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Volume 5 Number 6
October 2007
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Dr. Richard Fenske receiving the Director’s
Award plaque from NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D.
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On
September 18, I had the pleasure of presenting the “2006 NIOSH
Director’s Award for Scientific Achievement in Occupational Safety and
Health” to Dr. Richard Fenske for his work in the development and
application of a novel technique for assessing skin exposure to hazardous
chemicals among agricultural workers. Dr. Fenske is the Director of the
NIOSH-funded Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health (PNASH) Center
and is the Associate Chair of the Department of Environmental and
Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington’s School
of Public Health and Community Medicine.
The
technique uses fluorescent tracers to detect pesticides on
the skin after a worker has finished spraying. The technique is being used as
a training method to help visually demonstrate to workers and employers the
importance of proper use of personal protective equipment and good hygiene.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture has adapted the method for
hands-on training or quick demonstrations, and Cambodia recently used the
technique to educate farmers about the hazards of skin exposures to
pesticides. The PNASH Center recently published pesticide safety training
manuals using the fluorescent tracer method in English and Spanish.
This
exemplary work provides a model for creative, science-based health
communication in today's workplace. The technique offers a powerful tool for
practitioners in reducing the risk of occupational illnesses among Hispanic
workers, a significant and growing segment of the agricultural workforce.
Especially among the segment of that population who may not be fluent in
written English or Spanish, it serves a need for meaningful visual
communication.
More information about Dr. Fenske,
the PNASH Center and the fluorescent tracers can be found at http://depts.washington.edu/pnash.
The NIOSH Director’s Award is awarded annually to a NIOSH grantee to
recognize outstanding scientific research achievement in the field of
occupational safety and health that has made a major impact or has the
potential of making a major impact on worker safety and health.
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Youth @ Work:
Talking Safety
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 NIOSH is
pleased to present Youth
@ Work: Talking Safety, a foundation curriculum in
occupational safety and health. This curriculum is the culmination of many
years’ work by a consortium of partners dedicated to reducing
occupational injuries and illnesses among youth. The initial curricula upon
which Youth @ Work:
Talking Safety is based included WorkSafe!,
developed by the Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP) at the University
of California, Berkeley, and Safe Work/Safe Workers, developed by the
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) in Newton, MA. Those products were
produced under grants from NIOSH as well as the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor: the Massachusetts Department
of Industrial Accidents: the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health
Resources and Services Administration; and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Talking Safety
is a comprehensive curriculum consisting of six modules, student handouts,
overheads, a PowerPoint slide show, video, and interactive activities. It
also includes references to resources for more information. The curriculum
raises awareness and equips students to become partners in workplace safety
and health. Major topics include raising awareness of risks for teen workers,
recognizing workplace hazards, understanding hazard control options, dealing
with emergencies, understanding rights and responsibilities of teen workers,
and empowering students to communicate with their employer about workplace
safety. The curriculum is available on the NIOSH Web site at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/talkingsafety.
For further information, contact Carol Stephenson via talkingsafety@xxxxxxx.
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Sampling
Strategies Manual Meeting Set for November
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NIOSH is soliciting input from our
stakeholders on their needs for information and guidance to be included in a
revision of the “Occupational Exposure Sampling Strategies
Manual” (OESSM)." The manual, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/77-173,
is sometimes referred to as "Leidel, Busch and Lynch" or "The
NIOSH Yellow Book." The meeting will be held November 8 – 9, 2007,
at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, DC. The meeting is an excellent
opportunity for you to provide input on the update and help shape the future
of occupational exposure assessment. There is no cost to attend but
pre-registration is required. More information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/expa/oessmeeting/.
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NIOSH Grantee
Receives Award for Poster Presentation
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A poster presentation from a
NIOSH-funded study of worker health disparities, using data from the National
Health Interview Survey (NHIS), received an award for creative presentation
at a June 2007 conference to commemorate the 50th anniversary of
the national survey. The presentation, “The National Health Interview
Survey, Health Disparities, and U.S. Workers,” was made by Dr. Lora
Fleming at the University of Miami and her colleagues, from a study funded by
a NIOSH competitive research grant. The research found significant health
disparities among U.S. workers, particularly for blue-collar, female, and
certain race or ethnic work populations. For further information on the
research, contact Linda Frederick at LFrederick1@xxxxxxx.
NHIS is an annual household survey of the U.S. population, conducted by the
National Center for Health Statistics at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
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Recruitment
for Health Scientist in NIOSH/OEP in Atlanta
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NIOSH Seeking
Public Comment on Facial Measurement (Anthropometrics) Research Roadmap
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NIOSH is seeking public comment on
a draft action plan that responds to issues and recommendations in an April
2007 report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The IOM report, which
represented findings from an independent review commissioned by NIOSH, addressed
research at NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory.
The research aims at developing a modern, representative data base of facial
sizes and shapes that will help in the design of respirator face masks for
the increasingly diverse U.S. employee population. The draft action plan, the
IOM report, further details about the NIOSH research, and contact information
for submitting public comments are available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/111.
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 NIOSH and AIHA Renew Partnership
NIOSH and the American Industrial Hygiene Association have renewed their
partnership to improve occupational safety and health conditions in the
workplace. The renewal reaffirms the commitment both groups made last year to
use collaborative efforts and expertise to advance the protection of workers,
promote best practices, and encourage employers to develop and utilize
occupational safety and health management systems and effective prevention
strategies and technologies. The renewed partnership will continue through
December 31, 2008. A copy of the memorandum of understanding can be viewed at
http://www.aiha.org/1documents/AIHANIOSHPartnership.pdf.
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 Update: The
sector-based National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA)
NORA is a stakeholder-driven agenda for high priority research in
occupational safety and health. The sector-based NORA will consist of a
strategic plan for conducting research and improving workplace practice in
each of eight industrial sectors. The eight draft strategic plans are
expected to be available for public comment next spring. The drafts are being
prepared by NORA Sector Councils now. To learn which topics are being
considered by each Council as priorities, click on the “NORA Sector
Councils” link on the NORA Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora,
choose a Sector Council and look under “Activities.” Become
involved or discuss any other issues by contacting NORACoordinator@xxxxxxx.
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November Webinar
Focuses on Construction Safety
NIOSH and the National Safety Council (NSC) will host a webinar titled,
“Designing for Construction Safety: Preventing Injuries from Concept to
Completion” on November 27, 2007. Registration is $75 for NSC members
and $125 for non-members. The webinar will be moderated by Dr. Richard
Rinehart, Senior Service Fellow in the NIOSH Education and Information
Division. http://www.nsc.org/webinars/designing.htm.
Mount Sinai Seeking Occupational Epidemiologist
The Department of Community and Preventive Medicine and the Institute for
Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention of the Mount Sinai School of
Medicine seek an experienced occupational epidemiologist, M.D. or Ph.D., to
lead a team undertaking epidemiologic analyses of work-related health
problems. Contact Dr. Philip Landrigan at phil.landrigan@xxxxxxxx to obtain
additional details and to submit your CV.
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 The NIOSH Fire
Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program
Learn more about the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention
Program in an updated two-page brochure. The document is available for
downloading at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-154.
 Lyme Disease Safety
and Health Topic page
A new topic page, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/lyme,
provides employers and workers with recommendations for protecting themselves
from tick bites. Outdoor workers, particularly those located in the
northeastern and north-central states, are at highest risk of exposure to
infected ticks. The page outlines symptoms and diagnosis and treatment of
Lyme disease.
 Reducing Pesticide
Exposure at Schools
A new NIOSH document, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-150,
provides recommendations for reducing pesticide exposures at schools through
implementation of an Integrated Pesticide Management Program (IPM). IPM is an
alternative pest-control technique that manages and suppresses pests by
preventing their access to food, water and shelter.
Three new Health
Hazard Evaluation Reports are now available.
Services Sector
Evaluation of tuberculosis risks. NIOSH responded to a request from managers
at a municipal fire department because 12 firefighters had tested positive
for latent tuberculosis infection in the prior two years. NIOSH reviewed
medical and testing records, interviewed employees and health care providers,
and collected blood samples for tuberculosis testing using traditional and
new test methods. NIOSH found that the department employees were at low risk
for tuberculosis and that the original test results were falsely positive.
NIOSH recommended careful adherence to established guidelines for
tuberculosis testing, if it is to continue. The full report is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2007-0012-3046.pdf.
Manufacturing Sector
Evaluation of mortality patterns. NIOSH responded to a union request
concerning cancer and other chronic diseases among former employees of a
copper smelter. Working with university-based researchers, NIOSH carried out
a study of mortality patterns among these workers. Death rates for the
smelter workers were lower than expected for all causes of death and from
most specific cancer and non-cancer causes. The data suggested possible
associations between arsenic exposure and stroke, and between cadmium
exposure and bronchitis. The researchers concluded, however, that it is
unlikely that arsenic exposure caused increased stroke risk or that cadmium
exposure caused increased bronchitis disease risk in this group of workers. A
summary report is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2001-0088-3048.pdf.
Evaluation of exposure to volatile
organic chemicals (VOCs). NIOSH received a management request because workers
at a label distribution facility were reporting eye, nose, and throat
irritation, which they associated with exposure to VOCs from printing ink
solvents used in a neighboring facility. NIOSH collected air samples for VOCs
at both facilities and talked to workers about their health concerns. The
results showed several pathways for printing ink solvent vapors to enter the
label facility. All measured exposures were below occupational exposure
limits, although some chemical concentrations were above odor thresholds.
NIOSH recommended engineering and maintenance improvements to address the
problem. The full report is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2006-0343-3045.pdf.
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Look for
Us…the NIOSH Booth will be on exhibit at the following conferences.
- “National Safety Council, Chicago, IL,
October 14 – 18, 2007. Visit us at booth #2379. http://www.nsc.org
- International Association of Fire Fighters,
Redmond Symposium, Chicago, IL, October 21 – 25, 2007. http://www.iaff.org
- Pittsburgh Coal Mining
Institute of America Annual Conference, Canonsburg, PA, October 25
– 26, 2007.
Call for Abstracts
- “2008 ASTM Boulder Conference on Surface
and Dermal Sampling,” August 4 – 8, 2008, Boulder, Colorado.
Deadline is November 12, 2007. Kevin Ashley in the NIOSH Division of
Applied Research and Technology is the Symposium Chair. http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/filtrexx40.cgi?U+mystore+swqs8906+-P+EVENT_ID+1080+/usr6/htdocs/astm.org/SYMPOSIA/callforpapers.frm.
- “14th
International Society for Respiratory Protection,” September 14
– 18, 2008, Dublin, Ireland. Deadline is June 30, 2008. http://www.isrp.com/dublin/index.html.
International
Association of Fire Fighters’ “Nineteenth Symposium on the
Occupational Health and Hazards of the Fire Service”
October 21 – 25, 2007, Chicago, IL. http://www.iaff.org/events/07redmond/homepage.asp.
U.S. Department of
Justice and Department of Homeland Security “Technology for Critical
Incident Preparedness”
November 6 – 8, 2007, San Francisco, CA. http://www.ctc.org.
“International
Conference on Agriculture Economics in Developing Countries (AEDeC
2007)”
November 26 – 29, 2007, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. http://www.aedec2007.org.
“European
NanOSH Conference – Nanotechnologies: A Critical Area in Occupational
Safety and Health”
December 3 – 7, 2007, Helsinki, Finland. NIOSH is a co-supporter of the
conference. http://www.ttl.fi/Internet/English/Information/International+meetings+and+symposia/EuroNanOsh.
“International
Roofing Expo 2008”
February 21 – 23, 2008, Las Vegas, NV. http://www.theroofingexpo.com/Roofing07/public/Content.aspx?ID=6980&left=0&Nav=0.
“Work, Stress,
and Health 2008: Health and Safe Work Through Research, Practice, and
Partnerships”
March 6 – 8, 2008, Washington, DC. http://www.apa.org/pi/work/wsh.html.
“Fire
Department Instructors Conference 2008”
April 7 – 12, 2008, Indianapolis, IN. http://fdic08.events.pennnet.com/fl//index.cfm.
“American
Association of Occupational Health Nurses”
April 25 – May 2, 2008, Salt Lake City, UT. http://www.aaohn.org/education/symposium-expo/index.cfm.
“2008 American
Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition”
May 31 – June 5, 2008, Minneapolis, Minnesota. http://www.aiha.org/Content/CE/aihce/.
“2008 World
Safety Conference and Exposition”
June 2 – 6, 2008, Las Vegas, NV. http://www.nfpa.org/wsce.
“6th
International Conference on Workplace Bullying”
June 4 – 6, 2008, Montréal, Québec, Canada. http://www.bullyinginstitute.org/montconf.html.
American Society of
Safety Engineers “SAFETY 2008” Professional Development
Conference and Exposition
June 9 – 12, 2008, Las Vegas, NV. http://www.asse.org/speakerpage08.
“12th
US/North American Mine Ventilation Symposium”
June 11 – 18, 2008, Reno, NV. http://www.unr.edu/ventsymp2008.
“International Association of Fire Chiefs Fire Rescue
International 2008”
August 14 – 16, 2008, Denver, CO. http://www.iafc.org.
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Fluorescent tracers are
chemicals visible under long-wave ultraviolet light. In a project recognized
by the 2006 NIOSH Director’s Award, such tracers are mixed with
pesticides or added to the pesticide spray tank used by the worker. When the
worker stands under the ultraviolet light, areas where the fluorescent tracer
has deposited will appear to glow. This provides the worker with a visual
understanding of the risk of skin exposure to pesticides.
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