NIOSH eNews - July, 2015

NIOSH eNews - July, 2015

In This Issue

Director’s Desk Bill Requires OSH Training for Students Using NIOSH Materials NIOSH Launches Workplace Solutions for Cutting Fiber-Cement Siding NIOSH, VA Collaborate on Safe Patient Handling Project Follow @NIOSHConstruct on Twitter New Guidance to Protect the Hearing of Workers in Music Industry This Summer, Keep Cool At Work and Keep Responder Safety In Mind

Monthly Features

NIOSH Congratulates NORA News From our Partners r2p Corner Health Hazard Evaluations (HHE) New on the NIOSH Science Blog New NIOSH Communication Products Federal Register Notices Call for Abstracts Conferences & Workshops This Month in History

Volume 13 Number 3 July 2015

From the Director’s Desk John Howard, M.D., Director, NIOSH Making the Rounds to Bring NIOSH Research to You It is my pleasure to announce NIOSH Research Rounds, a new newsletter featuring the wealth of research that NIOSH advances every day: the beginnings of studies, benchmarks achieved in studies-in-progress, advancements in methods for the 21st century, and new findings reported in the peer-reviewed literature. Beginning next month, and then continuing on a monthly basis, NIOSH Research Rounds will make the regular rounds of our nine laboratories nationwide to bring you a collection of research updates written for a diverse audience. Typically, NIOSH researchers network vigorously, through professional conferences and peer-reviewed journals, to inform their fellow researchers from other agencies, academia, and the private sector about research progress. With Research Rounds, we will keep you apprised, as well, of the ongoing research that culminates in the final products of NIOSH numbered documents and peer-reviewed papers. We will also include summaries of selected scientific articles that, normally, you might see if you subscribe to a professional journal but otherwise may be new and interesting to you. Read More... Bill Requires OSH Training for Students Using NIOSH Materials Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin held a ceremonial signing on June 25 for State Senate Bill 262 (for more details, refer to the May eNews, From the Director’s Desk column). The bill requires school districts throughout Oklahoma to provide training on workplace safety and health to students in grades 7 through 12. NIOSH partners at the Oklahoma Department of Labor will collaborate with the Oklahoma State Department of Education to make information regarding workplace safety and health available to schools, using the Oklahoma version of the NIOSH Youth@Work-Talking Safety curriculum. NIOSH Launches Workplace Solutions for Cutting Fiber-Cement Siding Silica dust is a hazard for workers who cut fiber-cement siding. NIOSH has created a Workplace Solutions report for lowering silica dust exposure by using a regular shop vacuum attached to a dust-collecting circular saw during the cutting process. This low-cost solution reduces a worker’s exposure to silica dust and minimizes the risk of silicosis, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2015-185/pdfs/2015-185.pdf. NIOSH, VA Collaborate on Safe Patient Handling Project NIOSH and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs are collaborating on a study of best practices for safely lifting and moving patients, particularly obese patients. At five VA hospitals, researchers are collecting hospital records data and worker surveys to examine musculoskeletal hazards in patient handling; safety program factors such as policies, training, and equipment; and related outcomes such as caregivers’ perceived exertion, discomfort, and injuries. Researchers estimate that it will be at least 2017 before results of the extensive project begin to become available. Further information is available from Traci Galinsky attgalinsky@cdc.gov . Follow @NIOSHConstruct on Twitter Four years after the NIOSH Office of Construction Safety and Health launched its account, the office has reached more than 14,000 followers on Twitter. This is the largest following of any NIOSH-related Twitter account, and it has been growing an average of 200 followers a month. Follow @NIOSHConstruct to receive real-time information on construction safety and health research, partnerships, and practices that address the safety and health challenges construction workers face. New Guidance to Protect the Hearing of Workers in Music Industry NIOSH has published new guidance to help musicians and those who work in the music industry protect their hearing. Professional musicians, such as orchestra, band members, music teachers, as well as others in the music industry, such as disc jockeys, audio engineers, and crew members, are all at risk for developing permanent hearing loss, ringing in the ears, and other hearing disorders from prolonged exposure to loud music. Learn more http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-06-19-15.html. This Summer, Keep Cool At Work and Keep Responder Safety In Mind Summer is the season for family vacations and lazy weekends by the pool. For men and women who work outdoors or those who work indoors without air conditioning, summer also brings serious risks of heat stress. For emergency responders, the risks of performing strenuous physical labor in extreme heat are compounded by fatigue, stress, musculoskeletal strain, traumatic injury, and other hazards of rescue and recovery. NIOSH resources for protecting workers from heat stress can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/. NIOSH resources for planning, establishing, and following safe practices and procedures for responders can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/.