October 2009 - The Pump Handle - The Network of Care

Sober reminder why OHS protections needed

I noticed a new and much-needed change on OSHA’s homepage today: “Worker Fatalities.” OSHA’s new leadership is rightfully reminding everyone who visits the agency’s website that everyday, workers are killed on the job. The...

Published Sun, Oct 18 2009 3:14 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Regulation, Safety

An Innovative Way to Advance Sanitation

Despite global efforts to improve access to clean water and sanitation, 2.6 billion people, or half of the developing world, lack access to even an “improved” latrine to allow for a basic level of hygiene and protect water supplies from contamination...

Published Fri, Oct 16 2009 6:03 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Health, Water

Blog Action Day: Greenhouse Gases on Your Plate

Today is Blog Action Day, and bloggers around the world are posting about aspects of climate change. I’m highlighting one thing all of us can do to help the planet and our own health at the same time: eat less meat. In their report Livestock’s...

Published Thu, Oct 15 2009 12:13 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Food, Global warming

Why I am getting both seasonal and swine flu vaccines and why you should, too

by revere, cross-posted from Effect Measure I’ve been asked a number of times why I am bothering to get both flu vaccines this year (the seasonal flu trivalent vaccine and the swine flu vaccine when it is my turn). I am in the older age group (last...

Published Thu, Oct 15 2009 5:22 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Influenza

Burning Coal and Contaminating Water

In the latest installment in the New York Times’ Toxic Waters series, Charles Duhigg explores an instance in which a solution to an environmental problem ended up causing yet another problem. Many coal-burning power plants are scrubbing out the...

Published Tue, Oct 13 2009 4:08 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Environmental Health

Joe Main and MSHA: What I would have asked him

by Ken Ward, Jr. cross-posted from Coal Tattoo The last person the U.S. Senate confirmed to run the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration without a confirmation hearing was named Dave D. Lauriski. We know how that turned out … Lauriski proceeded...

Published Mon, Oct 12 2009 2:03 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH, Mining

Why the epidemiology of swine flu matters

by revere, cross-posted from Effect Measure If you are hesitating to be vaccinated for swine flu this year, perhaps this post will help you make up your mind. If it does, I hope it pushes you to get vaccinated, but whatever persuasion we attempt here...

Published Mon, Oct 12 2009 6:36 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Influenza, Health

Letters of Support for David Michaels’ Nomination

As most of our readers know, President Obama nominated David Michaels for the position of Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health back in July. (And, of course, we who work with him at GW were thrilled, because he’s an excellent...

Published Fri, Oct 09 2009 1:06 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Confined Space @ TPH

Getting Smart About Antibiotics

The CDC has designated this week as “Get Smart About Antibiotics Week,” and is encouraging state health departments and other groups to raise awareness about the appropriate use of antibiotics. As cold season begins, CDC reminds us that antibiotics don...

Published Thu, Oct 08 2009 10:56 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Infectious diseases, Food, Healthcare

Innovative idea on health care worker vaccination

by revere, cross-posted from Effect Measure A Catholic hospital system in Arkansas seems to have come up with an innovative solution to encouraging health care workers be vaccinated while allowing them the autonomy to make their own decision. When we...

Published Thu, Oct 08 2009 6:44 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Influenza

Who’s Responsible for Contract Workers’ Safety?

In an article in The American Prospect, Nancy Cleeland tells a story that will sound all too familiar to worker-safety advocates: Vincent Smith II, a 29-year-old who’d moved from rural Pennsylvania to Camden, New Jersey and found work in a chocolate factory...

Published Wed, Oct 07 2009 7:00 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety

New study finds early success of anti-addiction vaccine

On the phone last night with my mom, I started complaining about how late in the season my office would be providing its employees with flu shots. She asked me if I was planning to get one, and like any good graduate of public health school, I answered...

Published Tue, Oct 06 2009 8:48 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Infectious diseases, Research, Tobacco

Mandatory swine flu vaccination for health care workers: I change my mind

by revere, cross-posted from Effect Measure In an earlier post I said I opposed mandatory vaccination for adults (but not for children), the one exception being for health care workers because they come in contact with people at high risk. My view then...

Published Mon, Oct 05 2009 6:34 AM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Occupational Health & Safety, Influenza

Occupational Health News Roundup

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has called distracted driving a “deadly epidemic,” but people can’t seem to ignore their cell phones while behind the wheel. The New York Times’ Matt Richtel points out that bosses often require their workers to check...

Published Fri, Oct 02 2009 2:26 PM by The Pump Handle

Filed under: Confined Space @ TPH

Swine flu: will modern medicine save us?

by revere, cross-posted from Effect Measure For the first time in medical history we may be seeing an influenza pandemic unfold in real time, but that doesn’t mean we know what we are seeing. There remains some uncertainty about virulence, both...

Published Thu, Oct 01 2009 6:58 AM by The Pump Handle