Title: New Occupational and Environmental Health APHA Policies

Author:

Section/SPIG: Occupational Health and Safety

Issue Date:

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Karla Armenti, ScD
OHS Section Newsletter Editor
<armeka@comcast.net>

The Occupational Health & Safety and Environment Sections of APHA have recently submitted six new policies to the APHA Joint Policy Committee for comments. You may view them at:
<http://www.apha.org/private/2004_Proposed_Policies/index.htm>.

Since many of these policies were initiated by the Environment Section, the leadership and policy group of the OHS section provided comments to ensure the inclusion of worker safety and health issues in these policies. In particular, we proposed that for Policy B-3, the work environment be a major component of our built environment, which should be built for worker safety, ergonomics, and should promote pollution prevention through the integration of designs that prevent worker injuries and illnesses as well as protect the pollution of the environment. For Policy B-4, we suggested that work environment health education be recognized and included as an essential element for all health professional education in order to focus on developing their understanding of the intricate relationships and links between community health, environmental health, and work environment health. Policy B-5 focuses on the prevention of human exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) fire retardants. For this policy, the section policy committee wanted to ensure the inclusion of a provision to protect against the economic and health-related harm to chemical production workers that could suffer from job loss in the event this part of the chemical industry is eliminated. Policy B-6 affirms the necessity of a secure, sustainable, and health-protective energy policy. Again, our section would provide for protecting energy related workers against the economic and health-related harm were they to lose their jobs from implementation of the proposed policy.
Please feel free to review these and the other APHA policies at: <http://www.apha.org/private/2004_Proposed_Policies/index.htm>.
The Committee will continue to keep you updated on the development of those policies that pertain to occupational and environmental health.