Online safety has never been more crucial than it is today. Hackers, identity thieves, and cyber bullies are continually improving their methods, and people can easily become unwitting victims, even when they do not think they are doing anything wrong. Read more...
In October 2015, the NCI executive officer and the director of NCI’s Office of Space and Facilities Management (OSFM) announced a wide-ranging refurbishment plan for NCI at Frederick. Since then, a project team comprising members from the Office of Scientific Operations, the Management Operations Support Branch, OSFM, the Center for Cancer Research, the Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) directorate, and the Facilities Maintenance and Engineering (FME) directorate have met regularly with the laboratory groups affected by the refurbishment plan. Read more...
Editor’s Note: This article is the final installment in a series describing one NCI at Frederick parent’s perspective on special needs parenting. Part one can be found here, and part two can be found here.
Parents of special-needs children do their best to help their kids thrive in typical society, but at times this can be challenging. For instance, I want my son, Harrison, to be able to participate in as many activities as he would like—but this can involve more than just signing him up and paying the registration fee. Fortunately, with a flexible approach and some simple tools, we have found that Harrison can still enjoy “normal” activities. Sometimes, all it takes is an honest conversation.
A new system has been developed for reporting safety issues in the workplace. The Environment, Health, and Safety’s (EHS’) Safety Inspection and Issue Management System (SIIMS) is an online resource where any employee can report a problem or issue, said Siobhan Tierney, program manager at EHS.
NCI at Frederick employees have a unique opportunity to contribute directly to cancer and AIDS research by donating blood, saliva, and other samples through the Research Donor Program (RDP). Donors are compensated for their time, which is typically between 10 and 30 minutes.
The RDP, which is administered by Occupational Health Services (OHS), Leidos Biomedical Research, provides samples from healthy donors for use in in vitro research conducted at NCI at Frederick and Fort Detrick. Samples are provided anonymously to researchers.
Members of the Eighth Joint National Committee recently released new standards for treating hypertension, also referred to as high blood pressure (BP). The new standards do not recommend treatment changes for individuals under 60 years of age. However, treatment changes were recommended for people over the age of 60 who do not have conditions such as diabetes or chronic kidney disease (CKD), but whose BP numbers are 150/90 or higher. This BP threshold is up from the previously recommended threshold of 140/90. The panel also recommended that for people over 60 years of age who have diabetes or CKD, treatment should begin when BP is 140/90, which is an increase from 130/80. Treatment may involve lifestyle changes and/or medication to bring the BP numbers into a healthy range.
Ergonomics is “the scientific study of people at work,” with the goal of reducing stress and eliminating injuries associated with overused muscles, bad posture, and repeated tasks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states that working ergonomically reduces muscle fatigue, increases productivity, and decreases the number and severity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs affect the muscles, nerves, and tendons, and are a leading cause of lost workdays due to injury or illness.
Attendees of the Environment, Health, and Safety Program’s (EHS’) Open House had a chance to learn self-defense techniques, as well as visit with vendors demonstrating the latest trends in laboratory safety.
“Working with sharps in labs is inherently dangerous, so EHS proactively focused on featuring equipment that would promote safer techniques,” said Siobhan Tierney, program manager, EHS.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated since its original post on May 29 to include information on the quick link from the Poster home page.
Remember those fitness resolutions you made at the beginning of the year? Were you going to lose weight, quit smoking, reduce alcohol intake, or establish a regular workout routine?
If you have neglected some of these resolutions over the last few months, think about why—was it lack of time, lack of motivation, lack of direction, or some combination of these?
Dan Bertolette has been selected as the most recent NCI at Frederick Champion of Safety, as part of the Champions of Safety Program sponsored by the Environment, Health, and Safety Program (EHS).
The goal of the program, which began last year, is to raise awareness and promote a culture of safety by showing NCI at Frederick staff at work in their respective workplaces, according to Terri Bray, director, EHS. “Since we have so many varied work environments here, safety often takes on a different look, according to workplace. We want to take the opportunity to show real people in real situations, to encourage safety everywhere,” Bray said.
