2021 - The New England Consortium (TNEC)

Dec

When politics trump workers’ health, we know who gets burned….

In an article from The Hill, Republicans in both chambers of Congress signed on to resolutions to nullify the vaccination-or-test emergency temporary standard (ETS) recently issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Republicans are following their long-standing vow of less-government-is good-government law. To read the article in it's entirety, please click here.

Report: Opioid-related worker deaths skyrocket in Massachusetts

Dec

By Annemieke Tapp

News & Updates, Safety

Report: Opioid-related worker deaths skyrocket in Massachusetts

In this week's Safety & Health publication, an article stated the rate of opioid-related overdose deaths among Massachusetts workers in 2016 and 2017 rose 83.7% over the previous five-year period, with construction and agricultural occupations experiencing dramatic jumps. This was cited from a report from the state’s Department of Public Health. In a press release from the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, the worker advocacy group calls on policymakers to allocate funds to “workplace prevention and recovery strategies” as well as programs intended to aid workers with opioid misuse disorders.

NIOSH: Over Half of Workers Do Not Use Hearing Protection

Dec

By Annemieke Tapp

News & Updates

NIOSH: Over Half of Workers Do Not Use Hearing Protection

It's astonishing that nearly half of the workers exposed to occupational noise do not use hearing protection. This was a result from a recent study from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The study found that agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting and construction were the top industries not to use hearing protection. To learn more about what the study uncovered, read the article in its entirety.

Short staffing ‘continues to be the biggest risk’ to Chemical Safety Board

Dec

By Annemieke Tapp

News & Updates, Safety

Short staffing ‘continues to be the biggest risk’ to Chemical Safety Board

The Chemical Safety Board has only filled one of its five board seats this year and this continues to be detrimental to the agency's operations, as stated by the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General in a new report . It has appointed three board seats but is awaiting senate confirmation and no date has been set for those hearings. During a Sept. 29 hearing before the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, CSB Chair and CEO Katherine Lemos testified that CSB is “on an upward trend” despite its long-standing and well-documented operational and staffing challenges. To read the article in…

Better office ventilation may boost worker brain power

Dec

By Annemieke Tapp

News & Updates

Better office ventilation may boost worker brain power

Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health claim improved air quality in offices can boost worker focus, response times and overall cognitive ability. An international team of researchers examined more than 300 office workers in North America, Asia, and Europe. The age groups were between 18 and 65, and each of these workers had permanent workstations in their office and came into the office at least three days a week. For details and results of the study, please click here to read the full article.

YouTube Video Advertising our Health and Safety

Nov

By TNEC

Safety

YouTube Video Advertising our Health and Safety

Our COSH partner in New Hampshire, NH COSH, produced a YouTube video advertising our Health and Safety Series in October. It also discusses New Hampshire's Worker's Memorial on April 28th. Presented by Brian Mitchell NH COSH and Tom Estabrook Ph.D. The New England Consortium (TNEC).

Methane emissions are high in eastern MA

Nov

By TNEC

TNEC Training

Methane emissions are high in eastern MA

TNEC recognizes the importance of this new study: Methane emissions in eastern Mass. are 6 times higher than state estimates. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has determined that methane emissions from natural gas pipelines and other infrastructure are six times higher in eastern Massachusetts than the state has estimated. WBUR reports that "the study also reports that methane emissions have not decreased over the past eight years, despite state efforts to fix leaks." Read full article here

OSHA tells 3 states to protect workers from COVID or forfeit authority

Nov

By TNEC

News & Updates, TNEC Training

OSHA tells 3 states to protect workers from COVID or forfeit authority

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has threatened to take over three states’ workplace safety programs because they failed to adopt emergency COVID-19 rules to protect healthcare workers, as reported by the Pew Charitable Trusts. According to labor advocates, OSHA's admonition serves as a warning that resisting the forthcoming federal vaccine mandate for most healthcare workers and employees at large companies likewise could cost states their regulatory power over workplace safety. Jordan Barab, former OSHA deputy assistant secretary during the Obama administration state, “This is definitely an effort to send a message that OSHA is going to take any…

EPA Enhances Scientific Integrity and Strengthens Chemical Safety Reviews

Nov

By TNEC

News & Updates, TNEC Training

EPA Enhances Scientific Integrity and Strengthens Chemical Safety Reviews

The EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) on October 14, 2021, announced several actions to enhance scientific integrity and strengthen chemical safety reviews. These actions include the establishment of two new internal science policy advisory councils, the creation of a senior-level science policy advisor to the assistant administrator, and improvements to existing policies and procedures. Michal Freedhoff, EPA Assistant Administrator for the OCSPP, stated, “Scientific integrity is the backbone of the work we do to ensure the safety of chemicals used in our everyday lives. Strong, sound science underpins confidence in our decision-making among the public that…

U.S. Department of Labor starts process to create rules to protect workers from heat hazards

Nov

By TNEC

News & Updates, TNEC Training

U.S. Department of Labor starts process to create rules to protect workers from heat hazards

TNEC training addresses the impact of exposure to indoor and outdoor heat to worker health and safety. OHSonline reports that on October 27, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. There is currently no specific OSHA standard to protect workers from hazardous heat conditions at work. This initiative starts the process to create a workplace rule regarding heat hazards. A press release on October 26 from the U.S. Department of Labor states, “Workers in outdoor and indoor work settings without adequate climate-controlled…