November 2019 Synergist Article

Three new NIOSH “Workplace Solutions” documents published in October offer recommendations regarding protections for workers from noise, Legionella, and cold. Written for a general audience, the Workplace Solutions series summarizes the current understanding of specific hazards, describes relevant regulations and nonregulatory guidance, provides short case studies that illustrate the application of protections, and offers recommendations for both employers and workers.

In “Using Total Worker Health Concepts to Address Hearing Health,” NIOSH explains the risk factors that affect hearing both on and off the job and recommends using concepts from the agency’s Total Worker Health initiative, or TWH, to protect hearing health. TWH involves policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts. The document explains relevant noise exposure limits and summarizes research related to occupational, nonoccupational, and environmental factors that affect noise exposure. In addition to recommendations for employers and workers, the document lists several recommendations for medical professionals to incorporate “total hearing health” into clinical practice.

“Preventing Occupational Exposure to Legionella” explains the sources of Legionella and summarizes guidelines to control exposure, including those from CDC, OSHA, EPA, and AIHA. A case study discusses a NIOSH investigation of a car and scrap metal shredding facility that identified Legionella in equipment and standing puddles.

The document “Preventing Cold-Related Illness, Injury, and Death among Workers” explains possible health outcomes from exposure to cold, including chilblains, trench foot, frostbite, and hypothermia. Case studies describe health effects from occupational exposures at an airline catering facility and a sheep ranch. 

All NIOSH Workplace Solutions documents are available from the agency website.

By Mark Ames, AIHA's Director of Government Relations
(Article published on the AIHA.org Blog)
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I can hardly think of it without smiling. Thanksgiving: the smells of savory spices filling the air joined by the din of family and friends conversing. This is a time of great fellowship, a time of peaceful presentness and reflection on our many blessings. Just as we plan with meticulous care the meal (or meals!) that we will soon enjoy, so too do we look to the future and envision where we wish to be in the days to come.
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When you think of “AIHA,” what images first come to mind? I’ll bet they’re of AIHce EXP, or perhaps a local section meeting or conference, catching up with friends, colleagues, and making new acquaintances while learning about the latest developments in occupational safety and health. The people are one of the many things that make AIHA special, and high-quality networking opportunities are consistently rated as one of the most important member benefits. Like the Thanksgiving holiday, people are at the heart of everything we do; this is equally true in government relations.
AIHA has a lot to be thankful for. Because of our members, we have achieved considerable success this year alone. Here’s what we’ve accomplished so far in 2019:

• AIHA Government Relations published our first-ever Public Policy Agenda.
• Local sections held “Days on the Hill” meetings with State legislators.
• Tom Grumbles, past president of AIHA and the Product Stewardship Society, testified before Congress on the Toxic Substances Control Act.
• Anthony Oliveri, Secretary of the ACTIONS Committee, testified before the Michigan State House Education Committee on young worker health and safety and workforce development.
• AIHA Government Relations launched our first-ever public engagement campaign, focusing on wildfires.
• The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act.
• The House also passed a funding bill that contains AIHA’s recommended levels for OSHA, MSHA, and NIOSH.
• An AIHA-supported bill that addresses the cleanup of fentanyl contaminated property was enacted into law in California.
• An AIHA-supported bill that encourages high school students to take an OSHA 30-hour course as an option to meet their graduation requirements was passed by the Michigan State House Education Committee.
• AIHA was invited to participate in the first-ever combined workshop of public and private partners to discuss supply chain issues related to the Strategic National Stockpile for pandemics.
• AIHA participated in OSHA’s Safe Summer Jobs campaign, Safe + Sound Week, Construction Roundtable, and other agency events.
• AIHA submitted comments to NIOSH and OSHA on requests for information.

Presently, we stand with members who are energized and eager to help advance public policies that protect workers and their communities. Policymakers are willing (and in some cases have committed) to introducing legislation that supports AIHA’s recommendations, and government entities and nongovernmental organizations are excited to work with us. The next great challenge will be to stoke this energy and channel it into additional successes for worker health and safety. AIHA is rising to meet this need. Be on the lookout for a new grassroots government relations engagement strategy that builds upon AIHA’s Public Policy Agenda and is designed to amplify our impact on public policy by focusing on our common fellowship and desire to build a world where all workers are healthy and safe. In the meantime, if you’d like to join AIHA’s government relations committee, please email me or call me at (703) 846-0730.

Mark Ames, AIHA Director of Government Relations

Published in the November 2019 Synergist
​by: Carl O. Sall 
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As you start another day at work, are you excited to see what you can get completed? If not, what is holding you back? Are you stressed? Is your plate overflowing with work you have yet to start?  If so, you’re not alone. Distractions are all around us. Between work assignments, meetings, emails, family issues, social media, and the current political climate, it’s a wonder any of us accomplish anything. Of greater concern is that the work we complete usually lacks the professional quality we expect.  Fortunately, becoming a top performer in a world of distractions is quite simple. We just need to refine a few basic skills: maintaining our focus, saying no, and managing our time.

Click here to read the entire article found in The Synergist