Prompted by transit employee concerns, University of Washington (Seattle) researchers undertook an exposure assessment for fentanyl and methamphetamine on transit vehicles in the US Pacific Northwest. Researchers collected air and surface samples from a total of 11 buses and 19 train cars. Dr. Baker will describe the methods and findings from this study, recommendations made to participating transit agencies, and outline challenges and needs for ongoing work.
At the completion of this activity, the learner will be able to:
Apply the hierarchy of controls to make recommendations for protecting transit operator health and safety related to secondhand drug exposures
Describe the challenges of undertaking an industrial hygiene exposure assessment for fentanyl and methamphetamine on transit
Summarize psychosocial impacts related to observing drug use in the workplace
Identify areas for further research related to transit operator health and safety and secondhand drug exposure assessment
Marissa Baker, PhD is an Assistant Professor of occupational health in the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle, WA. Trained as an industrial hygienist, Dr. Baker has expertise in workplace exposure assessment, using techniques including air and surface sampling, biomonitoring, employee surveys, and exposure modeling. Dr. Baker led a novel exposure assessment in the Pacific Northwest to characterize airborne and surface concentrations of fentanyl and methamphetamine in trains and buses, working with five transit agencies.
The Center for Occupational and Environmental Health designates this activity for a maximum of 1.0 Contact Hour. Participants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.
Certificates of Completion will be available to webinar participants who are present for the complete, live webinar, and logged in with their registered email address. Call-in attendees are not eligible for certificates at this time - Please download the Zoom app to log in via email on your smartphone whenever possible.
In order to receive your Certificate of Completion, qualified learners must complete the post-webinar evaluation within 7 days of the webinar. A link to the evaluation will be emailed to qualified learners 24 hours after the webinar via no-reply@zoom.us. Qualified learners who submit their evaluation will receive a Certificate of Completion via email, and can also print/save the certificate from their browser after submitting their evaluation.
If you're not able to attend the live presentation, no problem! We record most presentations and will host them on our website provided we have permission to do so. Presentation recordings are not eligible for Certificates of Completion.
The Continuing Education and Outreach Programs offered by the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) provide workplace safety and health training, serving the training needs of occupational safety and health professionals, workers and employers in the Pacific Northwest since 1977. We provide our students with the skills and competence in occupational safety and health standards and policies, emerging health and safety issues and best practices to prevent or reduce workplace injuries and illnesses.
