NIOSH eNews - September, 2013

NIOSH eNews - September, 2013

From the Director’s Desk

John Howard, M.D., Director, NIOSH

The WTC Health Program: Expanding Care More Than A Decade After 9/11

This month we commemorate the twelfth anniversary of the September 11^th terrorist attacks in New York, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Though the attacks occurred over a decade ago, many responders and survivors continue to experience physical and mental health symptoms as a result of their experience. Affected individuals may not recognize that a chronic cough, difficulty sleeping, certain cancers, or frequent heartburn could be a 9/11-related condition. The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program can help.
The WTC Health Program is a unique NIOSH program that provides high-quality medical monitoring and treatment services for 9/11 responders and survivors. Almost 65,000 people are enrolled in the Program and are eligible to receive healthcare at one of seven Clinical Centers of Excellence in New York or through the Nationwide Provider Network. Providers with the WTC Health Program are experts in recognizing and treating physical and mental health conditions caused by the September 11^th terrorist attacks.

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New Online Course Available to Help Nurses Prevent Workplace Violence

A new free on-line course aims to train nurses on recognizing and preventing workplace violence. NIOSH worked with healthcare stakeholders—nursing and labor organizations, academic groups, other government agencies, and Vida Health Communications, Inc.—to develop the course. The multimedia training incorporates lesson text, videos depicting workplace violence incidents, testimonials from real nurses, and lesson quizzes. Nurses can also receive continuing education credits for completing the online course. The course is available on the NIOSH website at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/training_nurses.html.

Online Emergency Responder Training Now Available

It’s finally here! The Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance online training course is now available. This course provides a recommended health monitoring and surveillance framework, referred to as the Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance (ERHMS) system, which includes specific recommendations and tools for all phases of a response, including the pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment phases. The training is available through the NIOSH ERHMS page http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/erhms/ or the CDC Training page at http://cdc.train.org/DesktopModules/eLearning/CourseDetails/CourseDetailsForm.aspx?courseId=1045755.

2013 Drive Safely Work Week Toolkit Available for Free Download

October 7–11 is Drive Safely Work Week (DSWW). The theme of the 2013 campaign is “Gear up for safe driving: Mind ·Body ·Vehicle.” DSWW is developed by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), a public-private partnership that promotes road safety on and off the job. The DSWW toolkit provides easy-to-use Web-based resources for employers, including downloadable graphics and activities tailored for each day of the campaign week. Download at no cost via the NETS Web site (www.trafficsafety.org).

NIOSH Announces Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorders Web Page

NIOSH has released a new topic page on Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Disorders. The page features peer-reviewed publications that were completed by NIOSH researchers and other members of the MSD Consortium (Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industry, University of California/Berkeley/San Francisco, Washington University/St. Louis, University of Wisconsin, University of Iowa, University of Connecticut, and University of Utah). http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/upperlimb

N95 Day Set for Thursday, 9/5

N95 Day is right around the corner, this Thursday, September 5. This observance is meant to bring recognition to the importance of respiratory protection in the workplace and familiarize users with the educational resources available. In recognition of N95 Day, NIOSH will feature a NIOSH Science Blog on the topic, a video featuring the NIOSH N95 certification laboratory, and lots of Twitter action (follow @NIOSH and @NPPTL). There will also be a webinar focusing on the myths versus the facts of N95 use. Registration for the webinar is now full, but it will be posted on the webpage (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl).

HHE Annual Report Now Available

The Health Hazard Evaluation Program has released its 2012 Annual Report! To view a pdf of this document go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/pdfs/HHE_2012_Annual_Report.pdf. If you would like to request a paper copy, send an email with your name and address to HHERequestHelp@cdc.gov.

Networking to Advance Nanotechology Health, Safety Knowledge

Anna Shvedova, Ph.D., NIOSH research physiologist and member of NIOSH’s Nanotechnology Research Center, served on the Scientific Committee and gave one of the keynote presentations at the 2^nd Applied Nanotechnology & Nanotoxicology (ANNT) meeting, August 15-19 in Russia. This meeting serves to strengthen international cooperation on occupational and environmental health and safety research, one of the key objectives of the nanotechnology sub-working group of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission’s Science and Technology Innovation Working Group. A third meeting is scheduled to take place in 2015 in Kazan, Russia.

Call for Nominations 2014 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards™

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2014 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards.™ The awards are given by NIOSH in partnership with the National Hearing Conservation Association to recognize excellence in hearing loss prevention. The deadline for self-nominations is September 6, 2013. Additional information is available at www.safeinsound.us

Health Insurance Marketplace Educational Materials

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched its Health Insurance Marketplace education effort, along with the re-launch of a new consumer-focused website and a 24-hour consumer call center to help Americans prepare for open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act. The HHS news release can be viewed at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2013pres/06/20130624a.html. For a whole host of materials, including widgets, brochures, infographics, presentations, fact sheets, and more, go to http://marketplace.cms.gov/. The consumer website is located at https://www.healthcare.gov/.

USA Today article notes NIOSH role in safe work for youths in Ag

NIOSH’s role in conducting research and surveillance to monitor trends in the employment of youths in agricultural jobs, and its work with the farming community in reducing risks of injury and illness for youths in agriculture, were noted in a feature article in USA TODAY on August 30 about youths and, agricultural jobs. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/30/stateline-children-farm-work/2737243/

Positive results from Telenovela project discussed in new journal article

Using culturally appropriate mediums can be an effective way of reaching and educating workers and other audiences about preventing injuries from work-related falls, a peer-reviewed article by researchers from the University of California, the University of Georgia, and NIOSH finds. The article, published on August 29 in the online SAGE open journals, discusses an innovative project led by NIOSH and CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, in which a work-site safety message was woven into the storyline of a nationally televised Telenovela, or Spanish-language TV drama. http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/3/3/2158244013500284.short