Showing posts sorted by relevance for query niosh. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query niosh. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Public Comment Sought on Draft Document for Workplace Tobacco Policies
NIOSH is seeking public comment on a draft Current Intelligence Bulletin,Promoting Health and Preventing Disease and Injury through Workplace Tobacco Policies. The public comment period is open for 30 days, closing on September 15. Occupational safety and health practitioners, healthcare professionals, and the general public are encouraged to review the document and provide comments. https://federalregister.gov/a/2014-19384.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
How to Register for the NIOSH Oil Spill Workers Voluntary Roster for Health Monitoring
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is developing a voluntary roster of response workers to create a record of those who have participated in cleanup activities and a mechanism to contact them about possible work-related symptoms of illness or injury, as needed. The Unified Command and BP support the roster and the goal of identifying all workers, including volunteers, involved in all response/cleanup activities. Workers have the opportunity to be rostered during training and at established staging areas (locations to which trained workers report for duty each day) in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. NIOSH also is rostering response workers online through a secure web site. NIOSH has provided the secure link to multiple federal agencies and BP, and has asked them to refer workers to the web site to complete the rostering form electronically.
As of July 15, 2010 over 38,778 workers have registered on the NIOSH roster.
NIOSH has requested that all cleanup workers and volunteers register for the following reasons:
"We know that workers may be potentially exposed to things in an oil spill cleanup: such as oils, volatile organic compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, diesel fumes, heat, noise, and heavy lifting.
"We know that training will help provide information to workers about these exposures, and we are interested in what training workers receive.
"We want to gather information from workers involved in cleanup, so that after cleanup is over, we can see if workers experienced any symptoms related to the oil spill work. Oil spill exposures may cause some workers to experience symptoms like skin rash, throat irritation and cough, and back pain. We do not know if these symptoms will occur or if they do, what will be the extent of these symptoms. We want to learn as much as we can in order to reduce symptoms now and in the future.
"Documenting symptoms in this incident may provide information that NIOSH can use to protect the health of workers in this clean up and in future clean-up efforts.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
NIOSH Is Developing a Voluntary Roster of Exposed Oil Spill Workers
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
NIOSH Proposes New Digital Classification for Pneumoconiosis
Imaging of interstitial lung diseases such as the pneumoconiosis represents one of the most difficult challenges in diagnostic radiology, and comprehensive attention to technological, methodological, and human factors is required to assure that the image quality and interpretation are satisfactory for achieving early disease detection.
This NIOSH Guideline is based upon accepted contemporary professional recommendations, and provides technical and operational guidance for radiographic facilities and physician readers who obtain digital chest radiographs for the evaluation of pneumoconiosis. The intent is to assure that the recognition of pneumoconiosis using digitally-acquired chest radiographs is at least as safe and effective as traditional film screen radiography. The Guideline should not be considered a mandate for medical practice; however participating practitioners and facilities who deviate from the specifications should have a sound medical rationale for alternative approaches.
The ILO system has been used extensively in the diagnosis of asbestos related disease.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
US CDC Publishes Safety Nanotechnology Guidance
Citing concern over the occupational risks that potentially exist in nanotechnology, the US CDC has issued a safety guidance manual for the nanotechnology.
"Research has shown that materials on this small scale begin to exhibit physical, chemical, and biological behaviors that are quite unique. These unique properties raise concerns about the health impacts of nanotechnology, particularly among workers employed in nanotechnology-related industries."
"Research has shown that materials on this small scale begin to exhibit physical, chemical, and biological behaviors that are quite unique. These unique properties raise concerns about the health impacts of nanotechnology, particularly among workers employed in nanotechnology-related industries."
References
U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. Nano.gov: size of the nanoscale [http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/nano-size
].
].U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. Nano.gov: Nanotechnology and you, benefits and applications. [http://www.nano.gov/you/nanotechnology-benefits].
]. NIOSH [2010]. Nanotechnology Overview[ http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/].
International Organization for Standardization [2008]. ISO Standard 12885:2008 Nanotechnologies-Health and safety practices in occupational settings relevant to nanotechnologies.
Dahm MM, Yencken MS, Schubauer-Berigan, MK [in press]. Exposure control strategies in the carbonaceous nanomaterial industry. Journal of Occupational and Environmental 53(6S).
Roco M, Mirkin C, Hersam M [2010]. Nanotechnology research directions for societal needs in 2020: retrospective and outlook. Boston and Berlin: Springer. [http://wtec.org/nano2/].
].NIOSH [2009]. Approaches to safe nanotechnology: managing the health and safety concerns associated with engineered nanomaterials. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2009-125. [http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-125/].
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Opportunities, Challenges in Use of Workers’ Comp Data Are Examined in NIOSH Workshop Proceedings Report
Opportunities for maximizing the use of workers’ compensation data for occupational safety and health surveillance and research - and challenges that researchers face in exploring those opportunities - are examined in a report of proceedings now available both electronically and in paper copy from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
"Use of Workers’ Compensation Data for Prevention of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses: Proceedings from September 2009 Workshop," DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2010-152, is posted at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2010-152/pdfs/2010-152.pdf 
. The 2009 workshop was co-sponsored by NIOSH, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Council for Compensation Insurance, and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries’ Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention Program.
. The 2009 workshop was co-sponsored by NIOSH, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Council for Compensation Insurance, and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries’ Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention Program."As researchers and practitioners seek innovative means to improve the surveillance of occupational injuries and illnesses, workers’ compensation data offer a potentially useful answer - but the limitations and uncertainties of those data must be addressed," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. "We are pleased to offer these proceedings as a unique resource for assessing current uses of workers’ compensation information for health surveillance, suggesting new uses, and engaging the uncertainties that we face in doing so."
Although workers’ compensation programs record cases of occupational injury and illness that have already occurred, they generate data that may also serve useful purposes for preventing future injuries and illnesses. Those data may provide insights into the severity of cases, recent trends, and emerging concerns that other data sources may not.
However, several factors pose difficulties for using workers’ compensation records as a surveillance and research resource. Because different states have different rules on compensability and because data are not always coded according to a standard system, it may be difficult to harmonize and interpret data nationally. Where larger data sets exist, they generally are proprietary, and access is restricted beyond the purposes for which they were originally established.
The proceedings include more than 30 prepared presentations and a summary from the workshop. Nearly 80 participants from federal and state agencies, labor, academia, and the insurance industry made presentations and engaged in discussions.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety
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Thursday, November 7, 2013
Violence Occupational Hazards in Hospitals
Today's post was shared by Safe Healthy Workers and comes from www.cdc.gov
 About NIOSHAs part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts research and makes recommendations to prevent work-related illness and injury. NIOSH works with industries, labor organizations, and universities to understand and improve worker safety and health.NIOSH is often confused with OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration). However, NIOSH and OSHA are separate agencies with different functions. NIOSH is a CDC research agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. OSHA is a regulatory agency in the U.S. Department of Labor. IntroductionToday more than 5 million U.S. hospital workers from many occupations perform a wide variety of duties. They are exposed to many safety and health hazards, including violence. Recent data indicate that hospital workers are at high risk for experiencing violence in the workplace. According to estimates of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2,637 nonfatal assaults on hospital workers occurred in 1999-a rate of 8.3 assaults per 10,000 workers. This rate is much higher than the rate of nonfatal assaults for all private-sector industries, which is 2 per 10,000 workers.Several studies indicate that violence often takes place during times of high activity and interaction with patients, such as at meal times and during visiting hours and... |
Sunday, July 24, 2022
Federal Joint Study on Workplace Violence Released
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released Indicators of Workplace Violence, 2019, which provides findings on fatal and nonfatal crimes that occurred in the workplace or away from work but over work-related issues. Findings are presented for 13 indicators of workplace violence, using data from five federal data collections.
Friday, November 1, 2013
CDC - Storm/Flood and Hurricane Response - NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic
hospital worker, firefighter, police officer, hazmat cleanup worker
Storm and flood cleanup activities can be hazardous. Workers and volunteers involved with flood cleanup should be aware of the potential dangers involved, and the proper safety precautions. Work-related hazards that could be encountered include: electrical hazards, Carbon Monoxide, musculoskeletal hazards, heat stress, motor vehicles, hazardous materials, fire, confined spaces and falls. Links to information about hazards associated with storm and flood cleanup can be found below. This information is intended to help employers and workers prepare in advance for anticipated response activities, and to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses in the field once rescue, recovery, and clean-up begin. What Services Can CDC/NIOSH Provide to Employers and Employees Involved in Hurricane Recovery? Provides information on work site hazard evaluations available to workers affected by hurricane recovery.
Preventing electrocutions associated with portable generators plugged into household circuits |
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Truck Driver Safety and Health
 We know this industry faces a high risk of illness and injury but the prevalence of specific health problems, and the relative contributions of occupation and health behaviors to the increased risk of injury and illness, is largely unknown. Some research associates the risk of crash-related deaths with job-related fatigue. Other studies suggest that the risks of cancer, heart attacks, and other disorders may be associated with aspects of long-haul driving such as loading and unloading cargo, irregular schedules, long hours of driving, a sedentary lifestyle, and the nature of drivers’ food choices on the road. To help address these research gaps and better understand the risks faced by truck drivers, NIOSH is undertaking a national survey of truck driver safety and health. The survey, which grew out of stakeholder identified needs, will focus specifically on gathering baseline safety and health information among a large, representative national sample of truck drivers. We are seeking... |
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Preventing Worker Injuries and Deaths from Backing Construction Vehicles and Equipment at Roadway Construction Worksites
| DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2014-125 Workers on roadway construction worksites are exposed to possible injury and death from moving construction vehicles and equipment [NIOSH 2001]. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that specific procedures and controls be in place at roadway construction worksites to help prevent injuries and deaths from backing construction vehicles and equipment. Preventing Worker Injuries and Deaths from Backing Construction Vehicles and Equipment at Roadway Construction Worksites [PDF - 430 KB] |
Monday, January 30, 2012
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.
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..."
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Lead: Bringing it Home From Work
NIOSH reports that homes may be contaminated by toxic substances such as lead when employees bring home the contaminates. Bystander exposure occurs when employees bring home toxic substances on their bodies, clothing or other objects. Lead affects the developing nervous system of children, and no safe blood lead level (BLL) in children has been identified:
Monday, March 11, 2013
Carbon Nanotubes Exposure Linked to Lung Tumor Formation in Mice
By “initiate,” we mean the ability of a substance to cause mutations in DNA that can lead to tumors. By “promote,” we mean the ability of a substance to cause cells that have already sustained such DNA mutations to then become tumors. "
See the NIOSH Science Blog
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Reports of Worker Fatalities during Flowback Operations
John Snawder, Ph.D, DABT; Eric Esswein, MSPH, CIH; Bradley King, MPH, CIH; Michael Breitenstein, BS; Marissa Alexander-Scott, DVM, MS, MPH; Kyla Retzer, MPH; Max Kiefer, MS,CIH and Ryan Hill, MPH.
[Click here to see the rest of this post]
[Click here to see the rest of this post]
Thursday, November 3, 2011
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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