Category: Manufacturing
Lung Cancer Screening in the Occupational Setting – An Update
Last year we posted two blogs on the use of computerized tomography (CT) scans of the chest for lung cancer screening — Helical CT Scans and Lung Cancer Screening1 and Low-dose CT Scans and Lung Cancer Screening in the Occupational Setting.2 Since the postings, various organizations have provided guidance with differing implications for early detection Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsMaking the Case for Paid Sick Leave
Does it make economic sense for employers to offer or expand paid sick leave benefits to their employees? A new NIOSH study published in the American Journal of Public Health reported that workers with access to paid sick leave were 28% less likely overall to suffer nonfatal occupational injuries than workers without access to paid Read More >
Posted on by 36 CommentsSafer and Healthier at Any Age: Strategies for an Aging Workforce
Profound changes continue to unfold in the American workforce as Baby Boomers—Americans born between 1945 and 1964—swell the ranks of our workplaces. This has led many employers to fear the possibilities of negative impacts associated with this demographic trend. On one hand, they are concerned that having age-gifted workers on the job may mean escalating Read More >
Posted on by 17 CommentsThe Research Compendium: The NIOSH Total Worker Health™ Program: Seminal Research Papers 2012
In October of 2004, together with our partners, NIOSH sponsored the Steps to a Healthier US Workforce Symposium to mark the launch of a new initiative based on a comprehensive view of worker safety and health. The symposium brought leaders together from the occupational safety and health community and the health promotion community. We commissioned Read More >
Posted on by 14 CommentsU.S. Businesses Start and Stay Smaller
Next week is National Small Business Week. Recent research finds that U.S. businesses are starting smaller and staying smaller than in decades past. What are the implications for occupational safety and health? Read More >
Posted on by 9 CommentsNIOSH Research on Work Schedules and Work-related Sleep Loss
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 Read More >
Posted on by 28 CommentsSleep and Work
Sleep is a vital biological function and many Americans don’t get enough. To coincide with National Sleep Awareness Week, the new NIOSH blog post: Sleep and Work summarizes the risks to workers, employers and the public when long hours and irregular shifts required by many jobs do not allow workers to get adequate sleep. Read More >
Posted on by 79 CommentsA Comprehensive Approach to Workforce Health
“Traditional” occupational hazards and personal characteristics and conditions, such as age, gender, genetics, or weight, are typically considered separately in the workplace. However, most of the diseases and health conditions experienced by workers are influenced by multiple factors. NIOSH authors provide a framework for considering the health of working people in a comprehensive manner. Read More >
Posted on by 14 CommentsBuy Quiet
Quieter tools and machines lead to decreased hearing loss among the workers who use them. So why aren't companies "buying quiet"? Read more about the challenges in this area and what NIOSH is doing to make it easier to "buy quiet." Read More >
Posted on by 26 CommentsPrevention through Design Standard
A new ANSI/ASSE Prevention through Design standard provides guidance on how to avoid, eliminate, reduce and control occupational safety and health hazards in the design and redesign process. Read More >
Posted on by 20 CommentsKeeping Workers Hydrated and Cool Despite the Heat
Many areas of the country have been experiencing extreme temperatures this summer, and sadly the news has been full of stories about the lives lost due to heat stroke. Read More >
Posted on by 38 CommentsLow-dose CT Scans and Lung Cancer Screening in the Occupational Setting
Lung cancer mortality is high and better survival prognosis for early stage cases makes early detection an appealing public health strategy. For years studies have been conducted to find an effective screening method; the NLST is the first randomized trial to show a significant reduction in mortality from lung cancer with low-dose CT screening. Read More >
Posted on by 11 CommentsHelical CT Scans and Lung Cancer Screening
New research has revealed that a relatively new form of screening using helical computerized tomography (CT) may result in fewer lung cancer deaths. This finding is of interest to the occupational safety and health community to potentially improve cancer screening among workers with increased risk for lung cancer because of past occupational exposures. Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsThe Effectiveness of Workplace Training
In light of the costs and time involved with safety and health training, businesses want to know whether training can meet the goals of decreasing workplace injuries and illness, and whether the cost of training programs can be justified. Researchers, training providers, labor, and management should continue to work together to advance the knowledge of effective practices in education and training. Read More >
Posted on by 38 CommentsWorkplace Hearing Loss
It is estimated that over 22 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job and an additional nine million are at risk for hearing loss from other agents such as solvents and metals. Read more about a new surveillance program and provide input on future efforts to prevent hearing loss in the workplace. Read More >
Posted on by 34 CommentsThe Business Case for Safety and Health
NIOSH has partnered with the Williams College of Business at Xavier University and the National Safety Council to offer a new course to MBA students titled "Business Value of Safety and Health." The course teaches the next generation of executives the advantages of implementing occupational and environmental health and safety programs. Read More >
Posted on by 15 CommentsImmigrant Worker Safety and Health
Immigrant workers face a disproportionate risk for workplace injury and illness. At the Safety, Health and Social Justice for Immigrant Workers - Lessons from the NIOSH Environmental Justice Projects session of the 2008 American Public Health Association's annual conference "Public Health Without Borders" (October 25-29), a panel will present the experiences from six of the environmental justice projects addressing safety and health concerns of immigrants working in farming, poultry processing, and restaurant and domestic work. For those unable to attend the session, we would appreciate feedback through this blog. Specifically, what experience have others had with developing successful interventions for immigrant workers? Additionally, what types of materials are needed to better assist safety and health professional to provide information and training to foreign-born workers? Read More >
Posted on by 18 CommentsThe “No Fit Test” Respirator Research Workshop
NIOSH is hosting the "No Fit Test" Respirator Research Workshop on November 6, 2008. The workshop aims to examine how the latest material technology (shape-changing polymers, adhesives, etc.) may be leveraged to improve current and future respirator designs including the long-term possibility of moving away from current fit-testing requirements, while preserving user protection. Read More >
Posted on by 24 CommentsFrequency of Respirator Fit Testing
Over three million American workers are required to wear respirators to protect themselves from hazards in their workplace. Since the fit of the respirator to the user's face affects the protection provided by the respirator, occupational safety and health professionals recommend fit assessment during the initial selection of a respirator model and at some periodicity as part of a respiratory protection program. Read More >
Posted on by 98 CommentsNIOSH Dose Reconstruction Program
Dose reconstruction is a scientifically complex process. In fact, the entire Compensation Program involves many challenging issues—many of them outside the realm of science. The NIOSH process has always been an open one. And, as always, we welcome comments and questions. Read More >
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