appointed to
the position of NIOSH Associate Director for Special Programs. Dr. Galvin
will oversee several programs initiated since 2000 that, in response to
national mandates, expand the Institute’s traditional prevention
mission into new areas involving workers’ compensation and occupational
health care. Dr. Jim Newhall will serve as the Acting Director of the NIOSH
Office of Extramural Programs.
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 On February 27, 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed
a new safety rule that builds on findings from NIOSH injury investigations
and work with other partners to prevent injuries caused by oxygen
resuscitator fires. NIOSH conducted several injury investigations involving
portable oxygen resuscitators and worked with NASA to develop a new testing
method for oxygen regulators. More information on the Fire Fighter Fatality
and Investigation and Prevention Program is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/.
More information on the proposed rule can be found at http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E7-3253.htm.
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 All of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA)
Sector Councils have met except for the Mining Sector. Delays were necessary
due to enhanced activities required of NIOSH researchers by the MINER
Act of 2006 following the mining tragedies of last year. Now, the leaders
of the NORA Mining Program are requesting stakeholder comments at a public meeting.
Input will be received from the public as part of the first NORA Mining
Sector Council meeting, which will be held near Pittsburgh, PA, on May 3.
Participation through the web is also possible. Comments are requested on
important issues that are under-studied and efficient ways to accomplish the
NORA Council mission. We are also looking for individuals and organizations
who wish to participate. Send any questions, comments or offers to volunteer
to Michael Werner (MWerner@xxxxxxx) if
they relate to the NORA Mining Sector Council and to NORACoordinator@xxxxxxx for other
NORA activities.
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Documents for Public
Comment
A new link on the NIOSH homepage, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/,
will make it easy for readers to access current documents available for
public comment. The link can be found on the right column under “Quick
Links.” We encourage you to check this link and send us your comments
on our draft publications.
NIOSH has recently
released the following publications.
NIOSH Health Hazard
Evaluation Reports
Exposure to
animal noise in the service sector
NIOSH responded to four requests for health hazard
evaluations in facilities where employees are exposed to noise from barking
dogs. NIOSH recommended a hearing loss prevention program, improvements in
equipment, and, where appropriate, use of engineering controls to reduce
exposures. Links to the full reports are available.
Combustion
by-products in the service sector
NIOSH responded to a management request to evaluate
concerns about potential contamination of clothing worn by fire scene
investigators. NIOSH recommended that disposable clothing be provided or that
clothing be laundered by a professional laundry service. NIOSH also
recommended that investigators remove contaminated clothing before entering
their cars. The full report is available at http://www2a.cdc.gov/hhe/select.asp?PjtName=42361&bFlag=3.
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Call for Poster
Presentations: “NSTI Nanotech 2007”
The call for poster presentations will close on April 13 for the “NSTI
Nanotech 2007.” The conference will be held May 20-24 in Santa Clara,
CA. http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2007/.
NIOSH ERC Annual
Scientific Meeting
The New York/New Jersey Education and Research Center 28th
Annual Scientific Meeting, “The Changing Workforce and Occupational
Health Disparities,” will be held April 13, Mount Sinai School of
Medicine. http://ophp.umdnj.edu/nynjerc/Home.html.
“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.
“3rd
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.
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