University of Minnesota
School of Public Health
PubH 6105,
Environmental and Occupational Health Policy
Course Syllabus
Spring Semester,
2006
Credits: 2
Course Meeting
Time/Place: Tuesday, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm; Mayo D-199
Course Website: yes
Instructor: Pat
McGovern, Ph.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor
Address: Division
of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health,
Mayo Building, Box 807,
420 Delaware St. SE, Mpls., MN 55455
Phone: 612-625-7429
Fax: 612-626-4837
Office Hours: by
appointment
This is an introductory course designed to provide graduate students with a survey of environmental and occupational health policy, acquaint them with the public policy process in the United States and introduce conceptual frameworks for analyzing public policy alternatives. This is a required course for public health students majoring in environmental health. Students will be encouraged to apply course content to their professional career in public health and to contribute to policy that advances the health of the public.
Upon completion of the class students will be able to:
(1) Describe current environmental and occupational health policies and how they have evolved over time
(2) Identify the legal structure, ethical issues, and stakeholder perspectives that shape policy alternatives
(3) Identify key policy issues and different perspectives driving the national debate about the reform of environmental and occupational health regulations
(4) Discuss the public policy process in the United States as it relates to environmental and occupational health
(5) Describe the role of science and scientists in the policy making process
(6) Describe trade-offs in decision-making among conflicting goals, objectives, values, and approaches to various policy issues
(7) Apply the knowledge and skills obtained in the course to the practice of environmental and occupational health.
The course consists of lectures, class discussions, reading quizzes and/or postings, and student presentations that are supported by assigned readings. The main objectives of the course will be achieved through lectures and assigned readings to develop the subject in a logical sequence. It is expected that students will read assigned articles prior to class to facilitate active and informed class discussions. Multiple measures are used to assess student learning and facilitate student success including quizzes and/or online postings based on readings, classes, attendance; a written critique of a legislative/public hearing; a mid-term take-home, essay exam; and a team-based oral presentation evaluating an environmental or occupational health policy issue as described below.
1.
Grading Criteria –
Student performance will be based
on the following criteria:
A.
Quizzes, written assignments or web postings (36%)
B.
Summary of legislative hearing (20%).
C.
Midterm: take-home essay (20%)
D.
Team Presentations-Policy Evaluation (24%)
Assignment of final letter grades for the course will be based on the following guidelines.
A: Outstanding achievement relative to course expectations
B: Achievement above course expectations
C: Achievement meeting the minimum course expectations
D: Achievement below course expectations, but sufficient to be awarded credit
F: No credit awarded.
A = 92-100; A- = 88-91.5; B+ = 84-87.5; B = 80-83.5; B- = 76-79.5; C+ = 72-75.5; C = 68 –71.5; C- = 64- 67.5; D+ + 60 – 63.5; D = 56 – 59.5; F = 51.5. Students taking the course S/N are required to earn a grade of C or above to pass the course.
2. Grading Option (if applicable) – Students may change grading options during the initial registration period or during the first two weeks of the term. The grading option may not be changed after the second week of the term.
3. Course Incomplete – An incomplete grade is permitted only in cases of exceptional circumstances and following consultation with the instructor. In such cases an ÒIÓ grade will require a specific written agreement between the instructor and the student specifying the time and manner in which the student will complete the course requirements. Extension for completion of the work will not exceed one year.
4. Scholastic Dishonesty – ÒStudents are responsible for knowing the University of Minnesota Board of Regents' policy on student conduct and scholastic dishonesty: http://www.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/StudentConduct.html.
Scholastic dishonesty as defined in the policy and will be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs: http://www.sja.umn.edu/ and will result in a grade of "F" or "N" for the entire course.
Plagiarism is an important element of this policy. It is defined as the presentation of another's writing or ideas as your own. Serious, intentional plagiarism will result in a grade of "F" or "N" for the entire course. For more information on this policy and for a helpful discussion of preventing plagiarism, please consult University policies and procedures regarding academic integrity: http://cisw.cla.umn.edu/plagiarism/uofmpolicies.html.
Students are urged to be careful that they properly attribute and cite others' work in their own writing. For guidelines for correctly citing sources, go to http://tutorial.lib.umn.edu/ and click on ÒCiting SourcesÓ.
In addition, original work is expected in this course. It is unacceptable to hand in assignments for this course for which you receive credit in another course unless by prior agreement with the instructor. Building on a line of work begun in another course or leading to a thesis, dissertation, or final project is acceptable.
If you have any questions, consult the instructor.Ó
V. Course
Withdrawal
School of Public Health students may withdraw from a course through the second week of the semester without permission. No ÒWÓ will appear on the transcript. After the second week students are required to do the following:
á The student must contact and notify their advisor and course instructor informing them of the decision to withdraw from the course.
á The student must send an e-mail to the SPH Student Services Center (SSC). The email must provide the student name, ID#, course number, section number, semester and year with instructions to withdraw the student from the course, and acknowledgement that the instructor and advisor have been contacted.
á The advisor and instructor must email the SSC acknowledging the student is canceling the course. All parties must be notified of the studentÕs intent.
á The SSC will complete the process by withdrawing the student from the course after receiving all emails (student, advisor, and instructor). A ÒWÓ will be placed and remain on the student transcript for the course.
á After discussion with their advisor and notification to the instructor, students may withdraw up until the eighth week of the semester. There is no appeal process.
The course text is Environmental Policy and Politics by Michael E. Kraft (2004). New York, Pearson Education Inc., cited below as Kraft M. (2004). Additional required readings are noted below and available in the course packet, through E-Reserve, [1].or through Diehl Hall Library Reserves. These readings supplement the lectures, which by their nature are not comprehensive. The students will be responsible for the material in the reading assignments and the associated reading quizzes and /or postings, written exercises and class discussions and presentations.
Week 1 (January 17)
á Kraft M. (2004), Chapter1, Environmental Problems and Politics (pp:1-27), and Chapter 3, The Policy Making Process and the Environment (pp:65-93)
Week 2 (January 25)
á Kraft M. (2004), part of Chapter 2, Judging the State of the Environment: Air Quality (pp:28-36), and Chapter 4, U.S. Politics and the Evolution of Environmental Policy (pp:94-120), and part of Chapter 5, Environmental Protection Policy: Controlling Pollution: Clean Air Act (pp:121-127)
Week 3 (January 31)
á Kraft M. (2004), part of Chapter 2, Judging the State of the Environment: Water Quality (pp:36-41), and Chapter 5, Environmental Protection Policy: Controlling Pollution: Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act (pp: 127-132), and The Institutional Context of Policy Implementation, Setting Environmental Standards, Balancing Statutory Goals and Costs, Adopting and Enforcing Regulations(pp:141-163)
Week 4 (February 7)
á Kraft M. (2004): part of Chapter 2, Judging the State of the Environment: Toxic Chemical and Hazardous Waste, and Solid Waste and Consumer Waste (pp:41-48), and part of Chapter 5, Environmental Protection Policy: Controlling Pollution, The Resources Conservation and Recovery Act, The Toxic Substances Control Act, The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (pp: 132-141)
á http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/risk/guidance/dioxinfs.html
á http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/risk/guidance/dioxinmemo1.html
Week 5 (February 14)
á Henderson D., Inglesby T., Bartlett J, Asher M, Eitsen E, Jahrling P. et al. (1999). Smallpox as a biological weapon: Medical and public health management. JAMA, 281(22): 2127-2137.
á Lundberg K. (2003). When Prevention Can Kill: Minnesota and the Smallpox Vaccine Program. (C15-03-179.0) Boston, Kennedy School of Government Case Program:1-32.
Week 6 (February 21).
á Ashford N. & Caldwell C. (1996).
Technology, Work and Health. Technology, Law and the Working Environment
Washington DC, Island Press (pp. 1-40)
Week 7 (February 28)
á Simonowitz J.A. (1996). Healthcare
workers and workplace violence. Occupational Medicine: State of the Art
Reviews. 11(2) (pp:277-291)
á Gregory R.F. (2004). Sexual harassment in
the workplace: An Overview. Unwelcome and Unlawful. Ithaca, Cornell
University Press (pp:8-18)
á Case Exercise: McGovern P., Cossi D, and
Findorff, M. (2001). Institutionalized Violence: When Does Care-giving
Become Submission to Violence? Work-related Risks for Health Care Providers.
St. Paul, Center on Women and Public Policy Case Study Program, Humphrey
Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota
Week 8 (March 7)
á Ashford
N.A. and Caldart, C. (2005). Government Regulation of Occupational Safety and
Health. In B Levy and D Wegman
(Eds.) Occupational Health, Recognizing and Preventing Disease (5th ed.,
Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. (pp. 39-48, 57, starting with
ÒEnforcement ActivitiesÓ to 62, excluding ÒCommunity Right to KnowÓ , 65,
starting with ÒThe Right to Refuse Hazardous WorkÓ to 69, excluding ÒAnalysis
of EPAÕs Performance and Commentary on New InitiativesÓ)
Week 9 (March 14) Spring Break: No class
Week 10 (March 21)
Week 11 (March 28)
á Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC). (10-17-05). Disability Discrimination. [on line] Available at
www.eeoc.gov/types/ada.html, and not included in this packet.
á Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC) (8-25-97). EEOC Enforcement Guidance on the Americans with
Disabilities Act and Psychiatric Disabilities. [on line] Available at
www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/psych.html, and not included in this packet.
á Cossi,
D. (unpublished): Bultemeyer v. Fort Wayne Community Schools (Case Study).
Week 12 (April 4)
á Boden, L.I. (2005). Workers'
Compensation. In B Levy and D
Wegman (Eds.) Occupational Health, Recognizing and Preventing Disease (5th
ed). Philadelphia, Lippincott,
Williams & Wilkins (pp. 74-87, excluding Alternatives to U.S. WorkersÕ
compensation Systems)
á Dembe A.E., Himmelstein J.S., Stevens B.,
and Beachler M.P. (2003). Improving WorkersÕ Compensation Health Care (chapter
1) In Dembe AE, Fox SE and
Himmelstein JS (Eds.) Improving WorkersÕ Compensation Medical Care: A National
Challenge. Beverly farms, OEM Press(pp: 3-7)
Week 13 (April 11)
Week 14 (April 18)
Week 15 (April 26)
Week 16 (May 3)
Week 17 (May 9) team presentations
Sample Question: Given Dr. LohmanÕs presentations and your required reading, do you think regulatory action on ergonomic risks is needed in Minnesota? Provide your rationale. . (2 points). For the sake of arguments, assume some regulatory action is needed. What regulatory intervention would you recommend? Provide your rationale. (2 points).
Sample Student Answer
Part (1): Yes, regulatory action for ergonomic risk is needed in Minnesota. My decision relates to protecting workers from adverse health problems that can impact long-term health and costs as well as productivity. Employers, from a profit standpoint, should take a keen interest in creating ergonomically friendly working environments for all employees. According to Dr. LohmanÕs lecture, injury incidence and claim rates have remained relatively stable over a 10 year period, but claim payments for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have increased significantly over the same time period in Minnesota. MinnesotaÕs costs for MSDs have increased while those for the rest of the nation have trended downwards. These facts support the need for regulatory intervention.
Part (2): Currently regulatory action has been based on the General Duty Clause. The state of Minnesota needs to take one more step and codify a specific regulation for ergonomic controls. This will allow stronger enforcement. The regulation could target back and arm/hand disorders and focus on problem industries. The regulation would be proactive and require analyses and preventive measures for specific types of jobs. While some argue this would be burdensome for industry, I disagree as the benefits would overshadow the costs. This approach would significantly reduce the incidents, claims and costs associated with injuries related to MSDs.
IX. Participation at a Legislative Hearing. Attendance at a legislative hearing addressing an occupational or environmental issue and submission of a written critique of the hearing will contribute to 20% of the course grade (20 points). The purpose of the exercise is to experience a hearing, analyze the policy issues, process and stakeholders, and apply your learning to your professional practice. This activity includes listening to the discussion, identifying the stakeholders testifying and their positions on the issues, evaluating the substance and merit of the testimony given, and observing the group dynamics of the hearing. Each student should review the legislative schedule (see background information below), pick a topic of interest and attend one hearing at some point during the session. Be sure to pick up a copy of the agenda to submit as part of your written assignment. Listen to all of the testimony presented (not to exceed two hours of attendance). Review the written testimony that is made available. Prepare a written summary (no more than five pages) that describes the following items (subtotal 20 points):
In addition to the points assigned for content (described above), there will be 2 points assigned for writing style (attention to clarity, organization, succinctness and grammar).
Notes:
(1) If there is no written testimony distributed at the meeting, then state that in your paper, and add an additional point worth of work in your description of how scientists might contribute to this policy discussion.
(2) If you canÕt get information on the names of individual stakeholders at the meeting, call the office of the committee that is holding the hearing to get the information.
Prepare a face page that
has your name, the title ÒSummary of a Legislative Hearing and the name of the
particular hearing you attended (e.g., ÒAgricultural Policy Listening
SessionÓ), the date you are submitting the assignment, and the course name and
number (this does not count as one of the three pages). Write a succinct
summary of the hearing addressing the issues noted above in four pages or less
(12 point font, single spaced). Paginate your paper. Attach the hearing agenda
to your summary. Submit your assignment any time after the legislative session
begins (March 1, 2006) until the session ends or May 2, 2006, whichever comes
first.
There will be a take home written essay that will serve as a midterm exam in association with the February 28, 2006 lecture. It will provide an opportunity for students to synthesize and apply their learning from both class presentations and readings. A grading schema will be distributed at the time the exam is given.
Student groups of approximately three participants will be formed early in the semester. Each team will identify an environmental and/or occupational health policy issue to develop into content for oral power point presentation; the group presentation will contribute 24 % to the course grade. Grading criteria for the presentation and the paper will relate to the quality of the information presented and the effectiveness of the presentation/written format. It can be a national, state, or local issue, but the team must talk with the course instructor for topic approval, and pending instructor approval, may need to meet with a content expert before beginning work on the project. Once a topic is approved student teams can sign up for a presentation date on a first come, first served basis, but the instructor reserves the right to reassign teams, if needed, for a reasonable distribution of presentations by topic and time. Each team will give an oral presentation (approximately 20 minutes duration for three participants) addressing the points below. The topics to be covered in the presentation and the allocation of scoring are noted below.
A. The public, environmental or occupational health benefits (4 points)
B. The economic and social costs (2 points)
C. The administrative feasibility (1 point)
D. The political considerations (2 points).
Additionally, 5 points will be assigned for format with consideration given to organization, clarity and effectiveness of the oral presentation; equitable distribution of content and time by team members; responsiveness to questions from the audience.
Week 1 (January 17), Lecture by Pat McGovern
á Introduction to the course and review of syllabus
á
Overview of
the course, relevance of policy to occupational and environmental health
á Overview of environmental health policy, role of government and politics, key concepts and principles
Week 2 (January 25), Guest lecture by Matt Simcek, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
á Introduction to Air Quality
á Environmental protection policy: The Clean Air Act and the Clear Skies initiative
á Quiz/Posting #1
Week 3 (January 31), Guest lecture by Deb Swackhamer, Ph.D., Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
á Introduction to Water Quality
á Environmental protection policies: The Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act
Quiz/Posting#2
Week 4 (February 7),
Guest lectures by Rita Messing, Ph.D., Director, and Jean Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Epidemiologist, Minnesota Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health, Site Assessment and Consultation Unit
á Hazardous Wastes Cleanup and Superfund
á The St. Regis Superfund Site and Leech Lake Band of the Ojibwe
á Quiz/Posting #3
Week 5 (February 14) Guest lecture by Richard Danila, Ph.D., Section Chief, Acute Disease Investigation and Control, Minnesota Department of Health
á Quiz/Posting #4
Week 6 (February 21), Online Module by Pat McGovern
á Overview of Occupational Health and Safety Policy
á Traditional Regulatory Paradigms: the OSHA Act
¯ The Petrochemical Industry and the Process Safety Management Standard
¯ Film clip from ÒDeath on the JobÓ by Vince DiPersio and William Guttentag (1991), Santa Monica, Direct Cinema Limited.
á Quiz/posting #5
Week 7 (February 28),
Lecture by Pat McGovern and David Cossi, J. D., MS, General Counsel, LTD., and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
¯ Case Study Discussion-Institutionalized Violence: When Does Care Giving Become Submission to Violence?
á Midterm Exam
Week 8 (March 7): Online module by Pat McGovern, Gurumurthy (Ram) Ramachandran, Ph.D., Professor, Environmental Health Sciences; and Alden Hoffman, P.E., C.I.H., OSHA Management Team Director, Minnesota Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) The Development of Occupational Health and Safety Standards
á Historical Considerations
á Current Status
¯ The Issue of Significant Risk and the Benzene Standard
Quiz/posting#6
Week 9 (March 14) Spring Break: No Class
Week 10 (March 21) Guest Lecture by William Lohman, MD, Medical Director, MN Department of Labor and Industry and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
Week 11 (March 28) Lecture by Pat McGovern and David Cossi, J. D., MS, General Counsel, LTD., and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
á Policy Evaluation and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
á Workers with Disabilities
á Title I of the ADA: Overview and impact
á Psychiatric Disabilities and the ADA
¯ Case Study Discussion-Bultemeyer v. Fort Wayne Community Schools
á Quiz/posting #9
Week 12 (April 4) Guest Lecture by William Lohman, MD, Medical Director, MN Department of Labor and Industry and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences
á Historical Perspective on MinnesotaÕs WorkersÕ Compensation Health Care Reform Efforts
á Policy Analysis Guiding Reform and Outcomes
á Case Study Discussion: Health Care Cost Reform in Minnesota
á Quiz/posting #10
Week 13 (April 11) Lecture by Pat McGovern
á Policy Evaluation: The Case of the Family and Medical Leave Act
á Quiz/posting #11
Week 14 (April 18)
á No class; team work
Week 15 (April 25) Student presentations
Week 16 (May 2) Student presentations
Week 17 (May 9) Student presentations
Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the instructor and Disability Services at the beginning of the semester. All discussions will remain confidential. For further information contact the University of Minnesota Disability Services website at <http://ds.umn.edu/> or call 612/626-1333 (V/TTY).
[1] Please note that if you choose to use e-reserve you will first need to go to Copies on Campus and purchase a package of copyright permissions. Then you can access the UniversityÕs electronic reserve page (http://reserve.lib.umn.edu/), and click on Òfind your courseÓ, enter your x500 username and password. Some helpful tips for access developed by the E-Reserve staff follow. ÒTo view documents placed on E-Reserve, students will need to have installed the Adobe Acrobat Reader. The reader can be downloaded for multiple platforms from the Adobe site at: http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html#reader. Access to course materials will require authentication. Students must authenticate their access using their University Internet ID e-mail username and password). While we (staff) try to minimize the file sizes of scanned documents, some of the files are quite large. For this reason it is recommended that students access the documents with a minimum 28.8 speed modem to reduce downloading time. Students may direct questions they have about electronic reserves at the Bio-Medical library to Pat Seely (p-seel@tc.umn.edu). For questions related to hardware and software contact askinfo@tc.umn.edu. An Electronic Reserve FAQ for students can be accessed at: http://www.lib.umn.edu/dist/students/eres-FAQ.phtml.Ó
[2]
This paper is adapted from ÒGovernment Support for Working Families and for
Communities: Family and Medical
Leave as a Case Study,Ó co-written with Lissa Bell of the National Partnership
for Women & Families and published in Learning from the Past –
Looking to the Future (Christopher Beem and Jody Heymann,
eds.) (Racine, WI: Work,
Family, and Democracy Project, 2002), pp. 6-27.
[3] If there are no environmental or occupational issues you are interested in then select any issue related to public health or the University.