Drive Safely Work Week

Transportation accidents occurr at some of the highest rates while working. Today's post was shared by NIOSH Transportation and comes from trafficsafety.org

Welcome to Drive Safely Work Week (DSWW) 2013— Gear Up For Safe Driving: Mind • Body • Vehicle. This year's campaign takes a holistic approach to safe driving that highlights how being at your physical and mental best—along with the "health" of your vehicle—are all connected in making us safer drivers. Among other things, the campaign materials cover: Tips for getting better sleep; The importance of regular vision screening; Strategic ways to use rest breaks to sustain energy and focus; and Making sure drivers have the right fit to their vehicle and that the vehicle is fit for a safe trip. Simple, actionable steps are provided to help employees be at their best behind the wheel of a well-maintained vehicle. In the U.S. alone, employers have the opportunity to directly reach more than half of the driving population—even more when information is extended to employee family and community members. Working together, we can significantly reduce the number of traffic crashes and injuries that impact our workforce, members of our families and communities worldwide. Thank you for downloading the 2013 DSWW campaign. We appreciate your partnership with us to help make a difference in the lives of people around the world. Safe travels, Sandra Lee NETS Chair Director, Worldwide Fleet Safety Johnson & Johnson

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• Drivers Over Age 55 Far More Likely to Die in Job Accidents Than Younger (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• Respirators Are Not Enough: New Study Examines Worker Exposure to Silica in Hydraulic Fracturing Operations (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• Sleep, Pain, and Hospital Workers (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topics (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)

Determinants of Respirable Crystalline Silica Exposure Among Stoneworkers Involved in Stone Restoration Work

Today's post was shared by WCBlog and comes from annhyg.oxfordjournals.org

Objectives: Crystalline silica occurs as a significant component of many traditional materials used in restoration stonework, and stoneworkers who work with these materials are potentially exposed to stone dust containing respirable crystalline silica (RCS). Exposure to RCS can result in the development of a range of adverse health effects, including silicosis and lung cancer. An understanding of the determinants of RCS exposure is important for selecting appropriate exposure controls and in preventing occupational diseases. The objectives of this study were to quantify the RCS exposure of stoneworkers involved in the restoration and maintenance of heritage properties and to identify the main determinants of RCS exposure among this occupational group. Methods: An exposure assessment was carried out over a 3-year period amongst a group of stonemasons and stone cutters involved in the restoration and maintenance of heritage buildings in Ireland. Personal air samples (n = 103) with corresponding contextual information were collected. Exposure data were analysed using mixed-effects modelling to investigate determinants of RCS exposure and their contribution to the individual’s mean exposure. Between-depot, between-worker, and within-worker variance components were also investigated. Results: The geometric mean (GM) RCS exposure concentrations for all tasks measured ranged from <0 data-blogger-escaped-.02="" data-blogger-escaped-0.70mg="" data-blogger-escaped-m="" data-blogger-escaped-sup="" data-blogger-escaped-to="">−3. GM RCS exposure concentrations for work involving limestone and lime mortar were <0 data-blogger-escaped-.02="" data-blogger-escaped-m="" data-blogger-escaped-mg="" data-blogger-escaped-ndash="" data-blogger-escaped-sup="">...

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WOMEN'S SAFETY AND HEALTH ISSUES AT WORK

Today's post was shared by Safe Healthy Workers and comes from www.cdc.gov

Over half the children born in the United States are born to working mothers.1 Many NIOSH studies were done to learn whether women may have reproductive health hazards that may be related to their work environment. NIOSH Publications The Effects of Workplace Hazards on Female Reproductive Health DHHS (NIOSH) Pub. No. 99-104 (1999) EnEspañol Related Resources A longitudinal analysis of total workload and women's health after childbirth This study involved employed women who were recruited while hospitalized for childbirth. Results included that the time spent on paid and unpaid work was associated with significantly poorer mental health and increased postpartum symptoms during the first year after childbirth. Earlier age at menopause, work, and tobacco smoke exposure Among women older than 25, earlier age at menopause was found among all smokers and among service and manufacturing industry sector workers. Women (particularly black women) age 25 to 50 had an increased risk of earlier age at menopause with both primary smoking and second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure. Control of SHS exposure in the workplace may decrease the risk of death and illness associated with earlier age at menopause in US women workers. Workplace Safety and Women (Podcast) (Running time: 7:41) This women's health podcast focuses on four important issues for women at work: job stress, work schedules, reproductive health,...

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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson). For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

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• Respirators Are Not Enough: New Study Examines Worker Exposure to Silica in Hydraulic Fracturing Operations (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
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NIOSH Research on Work Schedules and Work-related Sleep Loss

Today's post was shared by Safe Healthy Workers and comes from blogs.cdc.gov

Yesterday, in honor of National Sleep Awareness Week, we blogged about sleep and work and the risks to workers, employers, and the public when workers’ hours and shifts do not allow for adequate sleep.   This blog provides a brief overview of some of the work that NIOSH intramural scientists are carrying out to better understand these risks and ways to prevent them. Nurses/Reproduction Issues/Shift Work NIOSH studies are examining shift work and physical demands with respect to adverse pregnancy outcome among nurses, specifically the association between work schedule and risk of spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, and menstrual function.  This research was the first to look at shift work and pregnancy in U. S. nurses.  NIOSH researchers are collaborating with the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, which is the largest, ongoing prospective study of nurses. Results have shown that an increased risk of several reproductive outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, early preterm birth, and menstrual cycle irregularities, are related to shift work, particularly working the night shift. In addition, results show independent effects on reproductive outcomes from long working hours.  The study hopes to establish a cohort of over 100,000 female nurses of...

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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson). For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

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WORK SCHEDULES: SHIFT WORK AND LONG WORK HOURS

Shift work is a focus of increased concern for workers as reports continue to emerge of increased health risks. Today's post was shared by NIOSH Transportation and comes from www.cdc.gov

A tired man, a man working in a hospital, and a taxi driver. According to 2004 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 15 million Americans work full time on evening shift, night shift, rotating shifts, or other employer arranged irregular schedules. The International Labor Office in 2003 reports that working hours in the United States exceed Japan and most of western Europe. Both shift work and long work hours have been associated with health and safety risks. This page provides links to NIOSH publications and other resources that address demanding work schedules. NIOSHTIC-2 Search NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH. NIOSHTIC-2 search results on work schedules NIOSH Publications and Guidance NIOSH DEEPWATER HORIZON RESPONSE Key Safety and Health Topics, Fatigue Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/oilspillresponse/ keytopics.html#fatigue NIOSH OSHA Interim Guidance for Protecting Deepwater Horizon Response Workers and Volunteers, Fatigue Prevention NIOSH Blog: Sleep and Work http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2012/03/sleep-and-work/ NIOSH Blog: NIOSH Research on Work Schedules and Work-related Sleep Loss http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2012/03/sleep/ Overtime and Extended Work Shifts: Recent Findings on Illnesses, Injuries and Health Behaviors DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-143 Presents a review of the methods...

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Silica: A Long Overdue Proposal

The long awaited "Silica standard" for workers has been proposed by OSHA. This post is shared from Dr. David Michaels,  Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health.

Alan White is a 48-year-old foundry worker from Buffalo, N.Y. – he’s in the local steelworkers union, employed at the same foundry where his father also worked. He just became a grandfather. Three years ago, Alan went to a doctor who did a series of tests and told him that he had contracted silicosis, a debilitating lung disease he got from being exposed to silica at his job.

I met Alan last year on a trip he made to Washington to talk about how he got silicosis and the effects of the disease on his life. This is what he told me:

“I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I eat organic foods, I don’t eat much red meat. Now I know that my lifestyle probably won’t benefit my long-term health because of the devastating effects of silica exposure. As a new grandfather, I probably will not be able to run with my grandchild through the park as I had hoped.  Even simple tasks like walking and talking on a cell phone are difficult and my outlook is downhill from here.”

Earlier today, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed a new rule to protect workers from silica exposure, and we’re reaching out to stakeholders for their help to develop a final rule with effective solutions that will protect workers like Alan.

Healthy lungs vs. silicosis

Crystalline silica kills hundreds of American workers and sickens thousands more each year. These very small silica dust particles are hazardous when workers breathe them in. They can cause silicosis – an incurable and progressive disease. Workers can be exposed to airborne silica dust from cutting, sawing, drilling and crushing concrete, brick, block and other stone products. They also can be exposed during operations that use sand products such as glass manufacturing, sand blasting and −as in Alan’s case −foundry work.

Protecting Healthcare Workers

Kerri A. Thom, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, puts a spotlight on the healthcare environment and its role in spreading bacteria that cause healthcare-associated infections. She discusses this topic in context of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America(SHEA) spring meeting, where professionals in healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention are focusing on evidence-based research and policies to further identify the impact of the healthcare environment on healthcare-associated infections.

"At the meeting, several sessions examine motivation and behavior change techniques that

can optimize the efficacy of a good old-fashioned cleaning and disinfection. While hospital cleaning staff often focus on the disinfection of patient rooms’ bathrooms, other near-patient surfaces and equipment can be overlooked. SHEA believes educating staff on the role of the healthcare environment and optimizing worker performance can be one of the most effective measures to adequately disinfect patient rooms.

Click here to read more about the CDC initiative to protect healthcare workers.

Flavoring Workers At Higher Risk for Alzheimers

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A new study raises concern about chronic exposure of workers in industry to a food flavoring ingredient used to produce the distinctive buttery flavor and aroma of microwave popcorn, margarines, snack foods, candy, baked goods, pet foods and other products. It found evidence that the ingredient, diacetyl (DA), intensifies the damaging effects of an abnormal brain protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The study appears in ACS’ journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.


Robert Vince and colleagues Swati More and Ashish Vartak explain that DA has been the focus of much research recently because it is linked to respiratory and other problems in workers at microwave popcorn and food-flavoring factories. DA gives microwave popcorn its distinctive buttery taste and aroma. DA also forms naturally in fermented beverages such as beer, and gives some chardonnay wines a buttery taste. Vince’s team realized that DA has an architecture similar to a substance that makes beta-amyloid proteins clump together in the brain — clumping being a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. So they tested whether DA also could clump those proteins.


DA did increase the level of beta-amyloid clumping. At real-world occupational exposure levels, DA also enhanced beta-amyloid’s toxic effects on nerve cells growing in the laboratory. Other lab experiments showed that DA easily penetrated the so-called “blood-brain barrier,” which keeps many harmful substances from entering the brain. DA also stopped a protective protein called glyoxalase I from safeguarding nerve cells. “In light of the chronic exposure of industry workers to DA, this study raises the troubling possibility of long-term neurological toxicity mediated by DA,” say the researchers.


The authors acknowledge funding from the Center for Drug Design (CDD) research endowment funds at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
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For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered work related accident and injuries.


Read  more about diacetyl

Workers' Compensation: NIOSH Warns of Flavoring-Related Lung ...

Jun 21, 2012

However, it is important to consider the possibility of flavoring-related lung disease in workers who have been exposed to diacetyl or similar flavoring chemicals and have respiratory symptoms. About Symptoms Symptoms are ...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

NIOSH to Propose New Criteria for Diacetyl Exposure

Aug 18, 2011

For public review and comment, the draft document summarizes current scientific knowledge about the occupational safety and health implications of the food flavorings diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione, and recommends ...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

Workers' Compensation: OSHA Issues Bulletin on the Hazards of ...

Dec 22, 2010

Diacetyl is a substance widely used in food and beverage flavorings. Diacetyl is used in a wide variety of food flavorings, although flavor manufacturers have begun to reduce or eliminate the amount of diacetyl in some kinds ...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

California Becomes First State to Set Safety Guidelines for Flavoring

Dec 04, 2010

Cal/OSHA continues to be a national leader in worker safety by implementing a new standard today to protect employees who work with diacetyl, a chemical commonly used to give food flavorings a buttery taste. Cal/OSHA, a...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

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NIOSH Alerts Home Healthcare Workers About Latex Allergies

NIOSH (The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety) has published a booklet to educate Home Healthcare Workers about preventing latex allergies. Latex products are made from natural rubber, and sensitivity can develop after repeated exposure. Limiting exposure to latex can help prevent allergic reactions for both home healthcare workers and their clients.

Once Natural Rubber Latex (NRL) sensitivity occurs, allergic individuals continue to experience symptoms, which have included life-threatening reactions, not only on exposure to NRL in the workplace but also upon receiving or accompanying a family member receiving healthcare services at inpatient as well as office-based settings.

In September of 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule requiring cautionary statements in the labeling of all medical devices that contain natural rubber likely to come in contact with humans. The rule provides that such products must contain the following cautionary statement in bold print: "Caution: This product contains natural rubber latex which may cause allergic reactions." Additionally, the FDA issued a final ruling that the labeling of medical devices that contain natural rubber, likely to come in contact with humans, shall not contain the term "hypoallergenic".

Over the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of workers' compensation claims filed against employers on behalf of individuals who have suffered latex allergic reactions. Scientists and government officials estimate that about 950,000 U.S. health care workers have developed an allergic sensitivity to latex.
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For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses. 

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NIOSH To Review Underreporting of Occupartional Injuries and Illnesses by Workers

Image via Wikipedia

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has proposed a project to review the Underreporting of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses by Workers.

"In 2008, the Congressional Committee on Education and Labor released the report, “Hidden Tragedy: Underreporting of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses,” indicating “that work-related injuries and illnesses in the United States are chronically and even grossly underreported.” Based in part on the report's results, Congress allocated funds for NIOSH to conduct a follow-up study using NIOSH's occupational supplement to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS-Work) to estimate underreporting among individuals who seek care at an emergency department (ED) for an occupational illness, injury, or exposure.

"Objectives for this project are to (1) assess the reporting behavior of workers that are injured, ill, or exposed to a harmful substance at work; (2) characterize the chronic aspects of work-related injuries or illnesses; and (3) estimate the prevalence of work-related chronic injuries and illnesses among United States workers treated in EDs. Particular attention will be paid to self-employed workers, workers with work-related illnesses, and workers with chronic health problems.

"Data collection for the telephone interview survey will be done via a questionnaire containing questions about the respondent's injury, illness, or exposure that sent them to the ED; the characteristics of the job they were working when they were injured, became ill, or were exposed; their experiences reporting their injury, illness, or exposure to the ED and their employer (if applicable); the presence of an underlying chronic condition that was associated with their ED visit; and the nature of any other work-related chronic conditions they have experienced. The questionnaire was designed to take 30 minutes to complete and includes a brief series of questions to screen out individuals who were not seen in the ED for a work-related injury, illness, or exposure; who are younger than age 20 or older than age 64; who do not speak English or Spanish; or who were working as volunteers or day laborers when the injury, illness, or exposure occurred or was made worse.

77 FR 6803 2/9/2012

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NFL Players Tackling Heart Disease

Many football players are essentially paid to be big—really big—especially those whose job is to block or stop the big guys on the other team.  They also suffer from medical conditions that are work related and claim medical benefits and other benefits available under the Workers' Compensation Act. 

There is a good chance that these players weigh in at sizes that are classified as obese as defined by body mass index (BMI).  In the general population, high BMI generally correlates with high body fat, and we know that high body fat is a risk factor for death (mortality) and heart disease.  Is the same true for elite athletes, for whom high BMI may relate to increased muscularity rather than increased body fat?  What if the athlete plays a position where size simply matters, regardless of whether size is related to muscle or to body fat?   And what happens when former athletes are no longer conditioning at their playing-day levels?  Do professional football players die earlier than or more often from heart disease or cancer than the average American male?   New research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) helps answer these and other questions.

In 1994, NIOSH published research examining death rates and risk factors for former National Football League (NFL) players.¹  At that time the research was based on all deaths that had occurred through 1991.   After following these players for an additional 16 years, NIOSH has just published new research on the topic in the American Journal of Cardiology.  

The study included 3,439 retired NFL players from the 1959 through 1988 seasons.  The study found that:

• Players had a much lower overall rate of death compared to men in the general U.S. population of similar age and racial mix. On average, NFL players are actually living longer than the average American male. Out of the 3,439 players in the study, 334 were deceased. Based on estimates from the general population, we anticipated roughly 625 deaths.
• Players also had a much lower rate of cancer-related deaths compared to the general U.S. population. A total of 85 players died from cancer when we anticipated 146 cancer-related deaths based on estimates from the general population.
• Players who had a playing-time BMI of 30 or more had twice the risk of death from heart disease compared to other players. Similar findings have been noted in other studies. Offensive and defensive linemen were more likely to have a BMI greater than 30. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese in the general population whereas a healthy BMI is between 18.5-24.9.
• African American players had a 69% higher risk of death from heart disease compared to Caucasian players.   The study controlled for player size and position and determined that those factors are not the reason for this difference.
• Defensive linemen had a 42% higher risk of death from heart disease compared to men in the general population. A total of 41 defensive linemen died of heart disease, when we anticipated 29 deaths based on estimates from the general population.  Among the 41 defensive linemen who died of heart disease, 8 deaths were due to cardiomyopathy (a specific kind of heart disease that causes the heart to enlarge and can lead to heart failure). We anticipated fewer than two deaths from cardiomyopathy. We saw this increased risk only among the defensive linemen.

Source The NIOSH Science Blog

Read Also: 

Body Mass Index, Playing Position, Race, and the Cardiovascular Mortality of Retired Professional Football Players

"The initial cohort included 3,732 NFL players but 292 players with unknown race and 1 “player” who was actually a trainer were excluded. By the end of follow-up in 2007, the final cohort of 3,439 players contributed 104,776 person-years at risk and 334 deaths. On average the cohort was followed for 26.8 ± 8.7 years (mean ± SD) after retirement from the NFL. For players still alive, the median age at the study end date was 57 years; 60% of the players were white (including 15 Hispanics) and 39% were African-American..."

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WHO Concludes Occupation Exposure to Bitumens Can Cause Cancer

The World Health Organization (WHO)/International Agency for Research on Cancer’s Monographs programme re-evaluated various occupations that entail exposures to bitumens and bitumen emissions, including road paving, roofing, and application of mastic asphalt.

After an 8-day comprehensive review, the Working Group concluded that:

• occupational exposures to oxidized bitumens and their emissions during roofing are ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’ (Group 2A);

• occupational exposures to hard bitumens and their emissions during mastic asphalt work are ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ (Group 2B); and

• occupational exposures to straight-run bitumens and their emissions during road paving are ‘possibly  carcinogenic to humans’ (Group 2B).

Bitumens are produced by distillation of crude oil during petroleum refining, and also occur naturally. Bitumens can be  divided into broad classes according to their physical properties and specifications required for the different uses. The  major use of bitumens is in asphalt for road paving; other uses include roofing, waterproofing, and sealing and  painting.  Application of bitumens may generate hazardous emissions.

For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

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US Announces Effort to Prevent Emergency Responders From Occupational Illness

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and partners in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced revised and updated resources to help prevent exposures of emergency response employees to potentially life-threatening infectious diseases in the line of duty.

The resources include:

• A list of potentially life-threatening infectious diseases, including emerging infectious diseases, and specifying those diseases routinely transmitted through airborne or aerosolized means.
• Guidelines describing the circumstances in which emergency response employees may be exposed to such diseases while attending to or transporting victims of emergencies.
• Guidelines for medical facilities making determinations whether such exposures have occurred.

The action was taken as a result of provisions in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. In the reauthorization, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to update resources originally compiled under the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act, enacted in 1990.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services delegated the task to CDC. NIOSH and CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) worked together to develop the required list and guidelines, incorporating input from stakeholders that was received via a public comment process. NIOSH was created under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and is a part of CDC.

The updated list of potentially life-threatening infectious diseases which emergency response employees occupationally may be exposed include all that were in an earlier list under the 1990 Ryan White Act:

• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis B
• HIV, including AIDS
• Tuberculosis
• Viral hemorrhagic fevers
• Meningococcal disease
• Plague, pneumonic
• Rabies

New additions include:

• Anthrax, cutaneous
• Novel influenza A and other influenza strains with pandemic severity index greater than or equal to 3.
• Hepatitis C
• Measles
• Mumps
• Pertussis
• Rubella
• Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV)
• Smallpox
• Vaccinia
• Varicella disease
• Select agents

The notice of the action and further details can be found at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-11-02/html/2011-28234.htm

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