July, 2015 | The Pump Handle

Drug Safety Messaging study: Putting a human face on opioid addiction increases public support for naloxone

July 17, 2015 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

Every day in the U.S., more than 40 people die after overdosing on prescription painkillers. Deaths from a more notorious form of opiates — heroin — increased five-fold between 2001 and 2013. Addressing this problem — one that’s often described as a public health crisis — requires action on many fronts, from preventing abuse in the first place to getting those addicted into treatment. But when it comes to overdoses, there’s one answer we know works: naloxone.

Government Fatal work injury that killed Jason Strycharz was preventable, OSHA cites Kloeckner Metals

July 16, 2015 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

The fatal work-related injuries that killed Jason Strycharz, 40 could have been prevented had his employer followed worker safety regulations.

Environmental Health Company and consultants go out of their way to obstruct OSHA inspection

July 15, 2015 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 2Comment

OSHA inspectors attempted to investigate the circumstances of a foundry worker with lead poisoning. The employer and its consulting firm threw obstacles in the inspectors’ way, but two judges saw through their obstruction.

Environmental Health Occupational Health News Roundup

July 14, 2015 Kim Krisberg

Leaders in the domestic workers movement write about continuing challenges and forward progress; Wisconsin workers lose right to a living wage; OSHA designates DuPont a severe violator; and Michigan advocates organize for paid sick leave.

Public Health Practice Worth reading: Unequal risk and hospital infections

July 13, 2015 Liz Borkowski, MPH

Recent pieces address toxic exposures to workers, infections hospitals can nearly always prevent, transparency in drug-company gifts to healthcare providers, and more.

Affordable Care Act In wake of Affordable Care Act, dramatic declines in out-of-pocket spending on contraception

July 10, 2015 Kim Krisberg

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, American women are saving hundreds of dollars on birth control, according to the first study to document the impact of health reform on prescription contraception spending.

Injury Control & Violence Not an “accident”: Gerald Thompson, 51 suffers fatal work-related injury in Lakeville, MN

July 9, 2015 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

This week’s snapshot of just one work-related fatality in the US. This one occurred on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 in Lakeville, Minnesota.

Injury Control & Violence Study: Many health care providers feel pressure to work while sick, despite the risk to patients

July 8, 2015 Kim Krisberg

A key argument in the movement to expand sick leave to all workers is that such policies help curb the spread of contagious diseases. And there are few workplaces where that concept is more important than in health care settings, where common diseases can be especially dangerous for patients with compromised immune systems. However, a new study finds that despite such risks, doctors and nurses still feel pressured to report to work while sick.

Environmental Health Report explores the dangerous work of recycling: ‘Recycling is the right thing to do, but we have to do it the right way’

July 7, 2015 Kim Krisberg

Recycling our garbage is good for the planet, but a new report finds that the workers who process our recyclable materials often face dangerous and unnecessary conditions that put their health and safety at serious risk.

Environmental Health No OSHA citations for fatal work injury that killed Ernesto Rodriguez at Oklahoma fracking site

July 3, 2015 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

The OSHA inspection following the work-related death in Oklahoma of Ernesto Rodriguez did not result in any citations. A FOIA request of records from the inspection shed little light on why it happened.