OccHealthSci Info Center
The OccHealthSci Resource Center is directed by Dede Montgomery, CIH, to offer assistance in locating resources or technical assistance related to workplace safety and health issues. Fastest response to inquiries is often by email, although individuals can also call by phone at the number listed on the right column of this page.
If you have an immediate question about an exposure or poisoning, please call Oregon Poison Center
Ms. Montgomery provides assistance to other safety and health professionals, in addition to employees, owners and the public. She also partners with a variety of organizations, including O[yes] (Oregon young employee safety), SAIF, Oregon OSHA and the Oregon Health Authority.
The
OccHealthSci Resource Center, in collaboration with other staff and
programs at the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and the
Oregon Healthy Workforce Center also produces various resources
available online for use as health education tools in the workplace. See
our Resource Kiosk.
Here are some resources that may be useful as related to common workplace safety and health concerns and questions:
OccHealthSci Resource Directory - search by industry or topic
National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC)
Oregon OSHA Consultative Services
Recent Contacts
Indoor Air Quality
Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) has frequently been an issue brought to
us. It has profound adverse effects on worker health, morale and
productivity and should be addressed as soon as it becomes an issue. We
remind callers that organizational safety and health staff, safety
committees, worker compensation consultants and unions can all be
helpful when air quality issues relate to workplaces. Read more about indoor air quality.Literature and Best Practice Searches
Frequent
requests are made for information related to substances and health
conditions that may be difficult for some workers or citizens to locate
and understand. Findings are usually shared by email or phone. Examples
of recent research requests have been related to endocrine disrupters,
Bisphenol A, formaldehyde, Bells Palsy, and welding fumes. Findings are
sometimes used to further enhance the OccHealthSci Resource Directory (for example, adding a sub-topic addressing endocrine disrupters).
Pesticides
In instances where it is believed that pesticide use or misuse is causing adverse health or environmental impacts, we advise callers to contact the Oregon Department of Agriculture's (ODA) Pesticides Division. The ODA has the investigative authority for pesticide incidents in Oregon. The Pesticides Division houses the Pesticide Analytical and Response Center (PARC), whose mandate is to:
- Collect incident information
- Mobilize expertise for investigations
- Identify trends and patterns of problems
- Make policy or other recommendations for action
- Report results of investigations
- Prepare activity reports for each legislative session
Although the PARC board has no regulatory authority, it's primary
function is to coordinate investigations by the appropriate member
agencies (OR OSHA, DEQ, Oregon Health Authority, Dept. of Forestry,
ODOT, Poison Center, ODFW, State Fire Marshal) and to collect and
analyze information about reported incidents
(http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/PEST/parc.shtml).