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Stroke risk related to shift work may linger, researchers say

College Station, TX — Adverse health effects of shift work – including increased risk of stroke – may persist even after workers resume traditional, 24-hour circadian cycles, according to a recent study by researchers from Texas A&M University.




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Shift work is an occupational hazard, researchers say

Wuhan, China — Shift work is linked to two kinds of mental health issues – and lifestyle factors can play a role, results of a recent study out of China suggest.




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NIOSH issues research agendas for wholesale and retail trade sector, traumatic injury prevention

Washington — NIOSH has published its National Occupational Research Agenda for Wholesale and Retail Trade, as well as its NORA for Traumatic Injury Prevention – both intended to spotlight the research, information and actions most needed to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses.




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Researchers developing robots that can detect slip and fall hazards in retail spaces

Morgantown, WV — Researchers at West Virginia University are working on a project that uses robots to help reduce slips and falls in retail workplaces.




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Workers say electric forklifts need noise. Researchers are responding

Northampton, England — Prompted by workers’ safety concerns about the quietness of electric forklifts, British researchers are working to develop an audible alert.




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Put nanotech safety research under one agency, report suggests

Washington – Designating a single government agency to direct safety, health and environmental research efforts on nanomaterials could help accelerate progress, a new National Research Council report suggests.




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NIOSH updates strategic plan for nanotechnology research

Washington – NIOSH recently issued an update to its strategic plan for protecting workers from safety and health hazards associated with nanotechnology.




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Workgroup issues progress report on nanotechnology safety research

Washington – A national strategy implemented in 2011 to provide guidance to federal agencies on nanotechnology and occupational safety has led to the collection of workplace exposure assessment data and exposure control strategy resources, according to a report released June 25.




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NIOSH signs agreement to advance nanotechnology research

Washington – NIOSH and SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s nanotechnology school have signed an agreement to work together on nanotechnology research and provide guidance on occupational safety and health.




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Temp workers in construction: Researchers explore barriers to injury reporting

Miami — Temporary construction workers face “unique barriers” to reporting injuries and near misses, according to researchers from the University of Miami and the NIOSH-funded Occupational Safety and Health Program at the Florida Department of Health.




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‘Powerful CEOs seem to be better positioned to foster safe workplaces,’ researchers say

Vaasa, Finland — Organizations with “structurally powerful” CEOs experience fewer workplace injuries and illnesses, Finnish researchers claim.




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‘So little information’: Researchers point out lack of work-injury data on Indigenous people

Chicago — A group of researchers is calling for an increase in occupational health and safety research focused on Indigenous people.




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NFPA Research Affiliate Receives Grant Funding for 4 Projects

The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) will also serve in an advisory service capacity for five additional grants with multiple federal agencies, including NASA.




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Older workers’ health: Finding the right job fit matters, researchers say

Houston — For older workers, the right job fit can benefit overall health and well-being, while a poor fit is more likely to push them into retirement, according to researchers from Rice University and Colorado State University.




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Trucking research institute launches fatigue management website

Arlington, VA – The American Transportation Research Institute, the research arm of the American Trucking Associations, has launched a website on commercial motor vehicle operator fatigue management.




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Managers need to disconnect from work at night, researchers say

Gainesville, FL — Knowing when to log off and unplug from work can make managers better leaders, results of a recent study show.




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Women in safety face six common career challenges, researcher says

Bowling Green, KY — Leadership training and organizational support may help bolster the well-being and careers of women in safety leadership positions, according to a researcher from Western Kentucky University.




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Research review identifies occupations with breast cancer risk

San Francisco – A nonprofit organization has released a report identifying more than 20 occupations associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.




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Help wanted: NIOSH seeks firefighters for cancer prevention research

Washington — NIOSH is looking for more than 1 million U.S. firefighters to take part in a voluntary registry, as the agency seeks to understand why those in the field are at greater risk for certain cancers.




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A quick, accurate way to determine if a chemical causes cancer? Researchers say they’ve got one

Boston — A group of researchers from the Boston University schools of medicine and public health has developed what it calls a “fast, accurate and cost-effective approach” to test whether certain chemicals increase people’s cancer risk.




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NIOSH asking firefighters to share health data for cancer research

Washington — NIOSH is looking for participants for a soon-to-launch registry intended to aid research on understanding and preventing firefighters’ risk of cancer.




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NIST researchers unveil mathematic formula for safe crane operation

Gaithersburg, MD — Using an equation they derived while studying the “motion of a so-called torsional pendulum,” researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology have found a “surprising link” between the equation and the work of crane operators on construction sites.




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Respiratory hazards in the cannabis industry: Researchers say ag standards may apply

Berkeley, CA — Cannabis industry workers may be at increased risk of respiratory problems as a result of on-the-job exposure to various hazards, results of a recent study led by a University of Washington professor indicate.




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Research review strengthens link between sarcoidosis, workplace exposures

Toronto — Findings over the past decade – including the results of case studies in the past two to three years – have strengthened the link between the lung disease sarcoidosis and on-the-job exposures to, most notably, silica and silicates, dust from the World Trade Center, and metals, according to a recent research review.




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Silicosis screenings ‘failing’ stone countertop workers in Australia, researchers say

Melbourne, Australia — A recent study of stone countertop industry workers reveals an “alarmingly high” occurrence of silicosis, indicating that government-mandated screening tests may be inadequate to diagnose the disease.




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Special issue of Journal of Safety Research highlights injury research symposium

Itasca, IL — The Journal of Safety Research is offering free access – through February – to a special issue featuring select papers from the National Occupational Injury Research Symposium.




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Researchers to look for link between stunt work and CTE

Athens, OH — “Scientists suspect that about 80% of stunt performers have experienced one or more serious head impacts while working.” That’s why an Ohio University professor is working with researchers at the Boston University Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center to look at the brains of film and TV stunt performers.




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FRA providing funding for rail safety research

Washington — The Federal Railroad Administration is making available $5 million in grants for the creation of a rail research and development Center of Excellence.




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Fungi that can make outdoor workers sick are now nationwide, researchers say

St. Louis — Workers in construction, landscaping, agriculture and other outdoor industries may be at risk of infections caused by soil fungi that historically had been found only in certain regions of the country, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis say.




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Government inspections and fines lead to safer workplaces, researchers claim

Toronto – Government safety and health inspections that result in penalties for non-compliant employers encourage organizations to take action to reduce work-related injuries, according to research from the Institute for Work & Health.




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138 million years? Researchers explore the human cost of MSDs

Melbourne, Australia — Musculoskeletal disorders cost people around the world nearly 140 million years lost to ill-health, disability or early death, results a recent study out of Australia and Iran indicate.




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‘Like dancing with a really bad partner’: Exoskeletons can confuse the brain, researchers say

Columbus, OH — The physical benefits that exoskeletons provide to the musculoskeletal system may be negated by the “mental strain” that results when workers wearing the devices perform tasks that require them to think about their actions, results of a recent study conducted by researchers from Ohio State and Texas A&M universities indicate.




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NIOSH says new research supports OSHA fit-testing requirements

Pittsburgh – The percentage of improperly fitted respirators increases with the length of time between worker fit tests, giving support to the annual fit-testing requirements in OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard, according to new research from NIOSH.




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Sterilization process allows for safe reuse of N95 respirators, researchers say

Durham, NC — In an effort to preserve the supply of N95 filtering facepiece respirators used by health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers at Duke Health say they have successfully tested a decontamination process that allows the masks to be reused safely.




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COVID-19 pandemic: Design tweaks extend shelf life of N95 facemasks, researchers claim

West Lafayette, IN — Researchers from Purdue University have developed new designs for N95 facemasks they say will extend the shelf life of the respiratory protection commonly used by health care workers.




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Researcher calls for federal rules, guidelines on workplace safety in cannabis industry

Seattle — The cannabis industry needs federal regulations and guidance on workplace safety, according to University of Washington professor and researcher Christopher Simpson.




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Water pipe repair method not as safe as previously thought, researchers say

West Lafayette, IN – A common procedure used to repair water pipes can release hazardous chemicals into the air and should be re-evaluated for its risks to workers, the public and the environment, according to researchers from Purdue University.




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Water pipe repair: Researchers offer tips for making common method safer

West Lafayette, IN — Researchers at Purdue University have outlined recommendations for enhancing the safety of a popular method for repairing water pipes that may release hazardous chemicals into the air, as part of a recent study on rehabilitating damaged drainage culverts.




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Research group publishes pamphlet on selecting slip-resistant footwear

Montreal – A new pamphlet from scientific research organization IRSST offers guidance on selecting slip-resistant footwear for the workforce.




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Researchers say zero-tolerance cannabis policies may be ‘too broad’

Toronto — Instead of having a zero-tolerance policy on cannabis use, employers may want to consider “minimum wait periods before a work shift when cannabis consumption is not allowed,” researchers say.




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Researchers find elevated risk of hearing loss in certain agriculture, forestry and fishing subsectors

Washington — Although work-related hearing loss in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector is lower overall than most other industries, three specific subsectors “would benefit from continued hearing conservation efforts,” according to researchers from NIOSH.




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NIOSH invites noise experts to join researchers in improving Wikipedia content

Washington — NIOSH, in conjunction with Wikipedia, has launched a yearlong campaign aimed at improving the free online encyclopedia’s content related to acoustics and the harmful effects of noise.




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‘Care bundle’ helps health care workers avoid PPE-related facial pressure injuries: researchers

Dublin — Frontline health care workers treating COVID-19 patients can reduce their risk of developing a facial pressure injury caused by prolonged use of personal protective equipment by using the contents of a specially designed “care bundle,” claim researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.




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Sit less to improve heart health, researchers say

London — Improving your cardiovascular health can be as simple as replacing 30 minutes of sitting with another activity, results of a recent study out of England show.




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Mold in space: Can researchers help protect astronauts’ health?

Columbus, OH — Moisture and mold go together – even in space – so it’s important to control dust and humidity in space stations to protect astronauts, researchers say.




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Take these steps for a smooth cobot transition, Australian researchers say

Melbourne, Australia — Employers incorporating collaborative robots in their workplace can ease the transition for employees by taking three key steps, Australian researchers say.




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Night owls at increased risk of dying younger, researchers say

Evanston, IL — People who prefer to stay up late have a greater chance of dying at a younger age than those who are natural “early to bed and early to rise” types, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Surrey.




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Want to sleep better? Put rude co-workers out of your mind, researchers say

Washington — If experiencing rude or negative behavior at work keeps you from getting a good night’s sleep, making efforts to “let it go” after you’ve clocked out may help ward off insomnia, according to a recent study from the American Psychological Association.




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Researchers find sleep disorders common among nurses

San Antonio — Nearly 1 in 3 nurses may suffer from insomnia, while more than 1 in 8 admit to taking medications to help them stay awake, according to a recent study.




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New: NIOSH virtual research center focuses on worker fatigue

Washington — NIOSH has launched a virtual research center intended help combat workplace fatigue by targeting industry-specific activities.