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Volume 6 Number 6
October 2008
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From the
Director's Desk
--Christine M. Branche, Ph.D., Acting Director, NIOSH
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Tere's Story
The
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.
The partnership behind Tere’s story involved an enormous amount of work
and dedication from all those involved, including partners from NIOSH, Telemundo,
the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), and Hollywood,
Health & Society, a project that couples health communication and
entertainment. The storyline aired this past April. We were pleased to learn
on September 23 that it is a finalist for Hollywood, Health &
Society’s respected 2008 Sentinel for Health Award.
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.
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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@xxxxxxx.
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NIOSH-Administered
WTC Grant Announced
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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.
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NIOSH Blog to
Focus on Worker Exposure to Metal Working Fluids
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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/.
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Last Chance to
Register October 17, 2008 for the NIOSH D.R.E.A.M. Workshop
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 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.
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NIOSH Presents
Online Course on Color Coding of Respirator Air Purifying Elements
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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.
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NIOSH Conducts
Public Review of Draft CIB, Skin Notations for Chemicals
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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/.
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NIOSH Seeks
Comments on Draft Criteria Document:Hexavalent Chromium
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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/.
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 Personal Aerosol Sampler Collects
Bioaerosols
NIOSH
researchers in the Health Effects Laboratory Division in Morgantown, WV, have
developed a series of new personal aerosol samplers for collecting airborne
particles containing biological materials such as fungi, bacteria, and
viruses (called “bioaerosols”). The devices, which use a cyclone
design to deposit aerosols into standard microcentrifuge tubes, allow faster,
less-labor intensive and more accurate processing of samples than previous
mechanisms. The sampler design was granted a patent in May 2008. For more
information about the NIOSH bioaerosol cyclone personal sampler contact: Dr.
William G. Lindsley (wlindsley@xxxxxxx)
or Kathleen Goedel (Kgoedel@xxxxxxx).
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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.
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 NORA Needs You!
Many of the National Occupational
Research Agenda (NORA) Sector Councils (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/councils)
have already posted a draft national agenda for their sectors (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora). They
are now preparing updated agendas based on the comments received as they move
into the implementation phase. If you or your organization has an interest in
the accomplishment of one or more of the goals and are not already involved,
contact the NORA Coordinator at noracoordinator@xxxxxxx.
Unique contributions from diverse partners will be required to accomplish the
many surveillance, research, and research-to-practice goals outlined.
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Pesticide Poisoning
Surveillance Program Obtains Funding Support in North Carolina
In
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@xxxxxxxxxx.
Burn Injuries in
Oregon
Work-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.
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Registration Open - The International
Conference on Road Safety at Work
The International Conference on Road Safety at Work, February 16-18, 2009, in
Washington, DC will provide a forum for participants to discuss strategies to
prevent road traffic crashes, a leading cause of workplace death, injury, and
disability in countries around the world. The conference is being organized
by NIOSH with co-sponsors the World Health Organization, Pan American Health
Organization, International Labour Organization, and National Safety Council.
For more information or to register go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/twu/global/.
Look for us
2008 National Occupational Injury
Research Symposium (NOIRS)
October 21 – 23, 2008, Pittsburgh, PA
FFA
October 22 – 24, 2008, Indianapolis, IN. Booth numbers 446 & 448
American Public Health Association
(APHA) Annual Meeting & Exposition
October 25 – 29, 2008, San Diego, CA
Call for Abstracts
American Industrial Hygiene
Conference and Expo – Deadline October 6, 2008
May 30–June 4, 2009, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Call for technical
papers, poster abstracts and roundtable panel submissions http://www.aiha.org/aihce09/.
2009 ASTM Johnson Conference on
Emerging IEQ Issues – Deadline October 15, 2008
July 13–16, 2009, Burlington VT. Call for abstracts and/or
presentations. Email submissions to elight@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
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
2008 National Occupational Injury
Research Symposium (NOIRS)
October 21–23, 2008, Pittsburgh, PA. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/noirs/2008
A Healthier Workforce: Perspectives
for Iowa and the Nation
October 22, 2008, Iowa City, IA. http://www.medicine.uiowa.edu/cme/
American Public Health Association
(APHA) Annual Meeting & Exposition
October 25–29, 2008, San Diego,
CA http://www.apha.org/meetings/
2008 Worker Safety and Health
Technical Conference
October 28–29, 2008, Washington, DC. https://frink2.sraprod.com/wsh
PCIH 2008
November 8–11, 2008, Tampa,
FL. http://www.aiha.org/pcih08/
ISEA Fall Meeting Protection 2033
November 11, 2008, Arlington, VA. http://www.safetyequipment.org/#inside
8th 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, in Washington, DC. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/twu/global/.
2009 SME Annual Meeting and 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
29th 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/
ASSE Professional Development
Conference and Exposition “SAFETY 2009”
June 23–July 1, 2009, San Antonio, TX. http://www.asse.org
2009 ASTM Johnson Conference on
Emerging IEQ Issues
July 13–16, 2009 in Burlington VT. Email elight@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
for information.
19th
International Symposium on Shiftwork and Working Time
August 2–6, 2009, Venezia, Italy. http://www.shiftwork2009.it
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NIOSH eNews on the Web:
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NIOSH eNews is Brought to
You By:
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Acting Director
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Christine M. Branche, Ph.D.
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Editor in Chief
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Max Lum
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Story Editor
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Tanya Headley
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Story Editor Emeritus
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Tara Hartley
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Public Affairs Officer
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Fred Blosser
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Technical Lead
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Glenn Doyle
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Technical Support
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Joseph Cauley
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