Category: Occupational Health Equity
New Curriculum Helps Workers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Learn How to Stay Safe on the Job
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Labor Occupational Health Program at the University of California, Berkeley recently published a curriculum to help workers who have and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) learn how to stay safe while they do their jobs. The Staying Safe at Work curriculum fills an important need for general Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsConvenience Store Compliance to Reduce Workplace Violence
Robbery-related homicides and assaults are the leading cause of death in retail businesses. Workers in convenience stores have a 7 times higher rate of work-related homicide than workers in other industries (2 homicides per 100,000 workers vs. 0.28 per 100,000 workers). There are disparities among the homicide victims, too. Specifically, black, Asian, and Hispanic Read More >
Posted on by 9 CommentsPartnering to Promote Workplace Safety and Health in Tribal Communities
Over 5.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) live across the United States. In 2013, approximately 1,319,000 AI/AN workers were employed in the U.S. workforce1,2. AI/AN workers are 42 percent more likely to be employed in a high-risk occupation (defined as an occupation where the injury and illness rate is more than twice the Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsBlack History Month: Saluting Two NIOSH Pioneers of Diversity
During Black History Month, we celebrate the men and women of African-American heritage who have contributed so much to our nation’s leadership in the global community. At NIOSH, we recognize the importance of a diverse scientific workforce that mirrors the diversity of today’s workforce as a whole. As we approach the third decade of Read More >
Posted on by 7 CommentsA Partnership: NIOSH and Mexican Consulates help support the health and safety of workers
This is the fourth in a series of blogs describing the development and purpose of the Protéjase educational materials. These materials were created as part of NIOSH’s mission to conduct research and determine effective ways of delivering occupational safety and health information. Organizations that serve Spanish-speaking immigrant workers can use these materials to encourage Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsIllustrating the Point: Choosing the right ARTIST for the message
As an artist, please provide one detailed and emotive illustration that captures this message: “You have come to this country looking for a better future. You also want to show that you are hardworking. You have overcome great obstacles to give your family a better life.” It may be surprising that from these few words Read More >
Posted on by 10 CommentsIllustrating the Point: Choosing the right ART for the message
If you wanted to deliver a series of public health messages to people gathered at a busy Consulate (think Saturday at the DMV), or at another trusted community organization, how would you do it? We investigated the answer to that question specifically for a Spanish-speaking immigrant worker population, and specifically for conveying information designed to Read More >
Posted on by 26 CommentsProtect Yourself at Work: A Series of Print and Video Materials for Spanish-speaking Immigrant Workers
Recently, NIOSH released a series of multi-media communication products for organizations that serve Spanish-speaking immigrant workers entitled Protéjase en el trabajo (Protect yourself at work). This series of products is a result of a multi-faceted project that includes 1) a partnership between NIOSH and the Mexican Consulates in the U.S. and 2) the development of Read More >
Posted on by 9 CommentsOverlapping Vulnerabilities
Not all workers have the same risk of being injured at work, even when they are in the same industry or have the same occupation. Different factors can make some workers more vulnerable than others to workplace illness or injury. These include social dynamics, such as age, race, class, and gender; economic trends, such Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsPalm Tree Worker Suffocated by Palm Fronds – Another Death in California
On August 13, 2015, another worker was suffocated by palm fronds in California (see news report). This is at least the fourth similar fatality since the California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program (CA/FACE) program issued a report and video on this hazard in February 2014. The drought in the Western U.S. may have Read More >
Posted on by 28 CommentsSafety and Health for Immigrant Workers
The United States workforce, like the population in general, is becoming more ethnically diverse. “We are and always will be a nation of immigrants,” President Obama stated recently in announcing his initiative on immigration reform. The Pew Research Center’s Hispanic Trends Project estimates that immigrants will make up roughly 23% of adults of working Read More >
Posted on by 23 CommentsSafety Sustainability
Remarks by John Howard, M.D., NIOSH Director, at ASSE Professional Development Conference and Exposition on June 10, 2014 Just over a year ago, on April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, an eight-story commercial building in Greater Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, collapsed. The death toll has reached more than 1,000. Thousands more were rescued from Read More >
Posted on by 14 CommentsHypertension and Low Wages
If workers earning low wages didn’t have enough stressors in their lives, they can now add hypertension to the list. Our new research finds that low wages are a risk factor for hypertension among working people. The research was recently published in the European Journal of Public Health, “Are Low Wages Risk Factors for Hypertension?”, Read More >
Posted on by 10 CommentsImmigrant Worker Safety and Health
Immigrant workers face a disproportionate risk for workplace injury and illness. At the Safety, Health and Social Justice for Immigrant Workers - Lessons from the NIOSH Environmental Justice Projects session of the 2008 American Public Health Association's annual conference "Public Health Without Borders" (October 25-29), a panel will present the experiences from six of the environmental justice projects addressing safety and health concerns of immigrants working in farming, poultry processing, and restaurant and domestic work. For those unable to attend the session, we would appreciate feedback through this blog. Specifically, what experience have others had with developing successful interventions for immigrant workers? Additionally, what types of materials are needed to better assist safety and health professional to provide information and training to foreign-born workers? Read More >
Posted on by 18 CommentsContingent Workers
One analysis of 2005 federal data found that 16% of contingent workers have family incomes less than $20,000, a proportion twice as high as that of noncontingent workers. Only 13% of contingent workers had health insurance provided by their employer, compared with 72% of noncontingent workers. Read More >
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