Occupational Illnesses

Chicago — Physicians contracted by mine operators to review chest X-rays of coal miners who file “totally debilitating disease” workers’ compensation claims with the Department of Labor’s Federal Black Lung Program may have a bias strongly related to financial conflict of interest, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago suggest.

Manchester, England — Shift workers, particularly those working permanent night shifts, may be at elevated risk for moderate to severe asthma, according to a study led by British researchers.

Boston — Grocery store workers who interact with customers may be five times more likely to contract COVID-19 than their colleagues who don’t have direct contact with customers, results of a recent study led by researchers from Harvard University show.

Dallas — The OSHA Region 6 Training Institute Education Centers has developed a webinar on the proper implementation of a respiratory protection program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farmington, CT — An estimated 25,000 work-related illnesses are reported in Connecticut each year, according to a report released Sept. 1 from UConn Health.

Washington — “Large numbers” of workers in the service industry “have an elevated risk of hearing loss and need immediate hearing conservation efforts,” NIOSH researchers say in a recent study.

Sydney — Workers in the construction and agriculture industries face an increased risk of knee osteoarthritis, in part because of the rigorous physical demands of the job, results of a recent study led by researchers at the University of Sydney suggest.

Washington — Decreases in lung function observed among cleanup workers shortly after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster were no longer apparent within the next few years, results of a new study from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences indicate – suggesting that some adverse health effects linked to the spill may resolve over time.

Washington — In the absence of an emergency temporary standard on infectious disease from OSHA amid the COVID-19 pandemic, North America’s Building Trades Unions and CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training have developed national guidance on infectious disease exposure control practices for construction sites.

Washington — NIOSH, along with the National Hearing Conservation Association and the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation, is accepting nominations for the 2021 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award.