Fatalities 25 Percent Higher for Latino Workers
A new AFL-CIO study has found that fatality rates for Latino workers have increased sharply during 2006 and are 25 percent higher than the general U.S. worker population.
According to the new AFL-CIO annual study: "Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect," fatal injuries among Latino workers increased by seven percent in 2006, with 990 fatalities, the highest number of yearly deaths for this group ever reported.
Since 1992, when data was first collected in the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, the number of fatalities among Latino workers has increased by 86 percent. Among foreign-born workers, job fatalities have increased by 63 percent, from 635 to 1,035 deaths.
More information on this issue can be found at http://www.ohsonline.com/articles/61543?recipid%3B=.
Senators Call for GAO Investigation of Illness and Injury Reporting
U.S. Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) are calling for a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into the accuracy of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration's (OSHA) reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses.
Murray and Kennedy each stated concerns that underreporting has become more prevalent in recent years along with OSHA's diminishing efforts to monitor the accuracy of reporting. OSHA’s mission to protect workers cannot be carried out if injuries, illnesses and workplace hazards such as chemical exposure and dangerous machinery go underreported.
"More than 40 years after landmark occupational safety legislation was enacted, the workplace is still too dangerous for too many American workers,” Kennedy said. “OSHA can't do its job to protect these workers if it doesn't know what is really going on. That's why this GAO report is important. It will give us the information we need to hold OSHA and employers accountable."
Go to http://www.ohsonline.com/articles/61306?recipid%3B= for more on this issue.
Despite Decline CDC Cites Need for Foodborne Illness Strategies
With the most recent decline in foodborne illnesses having occurred before 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently acknowledged more needs to be done to make our food safer.
A CDC 10-state report, stating findings from 2007 data reported to the CDC as part of the agency’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, FoodNet, showed little change in the incidence of some foodborne infections after a period of decline.
Incidences of Campylobacter, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, E.coli O157, Vibrio, and Yersinia remained steady, and the estimated incidence of Cryptosporidium increased when compared with the previous three years (2004-2006).
“The results show that prevention efforts have been partly successful, but there has been little further progress in the most recent years,” said Dr. Robert Tauxe, deputy director of CDC′s Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases. “More needs to be done to make our food safer. We are constantly working to help our public health system better detect, investigate and control outbreaks and to understand how to prevent foodborne illnesses from happening in the first place.
For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/2008/r080410.htm.
Aggressive MRSA Screening Urged for Health Workers
New research suggests that aggressive screening of healthcare workers in hospitals and other healthcare facilities with endemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), should be combined with other measures to help reduce infection rates.
The authors of the research who reviewed data from 169 studies of 33,318 healthcare workers in 37 countries found that 4.6 percent of the workers carried MRSA, and, of these, 5.1 percent had clinical MRSA infections.
"Screening of infected health-care workers only will likely miss a large number of asymptomatic personnel capable of transmitting MRSA to patients, since staphylococcal carriage is mainly dependent on whether the person is a nasal carrier (of MRSA)... Our search revealed 18 studies with proven, and 26 studies with likely, transmission to patients from (healthcare workers) who were not clinically infected with MRSA," the authors wrote.
The review is expected to be published in the May issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
For more on the research, visit http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/080421/review-urges-aggressive-mrsa-screening-for-health-workers.htm.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about MRSA in health-care settings.
Attend AAOHN’s webcast, “Community and Healthcare-Associated MRSA: Populations at Risk” being broadcast on May 21, 2008 at 2 PM ET. For details, visit http://www.aaohn.org/education/online-learning/Webcasts/mrsa.cfm.
Ergo Solutions to Workstation Problems Are Good Business
Common workstation problems can often be easily and inexpensively corrected producing results that are good for both the worker and the company.
Good ergonomic programs focus on prevention, are part of a holistic approach to occupational safety and health, and can measure their value to the company through productivity gains, morale, and lower insurance costs.
Obvious benefits are fewer musculoskeletal disorders, fewer OSHA recordables, lower incidence rates, less absenteeism, and a reduction in worker’s compensation premiums. Other intangible rewards that may result include improved productivity, less job turnover, worker comfort, and greater job satisfaction.
For more, visit http://ohsonline.com/articles/60243.
Simple Schedule Adjustments Reduce Health Impact on Shift Workers As one study reveals that shift work can be a factor in the development of organ disease, another offers solutions for reducing consequences to shift workers.
Researchers from the University of Toronto have found that shift work can be a factor in the development of organ disease, while a separate review, led by a Durham University researcher in England, indicates that making simple schedule adjustments can result in fewer health consequences for shift workers.
The human body works according to a 24-hour sleep/wake cycle, or circadian rhythm, which controls body temperature, sleep and wake timing and the way organs and body systems work together. Researchers have long suspected that by disrupting this natural rhythm, shift work can take a toll on worker health and raise the risk for various health problems.
“We knew that circadian rhythm disruption had been linked with reduced longevity so we decided to try and find out where, why and how longevity is compromised,” said researcher and University of Toronto professor Martin Ralph.
For more on the study, visit http://www.occupationalhazards.com/News/Article/79648/Shift_Work_Linked_to_Organ_Disease.aspx.
Workers Wary of Employers' Growing Involvement in Health Management
A recently released study from Hewitt Associates reports that companies are taking a greater role in managing the health of their employees—and that is making many employees uneasy.
The number of employers who say they will get more directly involved in managing the individual health of their employees jumped 25 percentage points from last year, reflecting a nationwide trend to find more ways to save money in a tightening economy, according to new research by the global human resources services company Hewitt Associates. But while companies believe they need to get more involved in keeping their workforce healthy, employees are less convinced.
Hewitt's survey of more than 500 U.S. companies revealed a fundamental shift in how they view health care. While cost is still a big concern, for the first time, keeping employees healthy was also named as one of their top business and workforce issues this year. In fact, 88 percent plan to make investments in longer-term solutions aimed at improving the health and productivity of their workforce over the next three to five years, up from 63 percent last year.
For more on the study and employees’ concerns, go to http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/AboutHewitt/Newsroom/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?cid=4962.
Human-to-Human H5N1 Transmission Likely in Pakistan Outbreak Laboratory tests supporting the epidemiological findings from the outbreak of H5N1 (Avian flu) in a family cluster in Peshawar also support the final risk assessment that suggests limited human-to-human transmission likely occurred among some of the family members.
Two additional H5N1 cases were confirmed by serological testing, thus providing final H5N1 infection test results for this previously reported outbreak. These tests were conducted by the WHO H5 Reference Laboratory in Cairo, Egypt and the WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza in Atlanta, USA.
For more, visit http://www.who.int/csr/don/2008_04_03/en/index.html.
OSHA Readies 2008 Teen Safety Campaign
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) will launch its 2008 Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign: Build a Safe Work Foundation on April 21.
OSHA's regional and area offices are also holding kick-off events on April 21 (and throughout the summer) to support the Campaign.
This year's Campaign focuses on youth employed in the construction industry with an emphasis on residential building. To share information with the public, including teen workers, employers, educators, and parents, OSHA will launch a new Web page on the agency's Web site that will provide teen-related compliance assistance information, such as applicable OSHA standards, on-the-job hazards, tools and equipment, and career choices.
Locate and contact your area or regional OSHA office for information on campaign kick-off events near you by visiting http://www.osha.gov/html/RAmap.html.
ISEA Offers Free Safety Equipment Standards Booklet A new booklet, which examines how standards for designing, manufacturing, testing, specifying and using safety and personal protective equipment are developed, is available at no cost from the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA).
"Safety Equipment Standards: Your Keys to Business Success" gives an overview of the importance of using personal protective and safety equipment made to rigorous standards. The 12-page brochure is organized in a Q&A format with three sections answering questions about U.S. standards, international standards, and conformity assessment.
"We developed this brochure to remind managers about the importance of equipping workers with safety equipment designed and made to exacting standards," said ISEA President Dan Shipp. "For workers, it's an assurance that the safety equipment they wear and use is tested against they hazards they face. For producers, the message is simple: If your product has to meet a standard, you should be involved in writing that standard."
Individual copies of the booklet are available without charge by emailing your name, title, organization and street address to Joe Walker, ISEA marketing communications advisor, jwalker@safetyequipment.org. Or, you may download a PDF version of the booklet from
http://www.safetyequipment.org/ISEA_Standards.pdf.
Waning Vigilance in Pandemic Flu Preparedness Concerns Experts
Five years after the outbreak of avian influenza (flu) in Asia, some experts are concerned that unequal levels of preparedness among states, flagging interest and decreasing federal funding will lead to a significant decrease in preparedness efforts.
While certain states are much better prepared today than they were 90 years ago when the Spanish flu pandemic killed an estimated 50 million worldwide, organizations such as Trust for America’s Health, a Washington-based nonprofit health watchdog worry about the consequences of failing to be vigilant.
“There is a worry that there was a lot more attention to the issue two or three years ago,” said Richard Hamburg, Trust for America’s Health government relations director. “The fact is that it’s still spreading. There are still cases throughout the world. Preparedness is not a one-shot deal. You don’t know if this will hit this year, next year, five years, 10 years from now.”
For more on the subject, visit
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/23rflu.html?scp=4&sq=flu&st=nyt.
Most Americans Blind to Critical Eye Health Facts
Most Americans are unaware of the risks and warning signs of diseases that if undetected and untreated could blind them, according to the findings of a recent survey.
The findings, published in “Survey of Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Eye Health and Disease” showed that 71 percent of respondents reported that a loss of their eyesight would rate as a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10, meaning that it would have the greatest impact on their day-to-day life. However, only eight percent knew that there are no early warning signs of glaucoma, a condition that can damage the eye's optic nerve and result in vision loss and blindness.
Fifty-one percent said that they have heard that people with diabetes are at increased risk of developing eye disease, but only 11 percent knew that there are usually no early warning signs.
For more information on the survey, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov/news/pressreleases/031308.asp.
Researchers Find Workplace Bullying More Harmful Than Sexual Harassment
A review of 110 studies conducted over 21 years has led researchers to conclude that workplace bullying inflicts more harm on employees than sexual harassment.
The findings, which assessed bullying behavior such as belittling comments, persistent criticism of work and withholding resources, were presented at the Seventh International Conference on Work, Stress and Health.
Author M. Sandy Hershcovis, PhD, of the University of Manitoba and co-author Julian Barling, PhD, of Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, looked at the effect of bullying on job, co-worker and supervisor satisfaction, workers' stress, anger and anxiety levels as well as workers' mental and physical health. Job turnover and emotional ties to the job were also compared.
For more on the study, visit http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080308090927.htm.
New OSHA Fact Sheet Addresses Combustible Dust Hazard
Combustible dusts are fine particles that present an explosion hazard when suspended in air in certain conditions. A new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fact sheet provides information on these potentially dangerous substances.
Industries that have combustible dust include food, grain, fertilizer, tobacco, plastics, wood, forest, paper, pulp, furniture, textiles, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, tires and rubber manufacturing, dyes, metal processing, recycling operations, and fossil fuel power generation. A dust explosion can be catastrophic and cause employee deaths and destruction of entire buildings. In many combustible dust accidents, employers and employees were unaware that a hazard even existed.
The fact sheet entitled, "Hazard Alert: Combustible Dust Explosions"
(http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/OSHAcombustibledust.pdf) reviews how dust explosions can occur, the hazards of catastrophic secondary explosions, and OSHA's recommendation that employers conduct a thorough hazard assessment to identify factors that may contribute to an explosion. The fact sheet also includes recommendations for dust control, ignition control, and injury and damage control.
The fact sheet is just one of OSHA's resources on combustible dust. Other resources include:
OSHA Reminds Employers Poster and Publications are Free
Employers have been approached by salespeople suggesting that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) posters and publications posters must be purchased from private companies.
These practices may be misleading some employers. OSHA reminds employers that official posters, such as the OSHA Workplace Poster (http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3165.pdf) are available at no cost. Posters, and most other OSHA publications, are available by visiting the Publications page (http://www.osha.gov/pls/publications/publication.html) on the agency's Web site, or by calling the Publications office at 202-693-1888.
WHO Estimates 500,000 New MDR-TB Cases Each Year
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nearly half a million new cases of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) occur each year, with the majority appearing in former Soviet countries.
The capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, reported the highest rate of new multi-drug resistant TB cases, 22.3 percent.
The information appears in the WHO publication, “Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance in the World.” It is the fourth report of the WHO/IUATLD Global Project on Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance Surveillance, the three previous reports being published in 1997, 2000 and 2004.
The report states that virtually untreatable extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) was recorded in 45 countries, but cautions that limited data on these cases were available because many countries are currently unable to diagnose XDR-TB.
The complete 142-page report is available in PDF format from http://www.who.int/tb/publications/2008/drs_report4_26feb08.pdf.
CDC Launches New Vaccine Safety Site
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Immunization Safety Office (ISO) has launched a new Web site that helps the public understand the basics about vaccine safety, describes ISO's public health activities and directs visitors to a variety of CDC vaccine resources.
Redesigning the site consisted of updating much of the content and reorganizing the site for easier navigation. The site is intended to reach the public with scientifically accurate messages that address widespread myths about the dangers of vaccines. The site also informs CDC partners and the public about the unique niche ISO fills in the scientific community, performing exciting and critical research.
Some of the updated information includes concerns about vaccine safety relating to sudden infant death syndrome, fainting after vaccination, and vaccine recalls. Future plans include posting the number of reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) quarterly, adding links to scientific articles as they are published, and addressing vaccine safety concerns as they come up in the press.
The site can be found at www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/.
Article Explores Costs of Presenteeism
With an estimated 60 percent of corporate healthcare costs attributed to workers who show up on the job while ill, there are also ethical issues to consider before going to work sick.
The article, published online at BusinessWeek.com, explores the many causes and effects that are set in motion when one chooses to go to work sick and makes a four-point ethical case for staying home. The four points are:
- Client’s needs cannot be met when we are not feeling well;
- Increasing the likelihood that we'll infect co-workers is unfair to fellow employees;
- The financial downside of overly motivated workers who bring their illnesses to work is unfair to the employer; and
- Coming to work sick is being unfair to yourself by denying yourself proper care and recovery time.
The author also explores “what if” situations, such as the single parent whose employer does not offer sick days, the commission-only worker, and the “indispensable” employee with extremely specialized skills.
For the complete article go to http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/feb2008/ca20080226_173434.htm.
NIOSH Issues Alert on Protecting Poultry Workers from Avian Flu
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has issued an alert that provides guidance to employers and workers on protecting poultry workers from exposure to avian influenza.
Although the H5N1 strain of avian influenza (bird flu) has not been detected in the United States, the alert focuses on this highly pathogenic form of the virus and the steps that should be taken before and following an outbreak. It gives a background on the virus, lists the signs that may indicate poultry have become infected with H5N1 and advises workers to report sick or dying birds immediately.
The World Health Organization reported that between late 2003 and January 24, 2008, 353 human cases of H5N1 were documented and that 221 of the cases were fatal. To date, no cases of human infection have been reported within North, Central, or South America.
For more information and access to the alert, go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-113/.
The alert is also available in PDF format at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-113/pdfs/2008-113.pdf.
CDC Announces New Strain Selection for 2009 Flu Vaccine Dr. Nancy Cox, Director of the Influenza Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced during a recent teleconference that the 2009 influenza (flu) vaccine would be reformulated to protect against three new and different influenza strains.
The flu vaccine is reformulated every year, based on predictions of which strains are most likely to circulate most widely and to keep pace with the constantly mutating influenza virus. Although the current flu season started with low infection rates, new strains of the virus appeared in January, for which the current vaccine was not a good match.
The challenge now is to reformulate and produce more than 100 million doses by the fall of 2008.
“I think there are a number of elements within vaccine production that make the situation a little unpredictable, but I think that because the vaccine manufacturers have had some experience with two of the strains already, and there are some reagents available in the Southern Hemisphere for vaccine potency testing, things could go more smoothly than one would first think when you realize that there's a complete overhaul of the vaccine,” said Dr. Cox
For a transcript of the teleconference, including the question and answer session, go to http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/transcripts/2008/t080222.htm.
Flu Vaccine Only 40 Percent Effective
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that this season's influenza (flu) vaccine is effective against only about 40 percent of the circulating strains of the virus.
The percentage has dropped since early February when the CDC reported that the vaccine was protective against slightly more than 50 percent of this season’s viruses. In good years, the vaccine can offer protection against 70 to 90 percent of flu bugs.
In a February 8 teleconference, Joe Bresee, CDC Infuenza Division Branch Chief for Epidemiology, said that the virus strain most common in the United States right now is the influenza A H3N2 strain, which is not included in this year's vaccine. Also, this year's vaccine is not well matched against influenza type B, Bresee said.
Bresee also said that some of this year's influenza type A virus is showing an increased resistance to the antiviral drug Tamiflu. In past years, less than 1 percent of the viruses have been resistant to the drug whereas 8.1 percent of this year’s influenza type A viruses tested by the CDC are resistant to Tamiflu.
For a transcript of the teleconference, including the question and answer session, go to http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/transcripts/2008/t080208.htm.
OSHA Issues Hexavalent Chromium Standard Compliance Directive
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued its compliance directive to enforce the hexavalent chromium standards that were effective May 30, 2006.
On that date, OSHA issued three standards for hexavalent chromium (also written as chromium (VI) and abbreviated as Cr(VI)), adding three new sections to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) as Sections 29 CFR 1910.1026, 29 CFR 1926.1126, and 29 CFR 1915.1026, applicable to general industry, construction, and shipyards, respectively.
This new Directive provides policy and guidance for enforcement of all three Cr(VI) standards, and implementation of these enforcement procedures shall begin on the effective date of thisDirective. Special policies are also provided for enforcement until May 31, 2010, when employers must comply with requirements for feasible engineering and work practice controls.
A PDF of the Directive can be found at http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02-02-074.pdf.
NIOSH Seeks Public Comment on New WorkLife Document
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is requesting public comment on the Essential Elements of Effective Workplace Programs and Policies for Improving Worker Health and Wellbeing, a new resource document intended to facilitate the development of workplace programs, policies, and practices to sustain and improve workforce health.
The development and dissemination of these Elements as a useful tool is a key effort of the NIOSH WorkLife Initiative, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/worklife.
You may find instructions for submitting comments here, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/132.
The WorkLife Initiative is the NIOSH response to the 2004 Steps to a Healthier US Workforce Symposium. That Symposium, organized by NIOSH with over 20 co-sponsors and 50 supporters, reviewed the science, economics, and current practices coordinating health protection and health promotion to improve the health of workers. Symposium participants called on NIOSH to continue to show leadership in promoting research, policy, and practice in these areas.
Training Ineffective in Preventing Back Injuries
According to research published on the Web site of the British Medical Journal (BMJ), there is no evidence that training in working techniques with or without lifting equipment prevents back pain or consequent disability.
The findings challenge current widespread practice of advising workers on correct lifting technique.
Review of studies found that either the advocated techniques did not reduce the risk of back injury or training did not lead to adequate change in lifting and handling techniques. While many health professionals are involved in training and advising workers on lifting and handling, and there may be other reasons to continue this practice, the review did not provide evidence that it prevents back pain.
The complete text of the review can be found at http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/bmj.39463.418380.BEv1?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=back+injury&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Practice Alert: Know Your State's Standing Orders!
Nurses—especially advanced practice nurses—are continuing to encounter vigorous efforts to legislate limits to their scope of practice. Due to the recent discovery of a 2006 practice alert issued by the New York State Office of the Professions, AAOHN is urging its members keep abreast of their state's legislative actions and contact their state board of nursing for scope of practice updates.
In many cases, state boards of nursing do not sufficiently inform the nurse population of changes or proposed changes that will impact the limits of their practice. Ultimately, each nurse is responsible to make themselves aware of their state's scope of practice.
Don't unknowingly find yourself in a legally liable position!
For contact information for your state board of nursing, visit the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
The New York State Office of the Professions 2006 alert can be found at www.op.nysed.gov/nurse-standingorders.htm.
