NIOSH’s new nanotechnology research plan stresses the need for an “expeditious approach for controlling exposure to the continuously growing number of nanomaterials used both in science and in commerce.” Through 2025, the agency plans to fill gaps in information and knowledge related to five strategic goals that NIOSH identified in its 2013–2016 strategic plan. NIOSH intends to increase understanding of new nanomaterials and related health risks to nanomaterial workers; expand understanding of the initial hazard findings on engineered nanomaterials; support the creation of guidance materials to inform nanomaterial workers, employers, and others about hazards, risks, and risk management approaches; support epidemiologic studies for nanomaterial workers; and assess and promote national and international adherence with risk management guidance.
“The development of nanotechnology has reached a point of wide application, and numerous nanomaterials and nano-enabled products are in commerce,” the NIOSH publication reads. “Workers are among the first to have contact with (exposure to) potential health hazards from new technology and products, and their exposure to any new material is often greater than for the general population. Therefore, worker safety and health are at the core of responsible development.”
According to NIOSH, agency investigators have already identified adverse health effects in animals exposed to various engineered nanomaterials; assessed worker exposures; initiated epidemiologic research; and provided guidance on occupational exposure limits, control technologies, and medical surveillance. NIOSH’s Nanotechnology Research Center will continue to coordinate research in “critical areas” such as toxicity and internal dose, measurement methods, exposure assessment, engineering controls and personal protective equipment, and fire and explosion safety.
NIOSH’s full nanotechnology research plan for 2018–2025 is available for download from the agency’s website.

Tackling America’s Greatest Worker Health and Safety Challenges and Opportunities
Each day approximately 150 people — more than 54,000 a year — die unnecessarily from work-related injuries and illnesses. Many more suffer nonfatal injuries and illnesses. As part of the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s continuing efforts to address these problems, today it has released its first-ever Public Policy Agenda . 
 
“The story of America’s workers is the story of America itself,” said AIHA President Cynthia A. Ostrowski, M.S., CIH, FAIHA. “Our collective history has and continues to be made on the backs of the hardworking men and women found in our great country’s factories, construction sites, health care facilities and mines, and in every other location imaginable. Truly, everywhere you look, America is at work.”

“Tragically, this also means that our parents, children, brothers, sisters and friends are also being placed in harm’s way. Addressing a problem of this scale calls for bold actions that are driven by scientific knowledge. That is why AIHA is proud to unveil its inaugural Public Policy Agenda,” added Ostrowski.

Covering the years 2019 through 2020, this plan focuses attention on 15 of the nation’s most important worker health and safety issues:

• Big Data 
• Cannabis Industry Health and Safety    
• Disaster Planning, Response and Recovery 
• Hazard Banding and Occupational Exposure Limits 
• Hearing Protection 
• Opioids in the Workplace 
• Professional Title Protection 
• Sensors 
• Teen Workplace Health and Safety 
• Temporary and Contract Workers 
• Total Worker Exposure 
• Transportation Safety 
• Worker Fatigue 
• Workforce Development 
• Workplace Violence  

Each of these issues is critical, and together they play an important role in realizing AIHA’s vision of a world where all workers are healthy and safe. The heart of this vision is one that is shared by the millions of American workers, the companies they work for and the governments that serve them. Resources and in-depth expert interviews pertaining to each area of its new Public Policy Agenda are available from AIHA upon request.

Moving forward, AIHA is confident that it can meet the challenges outlined in its Public Policy Agenda, rise above past divisions and stand unified in a common desire to protect America’s workers. 

Press Release No. WNT-19-0107-01
National AIHA CONTACT: Sue Marchese, smarchese@aiha.org, 703-846-0742 

In this powerfully visual occupational, environmental, and public health documentary achievement, renowned photographer Earl Dotter chronicles his five decades behind the lens documenting American workers of all descriptions. 

Dotter’s reprisal, containing 500 beautifully reproduced images, personalizes the ongoing toll taken on workers brought on by hazardous conditions.
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This 50-year retrospective is a journey chronicling the raw beauty of people in the workplace… their blood, sweat, and energy. It is the conversation piece for every industrial hygienist whose life’s work is to ensure the safety and health of all workers.​

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

From the Synergist News Blog - by Bridgette Polmar

Natalie Fox, CIH, CSP, a senior manager at Ramboll, discussed effectively reducing employee exposures to respirable crystalline silica at AIHce EXP 2018 in Philadelphia, Pa. Fox was challenged to control exposures at two glass manufacturing facilities using the most cost-efficient, yet reliable, methods possible. The company that owned the facilities was seeking compliance with OSHA’s silica regulations but also wanted to limit the number of employees required to wear personal protective equipment and reduce the number of similar exposure groups (SEGs) included in scheduled sampling. 

To determine where controls were necessary, Fox surveyed the entire facility with direct-reading instruments to create a respirable dust map, determined employee SEGs using job tasks and the map, and collected personal samples from the majority of the SEGs. She then implemented a variety of engineering and administrative controls, as well as improved respiratory protection. 

“A lot of employee exposures can be controlled using work practice changes, housekeeping, and lower-cost engineering controls,” explained Fox. “Something like a batch with sand in it [is] really rough on the duct work and it's hard on the conveying systems. So there were a lot of fugitive emissions coming from there. So just going around repairing the ducts, making sure everything's tight so you're not getting any dust out of there, really made a big difference.” 
But challenges remain. “Some exposures just can't be controlled through administrative or cost-effective engineering controls. You're going to have to spend the money,” Fox said. “Controlling specific non-routine tasks is really hard, especially maintenance activities. They do so many different things every day it's really hard to figure out what their exposures will be and how we're going to control those.” 

She cautioned against quick fixes and urged IHs to never begin designing controls until they’ve conducted a thorough industrial hygiene study. “Determining appropriate controls is not quick. You don't want to rush engineering controls. You want to make sure that they're done right, because there's no one size fits all, even for similar facilities,” she explained. 

Respirator Fit-Testing
Highlighting the 100-year history of respirators, Ziqing Zhuang, the human factors and ergonomics team leader in the Research Branch of the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory, talked about the role of respirators in the presence of respirable crystalline silica. 

“We talk about engineering controls first, but it's very expensive and in some cases it’s not feasible,” Zhuang said. “So we end up using the last line of defense: respirators or respiratory protection.”

He outlined his respirator fit capability test for full-facepiece air-purifying respirators. The test is designed to ensure that a single-size respirator or family of respirators in multiple sizes or multiple model numbers is capable of achieving an initial fit on a specified percentage of the NIOSH bivariate test panel representing a range of face sizes. “The objective of our study was to evaluate the test methods and assess the capability of the existing respirator models to fit a 25-subject panel and then also come up with what may be a potential criterion to be used to determine whether a respirator or group of respirators would pass the test,” Zhuang said. 
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His team concluded that RFC, or respirator fit capability, calculated as panel passing rate is significantly different among the required fit factors and family of respirators tested. Researchers further concluded that test methods developed for half-mask respirators may also be appropriate for the respirator fit capability test of full-facepiece air-purifying respirators.

​Zachary Ambrisco, FedEx Ground
Zachary Ambrisco is a 2015 graduate of Slippery Rock University with a BS in Safety Management. He spent 2.5 years as an EHS manager for a high rise window restoration company and has been an employee within the FedEx Ground Safety department for the past year.

​Jonathan Koger, FedEx Ground
Jonathan (Jon) Koger began working for FedEx Ground in June 2006 holding various roles in their operations. During this time Jon received his BS in Business Management from Point Park University. Jon began to work in more safety sensitive positions of the operations from PIT operator to hazardous materials handling and processing clerk, before moving to FedEx Ground’s corporate headquarters and joining the Safety Dept in Feb. 2012. Jon spent several years in the Hazardous materials transportation side of the business, supporting in various roles. In recent years Jon joined the Safer Workplace team, in the Safety Dept. as a Safety Support Specialist which focusses on project management, policy & procedure management, education development, support of operational safety, and other pieces of the Ground business. Jon’s personal interests include: traveling with his wife, hunting, fishing, his dogs, and consumption of new and unique brews.

​Thomas Jendesky, FedEx Ground
Thomas Jendesky is a May 2018 graduate from Slippery Rock University, with a degree in Safety Management. He received his GSP certification through the curriculum at Slippery Rock. He completed an internship during the summer of 2018 working in Health and Safety for Hatch Ltd. Thomas then accepted a position to work as a Safety Support Representative within FedEx Ground’s Safer Workplace team in Safety Department in October 2018. Thomas enjoys spending time with his family, hanging at the pub, and watching football.

Robert Hemp, CIH, BWX Technologies, Inc.
Robert (Rob) Hemp is a CIH serving as the ESH, QA, and Training Manager for BWX Technologies at the Bettis Atomic Power Lab in West Mifflin.  He has a BS in Chemical and Physical Oceanography from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a MS in Work Environment (IH and Ergonomics) from UMass Lowell.  He started with BWXT in 2018 after 23 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, including tours afloat and ashore in Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC. Additional info: www.linkedin.com/in/robert-hemp-cih-cp9289