December 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.