New NIOSH Blog

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) introduced a new NIOSH Science Blog on Nov. 5, 2007, to further communicate the scientific issues related to NIOSH's research and recommendations, and to stimulate discussion on those issues.

The blog or web log at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/ is intended as a new way to help NIOSH fulfill its mission of translating research into practice for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. It is designed to provide an expeditious system for partners and stakeholders to present ideas to NIOSH scientists and each other, while engaging in robust scientific discussion with the goal of protecting workers.

Stress at Work

Working conditions play a primary role in causing job stress. However, the role of individual factors is not ignored. According to the NIOSH view, exposure to stressful working conditions (called job stressors) can have a direct influence on worker safety and health. Examples of individual and situational factors that can help to reduce the effects of stressful working conditions include the following:

- Balance between work and family or personal life
- A support network of friends and coworkers
- A relaxed and positive outlook

Ref. Stress at Work - NIOSH Publication No. 99-101:

Safer Medical Device Implementation in Dental Offices

Since the passage of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act in 2000 and the subsequent revision of the OSHA Bloodbornes Pathogen Standard, all health care facilities, including dental offices are required to use safer medical devices. To assist facilities that are working through this process, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has asked a small number of facilities to share their experiences on how they implemented safer medical devices in their settings. These facilities have agreed to describe how each step was accomplished, and also to discuss the barriers they encountered and how they were resolved, and most importantly, lessons learned.

Click on the following link and scroll down to “Dental Facilities Results” to learn about the experiences of two different dental facilities: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bbp/safer/Step1b.html