Facts About Worker Safety and Health - 2012

[Excerpt] This year marks the 41st anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the effective date of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The Act – which guarantees every American worker a safe and healthful working environment – created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to set and enforce standards and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to conduct research and investigations. This year also marks the 43rd anniversary of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, and 35th anniversary of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act

Working Conditions in Central America

[Excerpt] In Central America, there is very little information on working conditions, which hampers policymakers in deciding how best to improve health and well-being in this politically and economically important region. Getting a reliable system of information is a top priority for several global health and development programmes. The First Central American Working Conditions and Health Survey (I ECCTS) (Benavides et al, 2012) was designed with two main goals: to assess working and employment conditions and related health outcomes in order to inform policymaking on occupational safety and health in Central America; to serve as the basis for further Latin American surveys driven by the Ibero-American Strategy in Occupational Safety and Health of the Ibero-American Social Security Organisation (OISS, 2009)

The new nurse in industry : a guide for the newly employed occupational health nurse

"A guide on the basic and fundamental nursing principles, functions, and responsibilities in the practice of occupational health is presented, emphasizing the dominant role occupational health nursing plays in the delivery of occupational health services. Included are outlines of the historical growth and development of occupational health and the industrialization of the American labor force. Program activities and services discussed include medical monitoring and physical examination, absenteeism control, disaster control, health and safety education, hearing and vision, rehabilitation, and use of community health resources. Relationships between the nurse, physician, industrial hygienist, and safety specialist who compose the occupational health team are discussed. Discussion of levels of nursing experiences for employment, qualifications and education emphasizes the need for continuing education and further preparation to expand the level of nursing functions. The work setting, industrial environment, and corporate structure are described to provide an understanding of the dynamics of the man-made work environment. Current health and safety legislation which impacts upon the health and safety of the American labor force is examined. Resources to assist the occupational nurse in planning, implementing, and evaluating occupational health programs are provided." - NIOSHTIC-2NIOSHTIC no. 00080975ERIC ED 166 413 CE 019 5671978700

Protecting temporary workers : best practices for host employers

"This document provides a set of best practices for host employers to follow to better protect the safety and health of temporary workers. The best practices are organized into three sections: Evaluation and contracting; Training for temporary workers and their worksite supervisors; and Injury and illness reporting, response, and recordkeeping. The best practices are applicable across industries and occupations. The document also includes scenarios to provide examples of how the best practices might be implemented as well as checklists for each of the three sections that can be printed or completed electronically." - NIOSHTIC-2NIOSHTIC no. 20065564Suggested citation: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Occupational Research Agenda Services Sector Council, American Society for Safety Professionals, American Staffing Association, Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention Program [2022]. Protecting temporary workers: best practices for host employers. 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 No. 2022-126, https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB2022126.2022-126.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB2022126&id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB202212620221159

Letter to the Editor: License Portability for Occupational Audiologists is Essential

Occupational audiologists have a crisis in their profession and need advocates. These audiologists are primarily responsible for industrial hearing conservation programs and their compliance with multiple regulations, such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Federal Railroad Administration.  Occupational hearing programs, for the most part, are multi-state programs as companies and corporations are national organizations. Also, companies may contract services across state lines as local services may not be desired or available. Individual state telepractice regulations require audiologists who are professionally supervising these programs via the internet and phone, to secure licensure in each state. For this licensure redundancy, the cost in time and tracking are enormous.  It is imperative that the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), secure multistate licensure for speech-language pathologists and audiologists. For the profession of occupational audiology, it is essential.Keywords: Licensure, Occupational audiologists, Telehealth, Telepractic

Dying to Work: Death and Injury in the American Workplace

[Excerpt] In Dying to Work, Jonathan Karmel raises our awareness of unsafe working condidtions with accounts of workers who were needlessly injured or killed on the job. Based on heart-wrenching interviews Karmel conducted with injured workers and surviving family members across the country, the stories in this book are introduced in a way that helps place them in a historical and political context and represent a wide survey of the American workplace, including, among others, warehouse workers, grocery store clerks, hotel housekeepers, and river dredgers. Karmel’s examples are portraits of the lives and dreams cut short and reports of the workplace incidents that tragically changed the lives of everyone around them. Dying to Work includes incidents from industries and jobs that we do not commonly associate with injuries and fatalities and highlights the risks faced by workers who are hidden in plain view all around us. While exposing the failure of safety laws that leave millions of workers without compensation and employers without any meaningful incentive to protect their workers, Karmel offers the reader some hope in the form of policy suggestions that may make American workers safer and employers more accountable. This is a book for anyone interested in issues of worker health and safety, and it will also serve as the cornerstone for courses in public policy, community health, labor studies, business ethics, regulation and safety, and occupational and environmental health policy

American Indian and Alaska Native worker safety and health strategic plan

"This strategic plan defines and prioritizes occupational safety and health (OSH) research related to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) workers for 2023-2032. This strategic plan focuses on conducting priority research and outreach activities to prevent injuries, illnesses, and fatalities to AI/AN workers. The objectives are organized by four focus areas: (1) research, (2) practice, (3) policy, and (4) capacity building. The four focus areas were developed based on input received at the Improving Worker Safety and Health Among American Indians and Alaska Natives: Partnership Workshop in 2015, the Building Bridges to Enhance the Well-Being of American Indian and Alaska Native Workshop in 2019, a review of relevant strategic plans, and input collected from tribes during a formal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tribal consultation process in 2022." - NIOSHTIC-2NIOSHTIC no. 20230301Suggested citation: NIOSH [2023]. NIOSH American Indian and Alaska Native Worker Safety and Health Strategic Plan. By Dalsey E, Foley R, Hatcher S, Steege A, Hill R, Hagan-Haynes K, Franklin C. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2023-123, https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB2023123.2023-123.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB202312

American Indian and Alaska Native Worker Safety and Health Strategic Plan

cdc:125675"This strategic plan defines and prioritizes occupational safety and health (OSH) research related to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) workers for 2023-2032. This strategic plan focuses on conducting priority research and outreach activities to prevent injuries, illnesses, and fatalities to AI/AN workers. The objectives are organized by four focus areas: (1) research, (2) practice, (3) policy, and (4) capacity building. The four focus areas were developed based on input received at the Improving Worker Safety and Health Among American Indians and Alaska Natives: Partnership Workshop in 2015, the Building Bridges to Enhance the Well-Being of American Indian and Alaska Native Workshop in 2019, a review of relevant strategic plans, and input collected from tribes during a formal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tribal consultation process in 2022." - NIOSHTIC-2NIOSHTIC no. 20068218Suggested Citation: NIOSH [2023]. NIOSH American Indian and Alaska Native Worker Safety and Health Strategic Plan. By Dalsey E, Foley R, Hatcher S, Steege A, Hill R, Hagan-Haynes K, Franklin C. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2023-123 (revised 08/2023), https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB2023123revised0820232023-123revised082023.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB202312

National Occupational Injury Research Symposium

For almost 25 years, the National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS) has been the only forum focused on work-related acute traumatic injury research. NOIRS provides an invaluable platform for researchers, academicians, labor union representatives, safety professionals, industry leaders, and students from a variety of disciplines and fields to showcase innovative and state-of-the-art approaches to occupational injury research and prevention.Held approximately every three to five years, NOIRS offers attendees, both from the U.S. and internationally, the opportunity to network with colleagues to expand their knowledge of current research and best practices to understand and reduce work-related injury. The significant interaction among conference participants has resulted in numerous collaborative partnerships between NIOSH and external researchers, which has led to new research to help advance the NIOSH mission to reduce occupational traumatic injuries and fatalities.The upcoming NOIRS will be the eighth such symposium hosted by NIOSH since 1997 and has strong support from partners and stakeholders in the occupational safety and health community. The National Safety Council and American Society of Safety Professionals (formerly American Society of Safety Engineers) are long-standing partners who are again serving as NOIRS co-sponsors. For the last few NOIRS, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) and BSCP Foundation and West Virginia University (School of Public Health, Benjamin C. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, and Safety and Health Extension) have co-sponsored the meeting. The Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research were also co-sponsors for several past NOIRS. Co-sponsors are integral to developing a dynamic symposium that meets the needs of attendees and provides opportunities for networking.20211061

Boiling Point: OSHA Must Act Immediately to Protect Workers From Deadly Temperatures

Extreme heat is endangering the lives and well-being of workers – disproportionately Hispanic/Latino or African-American – who work under the midday sun or in stifling indoor conditions. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health identified heat stress as significant workplace hazard 50 years ago; the problem is growing far more severe due to the ravages of the climate crisis.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is required by law to ensure that American workers are provided with "safe and healthful" conditions. In 2011, Public Citizen and others petitioned OSHA to issue a long overdue rule to protect workers from environmental heat. The agency denied the petition. Public Citizen and allies petitioned again in 2018 for a permanent rule, and for an emergency temporary standard in 2021. In 2021, OSHA announced it was starting the process to issue a permanent rule, but that process is anticipated to take six-to-eight years.Estimates contained in this report place heat among the highest-ranking causes of injuries and fatalities for American workers.Taking action will protect workers. A heat-safety standard in California resulted in a 30% reduction in heat-related injuries and illnesses. These results suggest that a national standard would prevent more than 50,000 heat-related injuries and illnesses a year