Symposium | Green Chemistry, Safer Alternatives and Work | June 15, 2012 | Portland, OR

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Michael Wilson
Director, Labor Occupational Health Program, UC Berkeley

Presented by CROET and Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division
Friday, June 15, 2012, Ambridge Event Center, Portland, Oregon
8:00am - 3:45pm | Presentations & Panels
3:45pm - 5:00pm | Posters, Reception & Networking

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Symposium Website and Registration

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Symposium Objectives
To share the economic and health case for reducing toxic materials in the workplace. Current global and Oregon policies addressing and impacting use of toxic materials in the workplace will be briefly summarized. Diverse workplaces will share success stories and lessons learned in moving towards safer alternatives.

• Explain the business and health case for reducing the use of toxic materials at work - learn now these strategies will save your organization money and better protect the health of your employees.
  
• Describe case studies demonstrating how other organizations have reduced the use of toxic chemicals in their work and manufacturing processes.
  
• Identify strategies to initiate and support reducing toxic chemicals within your organization and at your workplace.
  
• Network with others interested in creating safer and healthier spaces.

2012 Occupational Health Psychology Institute

Register now for the 1st Annual Occupational Health Psychology Summer Institute at Portland State University. Occupational health psychology (OHP) is a relatively new field that has emerged around the globe to address the well-being of workers. OHP applies psychological theory and research for the purpose of improving the quality of work life of workers by decreasing stress, injury, and illness. With the focus on protecting and promoting the safety, health, and well being of workers, OHP is growing into an important discipline within the Occupational Safety and Health field.

>> Learn more and register here.

CROET Symposium: Innovative Communications & Messaging - June 3rd

Friday, June 3, 2011 from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
NECA/IBEW Training Center
16021 N.E. Airport Way, Portland, Oregon


Symposium Description

This symposium offered by CROET will examine effective innovations in training, messaging and education within occupational safety, health and wellness. Topics will relate to innovations within traditional face-to-face training, as well as the strengths and challenges of social media and the internet to share and track the effectiveness of our messages.

Agenda

* 8:00 - 8:30 Registration & Refreshments

* 8:30 - 8:40 Welcome
Ryan Olson, Ph.D., Assistant Scientist, CROET, OHSU

* 8:40 - 9:30 Relative Effectiveness of Training Methods: Comparative Results from Meta-analyses of the Workplace Safety Training Literature
Rommel Salvador, Ph.D., Milgard School of Business, University of Washington at Tacoma

* 9:30 - 9:45 Break

* 9:45 - 10:45 Building our Community of Practice: Is My Space Really our Space?
Max Lum, Ed.D., M.P.A., Consultant Communication and Reseach Translation, Office of the Director, NIOSH-CDC, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

* 10:45 -11:30 Safety Communications and Mobile Devices
Dr. Ryan Olson, CROET, OHSU

* 11:30 -12:15 Lunch (provided)

* 12:15- 1:00 Science Messaging in the Internet Era: A Case Study
Dede Montgomery, MS, CIH, Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, CROET, OHSU; Melanie Mesaros, Public Information Officer, Oregon OSHA

* 1:00 - 1:45 Diffusion of Occupational Safety and Health Innovations
James Dearing, Ph.D., Institute for Health Research, Co-Director, Center for Health Dissemination and Implementation Research, Director, CRN Cancer Communication Research Center, Denver, CO

* 1:45 - 2:00 Break

* 2:00 - 3:00 Case Studies

o Successes with Twitter
Lise Harwin, Communications Director, American Red Cross - Oregon Trail Chapter
o Challenges, Rewards and Messages in Training Construction Pre-Apprentices
Steve Hecker, Senior Lecturer, Director of Continuing Education, University of Washington
o Communication within a Construction Firm: A collaboration between Colorado State University and Temp-Control Mechanical
Tony Barsotti, Corporate Safety Professional, Temp-Control Mechanical

* 3:00 - 3:30 Panel Q and A's and Summary
All speakers

Registration and Fees:

Fee includes refreshments, lunch and parking.

$60 by June 2, 2011 ($75 the day of the symposium)

$30 reduced registrations for Oregon government agencies (city/county/state), educational institutions, labor unions, companies with fewer than 25 employees, non-profit organizations and students.

$20 for live webinar only

Continuing Education

This symposium has been approved by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) for 0.5 point per 0.5 day, 1.0 Industrial Hygiene points. It has also been approved for continuing education points by the Oregon State Association of Occupational Health Nurses for occupational health nurses.

Webinar & Live Audience Polling

CROET intends to again provide this symposium as a webinar. They will provide details by email to those registering for this option or contact you may contact them directly.

CROET also intends to utilize live polling during the event for live attendees using Turning Point technology and software. This will allow polling through i-pods and some telephones. We will provide more details on this to those who register for the event.

brochure available here.

Online Registration now available here.

Hair Blowouts & Formaldehyde

On a trip to the salon our health is usually the last thing on our minds. What could be wrong with a simple blowout? Especially one that's claims to be natural and uses keratin-based ingredients to help keep the hair straight. Brazilian Blowout has become on of the more popular choices for straightening at salons. With claims that there's no damage, no harsh chemicals and no formaldehyde who wouldn't want smooth straight hair?


Recently Portland area salon worker complained of eye irritation, nose bleeds and difficulty breathing after using Brazilian Blowout's solution. Dede Montgomery, an Occupational Safety and Health Specialist at the Center for Research in Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET) at Oregon Health & Science University (OSHU) and a NWCOHS External Advisory Board member, and her colleagues began investigating the matter.

Tests showed that the solution labeled “no formaldehyde” contained more than .1% which is required to be listed on the MSDS. Upon further testing with the assistance of Oregon OSHA, the OSHA lab analyzed the sample using five different test methods, each of which concluded that formaldehyde was present above regulated levels around 8.5%.

Due to the lack of information available to the stylists and the company's prominent "formaldehyde free" marketing, CROET has posted a warning on their site and Oregon OSHA has issued a case study on air sampling in salons during the use of the solution. Brazilian Blowout continues to back their product and claims that their product is safe.

If you are thinking of getting this process done, consider the health risks of you and of the salon worker.

For more information:

OSHA's case study and press release

An extensive amount of resources from CROET's site including the FDA's response and similar issues found in Canada.