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Minutes
Bureau of Labor Standards
Third Floor Conference Room
Staff Present: Ted Bradstreet, Steve Greeley, Terry
Hathaway, Leslie Manning, & Desi-Rae Mason.
Staff
Absent: John Rioux
Members Present: Sharon D’Orsie (USM), Peter Crockett (MLGH), Peter Doran
(ALAM), Saskia Janes (Maine Public Health Association), Ginger Jordan-Hillier (DEP), Jonathan
Lepoff (Consultant), Ruth Lawson-Stopps (Occupational
Health Associates), Jeff Levesque (Maine Workers’ Compensation Board), Kim Lim
(Bureau of Labor Standards), Dwight Littlefield (Maine Bureau of Health), Ivan Most (Strategic Occupational
Health), & Leslie Walleigh (Workplace Health/Bureau of Health).
Members Absent:
Brad Brown
(Bureau of Insurance), Valerie Carter (Bureau of Labor Education), Denise
Dumont (U.S. HealthWorks), Carol Eckert (MIOHE), Heather Mason (Maine Safety Council), Steve
Minkowsky (Maine Workers’ Compensation Board), John
Newton (OSHA),
Ivan Most opened the meeting at
Before Ivan turned the meeting over to Jonathan Lepoff, who
is the new Chair for 2005, he made an announcement concerning NORA. As of
October, NORA will be out of business in the way it does things as committees
are being disbanded. Ivan will keep MORA posted. Ivan said that this change
increases the importance of MORA and it is the responsibility of the state to
carry on. He will suggest that the Federal government support state efforts
like this; therefore, it is important to strengthen ties with private
organizations, such as MCD, etc.
Approval of
2005 Conference Update – Kim Lim. Kim passed around the final draft
of the flier, which will be going to the printer today. John Howard and William
Wiatrowski are confirmed as the keynote speakers. The University of New England (UNE) processes CEU’s. Information regarding
the conference will be posted on the Bureau of Labor Standards’ (BLS) web site.
UNE is handling the registrations. As a result of discussion, Leslie Manning
will speak with John Rioux and Adam Fisher regarding a link from the BLS web
site to the UNE web site. Kim announced that the participants and presenters
would be staying at a hotel and that transportation would be provided to UNE.
Kim pointed out that the second day is comprised of
Leslie Manning said that there is a request in to the
Governor’s Office for him to speak at the MORA Conference; however, it is too
early get a confirmation from them.
Leslie also announced that the Bureau of Labor Standards
will be having a summer intern from the Wood School of Public Policy. This
intern will specializes in migrant workers and will be with BLS for a minimum
of ten (10) weeks; twelve (12) weeks is the maximum, so she will be attending
the MORA Conference.
Prevention Data Advisory
Group (PDAG) Update – Leslie Walleigh. Leslie summarized the last meeting of this group. Ruth
Lawson-Stopps spoke to reinforce the original intent of our group and the
concern of improved data from Workers’ Compensation concerning Medical Only (M.O.) and not
just lost time. Bill Peabody is to contact Paul Dionne of the Workers’
Compensation Board to move towards this.
At the next meeting of the work group, a draft of the
initial report to the Legislature will be reviewed and update of contact with
Paul Dionne.
Jeff Levesque has been working with the Maine Municipal
Association (MMA), Maine Health Care Association (MHCA), and Maine School
Management Association (MSMA) and found that schools and health care settings
are the most unsafe. Ginger stated that the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) has found that schools have chemicals (i.e., element al
mercury), making them unsafe. DEP has been working with BLS regarding training
programs for teachers regarding chemicals in the classrooms. DEP’s web site has
a list of all known chemicals where schools can do their own inventory.
Peter Doran noted that the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council
is working with the Maine School Facilities Mangers Group for their annual
meeting at
Leslie Manning said that BLS will develop its own Local
Emphasis Program (LEP) and make a concerted effort to reach out to the Maine
Education Association (MEA) and Superintendents’ association to put the
ownership on the management of school districts and school programs. BLS does
sponsor the Summer Safety Institute for Industrial Health Programs as BLS is
responsible for all public sector safety. Discussion involved custodial workers
has being injured, but not staying out of work as they are assigned to one
location and there is no one to do their work if they are out.
Ivan raised the questions of asthma in schools. Leslie
Manning responded by saying that the American Lung Association of Maine (ALAM)
is working with NIOSH as well as the Department of Education to develop
research regarding indoor air quality.
Safety is a prominent concern of education. Peter Doran had
a copy of an article, which appeared in the National Education Association
(NEA) magazine. The article is entitled “Working in Pain: It Just Doesn’t
Pay”.
There are a variety of unions for school support staff;
including AFL-CIO affiliated as well as non-affiliated.
Workplace Violence – Pilot
Study – Desi-Rae Mason. This pilot
study is supported by a NIOSH grant on workplace violence prevalence and was
done by screen media sources (newspapers and news stations) for a two-year
period,
Type 1 – Random
Violence
Type 2 –
Customer/Client
Type 3 – Coworkers
Type 4 – Personal
Relationship
Desi-Rae presented the findings based on types of workplace
violence, occupations, and employee’s stories.
This presentation prompted discussion, including further
investigation by Desi-Rae, either through the Attorney General’s Office
(redactive) or through the District Attorney’s office, as it would be public
record.
Open Forum. Ivan handed out a brochure on the 2005 Annual Conference of
the Maine Indoor Air Quality, Building Commissioning.
Ivan announced that the Harvard School of Public Health finally approved
his pilot project,
Workers’ Compensation Costs, after a lengthy screening.
Ivan will be working for five (5) months with the University of
New England (UNE). There will be two (2) forums,
Draft Agreement between MORA and MCD – Saskia Janes.
A draft of the
agreement for MORA to Purchase Services from Medical Care Development (MCD) was
handed out for review. The purpose of this agreement is for MCD to act as a
fiscal agent for MORA from
Next Meeting – Wednesday,
Approval
of Today’s Minutes
2005
Conference Update
PDAG
Update
MORA and
BLS MOU
MORA and
MCD MOU
Open Forum
Adjournment. Jonathan adjourned the meeting at
Respectfully submitted,
Terry M. Hathaway