Center for Public Health Workforce Development - Rutgers SPH

07/17/2025

Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August that recognizes the successes of workplace safety and health programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe. This year Safe + Sound Week will provide resources and activities for businesses on emergency preparedness and response that can be done at work or at home. Learn more at https://www.osha.gov/safeandsoundweek

07/11/2025

A plume of dust is affecting air quality in Florida and may reach other Southern states soon. Here’s what we know about the potential health effects.

07/10/2025

Exactly 99 years ago today, Jefferson and Rockaway Townships in New Jersey were the unfortunate setting for an industrial disaster triggered by a lightening strike. Successive explosions of the ammunition storage buildings caused a “complete and total annihilation of structures within a radius of 2,700 feet and damaged buildings up to 8,700 feet away,” 19 people died, dozens more were injured, and millions of dollars worth of military equipment was destroyed.

Most of the 19 who died were U.S. Marines attempting to put out the fires.

This disaster created impetus for new ammo storage protocols. Prior to the disaster, an excess of 1,600,000 pounds of TNT could be stored in a single building.

Following the disaster, it was decided that storage buildings couldn't "exceed 300,000 pounds of explosive material in any storage facility and any inhabited building must be a minimum of 2,275 feet away, regardless if the storage structure is barricaded or unbarricaded.”

07/07/2025

We're proud to foster an environment where health and safety professionals can engage in thoughtful discussion and learn together. Kudos to Instructor Mike Presutti for making it happen!

07/06/2025

👏Congratulations to Robert M. Wysokowski (pictured second from left) who earned his Construction Safety and Health Specialist Certificate this past week. This program requires the completion of five required courses and an additional three elective courses. We applaud his dedication and commitment to construction safety and health! (pictured here with Center Manager Koshy Koshy and Instructors Brian Cichetti, Margaret Neville, and Anthony Valente)

07/03/2025

Did you know July 4 is one of the most dangerous days of the year according to hospital statistics? On average, more than 91,000 people visit U.S. hospital emergency rooms for treatment of injuries from July 4-5, by far the highest numbers all year. Avoid becoming a statistic by staying away from fireworks, supervising children in the water, and drinking responsibly.

Independence Day is a national celebration of freedom, fireworks and frankfurters. It's also, by one measure, the most dangerous day of the year.

06/24/2025

🤔 How do you dress for a heat wave? Lightweight, breathable fabrics aren't really an option for this week's trainees!

06/24/2025

Temperatures are expected to be dangerously high the next few days. Federal law requires employers to protect workers from safety hazards, including heat. Employers have a legal and moral responsibility not to assign work in high heat conditions without protections in place.

🌡At a minimum, employers should provide adequate cool water, rest breaks, and shade or a cool rest area for employees.
🌡 Give new or returning employees the chance to gradually acclimatize (or become used to working in hot temperatures), to be trained and plan for
emergencies, and to monitor for heat signs/symptoms.
🌡 Train employees on heat illness prevention, signs of heat illness, and how to act immediately if they or another employee appears to be suffering from a
heat related illness.

06/23/2025

Summer is here and so are we! Make sure continuing education is on your summer bucket list. Visit go.rutgers.edu/CPHWDCourses2025 to view our upcoming courses and register for one (or more)!

06/19/2025

In an abrupt move this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr fired all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisory panel and replaced them with new members saying it will restore public trust in the shots. Dr. Perry Halkitis, dean of the Rut...