department of energy presentation to the advisory board on toxic
TRANSCRIPT
Department of Energy Presentation to The Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health
Patricia R. Worthington, PhDDirector
Office of Health and SafetyOffice of Environment, Health, Safety
and SecurityApril 26, 2016
2Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
DOE’s Office of Health and Safety Mission
• Establishes worker safety and health requirements and expectations for the Department to ensure protection of workers from the hazards associated with Department operations.
• Conducts health studies to determine worker and public health effects from exposure to hazardous materials associated with Department operations and supports international health studies and programs.
• Implements medical surveillance and screening programs for current and former workers and supports DOL in the implementation of EEOICPA.
3Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
Background
• The work of the DOE is critical to America’s safety and security. But that work wouldn’t be possible with our number one asset, the Department’s workforce.
• The Department embraces its responsibility for and commitment to the health and well-being of DOE’s current and former workers, both Federal and contractor employees.
4Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
Background (cont.)
• At the start of the Manhattan Project, General Leslie Groves chose Robert Oppenheimer to be the scientific lead.
• The site location was selected in Northern New Mexico at the site now called the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
• Facilities were built at Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Hanford and within a remarkably short time; there were thousands of workers at sites throughout the country gathered in hopes of achieving a remarkable scientific achievement.
• Their hard work, accomplishments, and tremendous sacrifice are why all Americans get to enjoy the freedoms we have today.
5Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
DOE’s EEOICPACore Mandate
• Work on behalf of the program claimants to ensure that all available worker and facility records and data are provided to DOL, NIOSH, and the NIOSH Advisory Board.
• The program continues to be an extremely important activity not only within my office, but within the entire DOE complex.
6Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
DOE’s Responsibilities under EEOICPA
• Respond via the SERT system to DOL and NIOSH requests for information related to individual claims (employment verification, exposure records).
• Provide support and assistance to DOL, NIOSH, and the NIOSH Advisory Board on large-scale research and site characterization projects through records research and retrieval efforts at various DOE sites.
• Conduct research, in coordination with DOL and NIOSH, on issues related to covered facilities designations.
7Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
Records
Fund and coordinate records retrieval activities at DOE sites in support of individual claims.
• Employment verifications for DOL• Dose records for NIOSH• Document Acquisition Requests (DAR) employee
work history/exposures for DOL
8Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
DOE EEOICPA Site Contacts
• DOE EEOICPA Site POCs:
– Coordinate all research activities with NIOSH, NIOSH Advisory Board, DOL and various contractors;
– Set up site visits and tours for NIOSH, NIOSH Advisory Board, DOL, as well as other groups;
–Work with both DOL and NIOSH to identify site subject matter experts and to facilitate interviews with current and former workers;
–Manage site’s response to individual records requests. Ensure DOE responses are complete and timely; and
– Provide onsite EEOICPA information to workers.
9Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
Site Exposure Matrix (SEM)
• SEM is a repository of DOE site-specific information gathered regarding toxic substances present.
• It is used as a tool to assist with compensation determinations under EEOICPA Part E for DOE contractors and subcontractors who have illnesses related to their work for DOE.
• Relational database linking the following:
– Toxic chemicals;
– Buildings/areas/facilities;
– Processes/activities;
– Illnesses/health effects; and
– Job/labor categories.
10Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
SEM (cont.)
• Put together from 2006 to 2008:– Teams from DOL went to every DOE site;
– DOE site helped with search process;
– DOL teams reviewed thousands of boxes; and
– DOE sites copied and reviewed hundreds of documents at each site.
• The SEM was reviewed for classification in 2009 and released to the public.– New information is held and reviewed by DOE every 6 months before
inclusion in SEM.
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Facilities
Research and maintain the Covered Facilities Database
• Database of over 300 facilities covered under EEOICPA. This includes DOE facilities, AWEs, and Beryllium Vendors whose employees are eligible for benefits under EEOICP.
• Full listing can be found at:https://ehss.energy.gov/Search/Facility/findfacility.aspx
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Outreach
Continued to participate in all Joint Outreach Task Group meetings that include DOE, DOL, and NIOSH, along with the DOL Ombudsman and the DOE Former Worker Medical Screening Programs.
13Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
Former Worker Medical Screening Program (FWP)
History:• Established following the issuance of the FY 1993 Defense Authorization Act
(P.L. 102-484), authorizing DOE to:
“…establish and carry out a program for the identification and on-going medical evaluation of…former DOE employees who are subject to significant health risks as a result of the exposure of such employees to hazardous or radioactive substances during such employment….”
Mission: • To identify and notify former workers at risk for occupational disease and
offer them medical screening that can lead to treatment.
• First former worker projects initiated in 1996.
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FWP (cont.)
• Program now serves all former workers from all DOE sites in locations close to their residences.
• Identify and notify former workers at risk for occupational disease. • Offer medical screening that can lead to treatment.
• Provide information and assistance about medical followup and compensation.
• As of September 30, 2015, a total of 117,449 medical exams have been conducted through the FWP; 80,780 initial screening exams; and 36,669 re-screen exams.
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Service Providers
The FWP infrastructure consists of four designated regional projects located near major DOE sites, as well as two nationwide projects.
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Service Providers (cont.)
The regional FWP projects include:• Pantex Former Worker Medical Surveillance Program, conducted by Drexel University
School of Public Health in conjunction with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler and West Texas A&M Partners Clinic.
• Medical Exam Program for Former Workers at Los Alamos and Sandia (New Mexico) National Laboratories, conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in conjunction with the University of New Mexico.
• Worker Health Protection Program (WHPP), conducted jointly by Queens College of the City University of New York, United Steelworkers, the Atomic Trades and Labor Council in Oak Ridge, and the former Fernald Atomic Trades and Labor Council.
• Former Burlington AEC Plant and Ames Laboratory Workers Medical Screening Program, conducted by The University of Iowa College of Public Health.
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Service Providers (cont.)
The two nationwide FWP projects include:
• National Supplemental Screening Program (NSSP), conducted by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) in conjunction with Axion Health, Comprehensive Health Services, National Jewish Health, and the University of Colorado Denver.
• Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed),
conducted by CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) in conjunction with Duke University Medical Center, the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and Zenith-American Solutions.
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Medical Examination
A listing of exposures and medical examinations offered through the FWP is available in the medical protocol posted on the FWP Web site (http://energy.gov/ehss/downloads/former-worker-program-medical-protocol).
19Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
FWP Early Lung Cancer Detection (ELCD) Program
• Since 2000, DOE has made screening with low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) scans available to former workers who are at risk for occupational lung cancer as a result of their work for DOE to detect lung cancers at an earlier, more treatable stage.
• Since 2000, the FWP’s ELCD program has screened 14,961 participants and provided 45,097 CT scans.
• In FY 2015, 671 participants were screened and a total of 3,822 CT scans were performed; this includes baseline, followup, and annual scans.
20Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
FWP ELCD Program (cont.)
• The FWP projects currently offering low-dose CT scans for ELCD include:– WHPP, administered by Queens College of the City University of New
York and the United Steelworkers, along with their partners; – BTMed, conducted by CPWR in conjunction with their partners; and – NSSP, administered by ORAU and their partners.
• Other FWP projects are either exploring how to incorporate CT scanning into their current protocols or in the planning phases for initiating this component.
• More information regarding the ELCD program can be found at http://energy.gov/ehss/early-lung-cancer-detection-program.
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Protect PII/PHI
• All medical information collected as part of this program is treated as confidential and is used only as allowed by the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• All FWP activities are conducted with procedures that are consistent with DOE's ethical guidelines and the "Common Rule.”
• All protocols are approved by the Institutional Review Boards or Human Subjects Committees of DOE and involved universities.
• All individuals sign an informed consent and HIPAA authorization prior to participation.
• In addition, all program staff are required to take annual privacy awareness training, and all FWP projects have security procedures in place for the safe transmittal and storage of PII.
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Resources forFWP Information
• FWP Web site: • http://energy.gov/ehss/services/worker-health-and-safety/former-w
orker-medical-screening-program
• FWP brochure: • http://energy.gov/ehss/downloads/former-worker-medical-screenin
g-program-brochure
23Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
Dr. Patricia R. Worthington
DirectorOffice of Health and Safety
Contact Information
24Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
Thank you!