In This Issue |
From the Director’s Desk
John Howard, M.D., Director, NIOSH
The Changing Employment Relationship and Its Impact on Worker Well-Being
Work as we know it in 2015 is dramatically different from the 9-to-5 certainty of full-time, uninterrupted, lifetime employment that most people in their twenties could expect a generation ago. The employment relationship is being transformed by various economic and organizational pressures not under the control of any one employer. These pressures arise from financial markets that incentivize corporations to shed all but their core business to contractors. Fierce competition in the globalized world of commerce pressures employers to structure work in the most efficient or leanest way possible. Today’s workplace operates very differently from the workplace of yesterday.NIOSH Releases New Tobacco Report
A new NIOSH report has been released that recommends that all workplaces become tobacco-free and that employers make tobacco cessation programs available to workers. These latest recommendations, which also encompass the use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)—or e-cigarettes—are aimed at protecting workers from the occupational hazards of tobacco and the effects of secondhand exposure to tobacco smoke and emissions from e-cigarettes. To read the full publication, go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
Please Share: Prevention Through Design Credit
On February 19, the U.S. Green Building Council posted a new pilot credit titled “Prevention through Design” to its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Pilot Credit Library (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
New NIOSH Publication on Silica/Asphalt Mining
NIOSH has developed a new document through the Silica/Asphalt Milling Machine Partnership. This document provides best practices to help reduce respirable crystalline silica exposures during asphalt pavement milling in highway construction. NIOSH thanks the partnership for 10 years of successful collaborative research. To access the document, visithttp://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/
New NIOSH Divisions Provide Proximity to the Western States
NIOSH announces the formation of the Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD) and the Western States Division (WSD), both new expansions to the NIOSH family. Approval from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) allows for the search for directors of the SMRD and WSD to begin while strategic development of the Divisions is underway. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
NIOSH Study Spans over Thirty Years of Hearing Loss Trends
A new study from NIOSH examines thirty years of hearing loss trends experienced by workers exposed to noise while on the job, across various industries. The study, published by the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, found that while progress has been made in reducing the risk of hearing loss within most industry sectors, additional efforts are needed within the Mining, Construction, and Healthcare and Social Assistance sectors. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
NIOSH Article Looks at U.S. Metal and Nonmetal Miner Healthy
NIOSH recently published an article describing the current knowledge of U.S. metal and nonmetal (MNM) miner health. The lack of a comprehensive surveillance system and existing gaps in the literature and national surveys limit our understanding of the health status of MNM miners, a high-risk and overlooked population. NIOSH reviews current data sources and describes plans for a health program to address these knowledge gaps and to improve miner health. For the full report, go to http://www.tandfonline.com/
NIOSH Collaboration Looks to Reduce Risks on Lobster Boats
Scientists from NIOSH and L'Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) recently collaborated at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport Maine to discuss ways to reduce risks on lobster boats. The forum session focused on reducing risks for repetitive motion injuries as well as designing better deck layouts to prevent getting entangled in ropes and being pulled overboard. Information to reduce risk among fishermen in Quebec can be found athttp://www.irsst.qc.ca/
New Topic Pages for Workers, Employers, and Healthcare Professionals on Work and Reproductive Health
The NIOSH topic pages on reproductive health (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
Veterans Job Fair
CDC and NIOSH participated in a Veterans Job Fair on Wednesday, March 11, at the Erikson Alumni Center in Morgantown, West Virginia, and hosted by Congressman David McKinley’s office. The purpose was to connect unemployed veterans with businesses that were currently hiring. Business, state, and federal organizations located across West Virginia were in attendance.
NIOSH Staff Assist With Ebola Response
NIOSH staff have deployed to West Africa from all across the Institute in support of CDC’s ongoing response to the Ebola outbreak. NIOSH has deployed as epidemiologists, infection prevention and control specialists, healthcare promotion specialists, safety officers, and logisticians. The country director in Sierra Leone wrote in an email to NIOSH: “Thanks for your ongoing support to the response. We really love having the NIOSH people here.”
New Comparison of Workplace to Non-workplace Suicides
A new NIOSH study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine analyzes the upward trend of suicides that take place in the workplace and identifies specific occupations in which individuals are at higher risk. In the study, authors found that those in protective services, farming/fishing/forestry, and automotive maintenance and repair have the highest workplace suicide rates. Authors suggest that a more comprehensive view of work life, public health, and work safety could enable a better understanding of suicide risk factors and how to address them. Suicide is a multifactorial outcome, and, therefore, multiple opportunities to intervene in an individual’s life—including the workplace—should be considered. The workplace can be a potential site to implement such programs and train managers in the detection of suicidal behavior, especially among the high-risk occupations identified in this paper. The article, “Suicide in U.S Workplaces, 2003–2010, a Comparison with Non-workplace Suicides,” can be found at http://www.ajpmonline.org/
Sustainable Work, Sustainable Health, Sustainable Organizations
Join NIOSH, the American Psychological Association and the Society for Occupational Health Psychology as we convene the 11th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health in Atlanta, GA, May 6-9. The conference theme “Sustainable Work, Sustainable Health, Sustainable Organizations” highlights the integral role of occupational safety and health in sustainable growth both for the organization and employee. The conference program and registration information can be found on the Work, Stress and Health Conference web site,http://www.apa.org/wsh/index.
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