Outreach

Providing Service to the Community

The Southern California Education and Research Center goes beyond training our graduate students, residents, and working professionals. We provide a wide variety of services to the community. Each academic department, as well as the Outreach Program itself, delivers assistance in many ways.

Through the years, the Outreach Program has conducted extensive activities that benefit the professional occupational safety and health community as well as the broader population. Examples of these activities demonstrate the wide-ranging scope and impact of the program:

Preventing Injury and Illness to Service Workers
Immigrant Occupational Health Scenario
Mechanic Occupational Health Scenario
Ergo Health Scenario
Painter Occupational Health Scenario

Research Infographics

L Li , M Niu, Y Zhu (2020): Assessing the effectiveness of using various face coverings to mitigate the transport of airborne particles produced by coughing indoors, Aerosol Science and Technology.

Occupational Medicine Program:

Hosts an annual Symposium on Occupational and Environmental Health Threats at UC Irvine in collaboration with the UCI COEH.

Dr. Alya Khan moderates the Western Occupational & Environmental Medical Association (WOEMA) COVID-19 Podcast Series, speaking with physicians in the field.

Offers a monthly CME Grand Round for occupational health physicians and nurses in Orange County.

Faculty provide outreach talks on a range of occupational and environmental health topics to labor organizations and community groups (e.g. the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islanders Community Alliance, and Latino Health Access).

Faculty are active members of national and regional occupational and environmental medicine societies. Dr. Baker was the past-president of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology; Dr. Kleinman is Chair of the State of California Scientific Review Panel for Toxic Substances.

 

Industrial Hygiene Program:

In 2022, Dr. Shane Que Hee, Dr. Candace Tsai, and three industrial hygiene graduate students presented their research at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exhibition in Nashville.

Provides presentations and invited talks at conferences nationally and internationally by faculty that have included the California Air Resources Board, the Chinese Consulate General, the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, the American Aerosol Association, the American Chemical Society, the American Public Health Association, and the American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exhibition AIHCE (every year).

Is regularly covered by media locally and nationally on topics, such as research findings on school bus filtration systems, air pollution, and hazardous materials.

Partnered with BSI Group, Inc. and Kaiser Permanente to present the EHSsentials Symposium for Environment, Safety and Healthcare in past years.

Organizes a recruitment booth at AIHCEs in Region IX and West Coast states.

 

Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing Program:

The OEHN Program is serving as ongoing consultant to workplace injury prevention project for JDSU Corporation, working with an OHN and professional trainer in providing literature review, logistic support to program development, statistical analysis, presentation development for internal and external dissemination, and writing for publication of successful program outcomes.

Faculty and students serve as officers in professional associations. Dr. Wendie Robbins has served as President-Elect of the California State Association of Occupational Health Nurses.

Dr. Robbins serves on the Consultant Panel of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

 

The Outreach Office:

Hosts a free Cal/OSHA Safety Updates Webinar Series each month with an OSHA Authorized Trainer. Offers recordings on website.

Hosted a free COVID-19 Updates in the Workplace Webinar Series for two years of the pandemic. Offers recordings on website.

Hosts a biannual online Mental Health in the Workplace Symposium, free of charge. CME and other accreditation offered. Sessions intended for physicians, nurses, industrial hygienists, safety professionals, and other workplace professionals.

Offers free Spanish webinars on Heat Illness Prevention and Personal Protective Equipment at least once a year.

Provides research findings by ERC faculty/trainees summarized into easy-to-read infographics on the SCERC website and social media.

Offers a video on the website, “Preventing Injury and Illness for Service Workers.”

Shares OEHN and IH Student Videos which share about their ERC program experience and learning about the occupational health field, raising OH career awareness and recruitment of ERC trainees.

Future Plans

Learning, Leadership & Professional Development Program (LLPD)

Dr. Pouran Faghri will lead this initiative to further train graduate students interested in occupational health through a series of seminars, public speaking development, delivering outreach to workplaces and the community, and other learning activities which will be offered throughout the year. The Program will look to reach out to other graduate student clubs on campus for the opportunity of interdisciplinary collaborations.  The Program also aims to identify gaps, forecast future workforce trends and needs, and recommend ERC Program Directors to where to strengthen the skills of students for workforce development through their teaching practices.

Zoom Talks with Alumni

Zoom Talks will be held where ERC Alumni are invited to speak with students about working in the field and what workplace issues they have faced. The sessions will be moderated by a faculty member who will guide the session and students will be able to ask questions. Faculty will be invited to join and offer potential advise to the working professionals on their workplace issues they encounter, which can benefit the professional and their workplace.

We aim to host one Alumni Talk each academic quarter with two alumni guests from the Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Health Nursing, and Occupational Medicine fields.

Consultation Services

Programs will offer organizations and businesses in minority communities or with minority owners or leadership brief consultations on their IIPP or other workplace practices. Since this is a brief commitment, the topic would probably be limited to, e.g., is the ventilation system adequate, do they need a medical surveillance program, do they have slip, trip and fall hazards they may be aware of?

Members of the SCERC Advisory Board and committee members, most of whom are practicing professionals, would mentor the participating students, under faculty supervision. Second year students and PhD candidates, either individually or in interdisciplinary groups of two or three would spend part of a day at a business, write a report on their findings, discuss the report with the mentor and faculty supervisor and report back to the business on what they found and suggestions for improvements.

 

 

Cal/OSHA Safety Updates Webinars

Free monthly webinar series with an OSHA Authorized Trainer. Register for the live webinars here. See video recordings here.

COVID-19 Updates in the Workplace Webinars

Webinar series hosted for two years of the pandemic. See video recordings here.

 

WOEMA COVID-19 Podcast

Dr. Alya Khan moderates a podcast series for the Western Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association (WOEMA) on COVID-19.

March 16, 2022: WOEMA Podcast: Vision for 2022 with Dr. Rupali Das
January 12, 2022: COVID: Interaction with Public Health with Dr. Christian Sandrock
December 29, 2021: COVID: Vaccine Basics with Dr. Christian Sandrock
December 23, 2021: Living Life Around COVID, Episode 5 with Dr. Christian Sandrock
December 23, 2021: COVID: Back on your Feet, Episode 4 with Dr. Christian Sandrock
December 16, 2021: COVID: The Basics with Dr. Christian Sandrock
September 15, 2021: ACPA Stanford Resource Guide to Chronic Pain Management with Dr. Steven Feinberg
September 1, 2021: WOHC 2021 – A Behind-the-Scenes Look at After the Pandemic, Part 2 with Alison Steinbach
August 19, 2021: Health Care Disparities with Chyke A. Doubeni
August 3, 2021: WOHC 2021 – A Behind-the-Scenes Look at After the Pandemic with Dr. George Poste

CLEANING WORKERS RESEARCH DATABASE

NORA Services Sector, Accommodations Subgroup
(updated 1/23/14)

Bello A, Quinn MM, Milton DK, Perry MJ [2013]. Determinants of exposure to 2-butoxyethanol from cleaning tasks: a quasi-experimental study. Ann Occup Hyg. 57(1):125‒135.</strong></p> Abstract. </u>BACKGROUND: The quantitative assessment of airborne cleaning exposures requires numerous measurement methods, which are costly and difficult to apply in the workplace. Exposure determinants can be used to predict exposures but have yet to be investigated for cleaning activities. We identified determinants of exposure to 2-butoxyethanol (2-BE), a known respiratory irritant and suspected human carcinogen, commonly found in cleaning products. In addition, we investigated whether 2-BE exposures can be predicted from exposure determinants and total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) measured with direct reading methods, which are easier to apply in field investigations. METHODS: Exposure determinants were studied in a quasi-experimental study design. Cleaning tasks were performed similarly as in the workplace, but potential factors that can impact exposures were controlled. Simultaneously for each task, we measured concentrations of (1) 2-BE according to the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety 1430 method and (2) TVOC with photoionization detectors (PIDs). Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify 2-BE exposure determinants and to develop exposure prediction models. RESULTS: Significant determinants from univariate analyses consisted of product type, tasks performed, room volume, and ventilation. The best-fit multivariable model was the one comprised of product type, tasks performed, 2-BE product concentration, room volume, and ventilation (R(2) = 77%). We found a strong correlation between the 2-BE and the TVOC concentrations recorded by the PID instruments. A multivariable model with TVOC explained a significant portion of the 2-BE concentrations (R(2) = 72%) when product type and room ventilation were included in the model.</p> CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that quantitative exposure assessment for an epidemiologic investigation of cleaning health effects may be feasible even without performing integrated sampling and analytic measurements.</p> CATEGORIES: CANCER; CHEMICAL HAZARDS; RESPIRATORY</em></p> –</u></strong></p> Colt JS, Karagas MR, Schwenn M, Baris D, Johnson A, Stewart P, Verrill C, Moore LE, Lubin J, Ward MH, Samanic C, Rothman N, Cantor KP, Beane Freeman LE, Schned A, Cherala S, Silverman DT [2011]. Occupation and bladder cancer in a population-based case-control study in Northern New England. Occup Environ Med 68(4):239‒249. </strong></p> Abstract: </u>OBJECTIVES: We used data from a large, population-based case-control study in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont to examine relationships between occupation, industry and bladder cancer risk. METHODS: Lifetime occupational histories were obtained by personal interview from 1158 patients newly diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder in 2001-2004, and from 1402 population controls. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate ORs and 95% CIs, adjusted for demographic factors, smoking and employment in other high-risk occupations. RESULTS: Male precision metalworkers and metalworking/plasticworking machine operators had significantly elevated risks and significant trends in risk with duration of employment (precision metalworkers: OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.4 to 3.4, p(trend) = 0.0065; metalworking/plasticworking machine operators: OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.6, p(trend) = 0.047). Other occupations/industries for which risk increased significantly with duration of employment included: for men, textile machine operators, mechanics/repairers, automobile mechanics, plumbers, computer systems analysts, information clerks, and landscape industry workers; for women, service occupations, health services, cleaning and building services, management-related occupations, electronic components manufacturing and transportation equipment manufacturing. Men reporting use of metalworking fluids (MWF) had a significantly elevated bladder cancer risk (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.5). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the hypothesis that some component(s) of MWF may be carcinogenic to the bladder. Our results also corroborate many other previously reported associations between bladder cancer risk and various occupations. More detailed analyses using information from the study’s job-specific questionnaires may help to identify MWF components that may be carcinogenic, and other bladder carcinogens associated with a variety of occupations.</p> CATEGORIES: CANCER; CUSTODIAL WORKERS</em></p>  </u></strong></p> Zheng T, Cantor KP, Zhang Y, Lynch CF [2002]. Occupation and bladder cancer: a population-based, case-control study in Iowa. J Occup Environ Med 44</em>(7):685–691.</strong></p> Abstract</u>: While considerable efforts have been made to investigate the role of occupation and industry in the risk of bladder cancer, many reported associations have not been consistent, and strong evidence of increased risk is apparent for few occupational groups. To further examine the issue, a large, population-based, case-control study was conducted in the state of Iowa among both men and women. A total of 1452 incident bladder cancer cases and 2434 controls were included in the study. Occupational history was collected from respondents for each job held for 5 years or longer since age 16. Among men, excess risk was observed for industries including plumbing, heating, and air conditioning (odds ratio [OR], = 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 5.0); rubber and plastic products (OR = 3.1; 95% CI, 1.2 to 8.5), motor vehicle parts and supplies (OR = 4.5; 95% CI, 1.2 to 16.5), and occupations including supervisors for transportation and material moving (OR = 6.5; 95% CI, 1.4 to 29.9), material-moving-equipment operators (OR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.0 to 3.6), automobile mechanics (OR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.6), painters (OR = 2.7; 95% CI, 1.0 to 7.7), and metal- and plastic-working machine operators (OR = 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.4). Among women, significant excess risk was observed for secondary school teachers and record clerks. Housekeepers and butlers and workers in laundering and dry cleaning were also at increased risk. In conclusion, these results suggest that occupational exposures may play a significant role in the risk of bladder cancer.</p> CATEGORIES: CANCER; DOMESTIC WORKERS</em></p>