Webinars to Focus on Protecting Workers and the Public from Inhalation Hazards
Two upcoming webinars hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will focus on respiratory protection. The first webinar, which will take place next week on July 20, will focus on meeting the respiratory protection needs of workers without respiratory protection programs. The second webinar on July 28 will cover respiratory for the public. These events are related to the efforts of a National Academies committee to consider the oversight and regulatory processes necessary to extend respiratory protection to the public and to workers not currently covered by relevant OSHA requirements. A report published by the National Academies in February outlines the committee’s recommendations regarding the governmental actions required to provide effective respiratory protection to the entire United States population as well as guidance on the use of respiratory protective devices to mitigate exposures to inhalation hazards including wildfire smoke and airborne infectious agents.
A draft agenda published ahead of the July 20 webinar explains that the objectives of the meeting are to provide an overview of the proposed framework for meeting the respiratory protection needs of workers without respiratory protection programs and to encourage engagement among federal agencies and other stakeholders. Representatives from federal agencies such as NIOSH and OSHA are scheduled to provide responses to the committee’s report, and individuals from industry as well as professional and labor organizations have been invited to share their perspectives. AIHA member Bruce Lippy, CIH, CSP, PhD, FAIHA, who participated on the committee that produced the report, is set to moderate a discussion with the panelists in attendance. A draft agenda for the second webinar is not yet available.
Individuals who are interested in attending these webinars can find details about the upcoming events on the National Academies website. Registration is free.
Related: In a blog post published in April, Lippy describes his experiences working on the report Frameworks for Protecting Workers and the Public from Inhalation Hazards with the National Academies.