Brown lung, or byssinosis, is a chronic respiratory disease associated with inhaling cotton, flax, and soft hemp dusts. The initial symptoms are chest tightness, cough, sputum production and shortness of breath on the first day of every work week. Symptoms may disappear shortly after leaving work but recur each Monday...
Tag - occupational health
A collective bargaining agreement which recognizes the right of the union to represent and protect its members is of paramount importance. It gives the union the right to demand that management provide complete information concerning the materials to which workers are exposed and all other hazards of the workplace. It...
Some Worker-Oriented Projects Boston area: Occupational Health and Safety Project/ Urban Planning Aid. —this group provides free assistance to unions and organizers in trying to understand and correct health and safety problems. They have published many helpful fact sheets and pamphlets. Among the most useful of these...
The caribbean island of Puerto Rico is one of the few colonies still existing in the world. The invasion of the island by USA military forces in 1898, during the U.S. war with Spain and Cuba, marked the beginning of this colonial relationship as well as one of the first imperialist adventures of the U.S. government.
The following article includes a critical discussion of a negative role played by representatives of the OCAW in organizing efforts at a small plastics factory in Tennessee. We wish to point out that the OCAW has been one of the more progressive U.S. unions, particularly in the area of occupational health. We hope the...
The New Haven Occupational Health and Safety Project is a collective of professionals and students who have been working around issues of workers’ health in southern Connecticut since 1972. In this article we have discussed our approach, stressing one role highly skilled people can play in the fight for worker control...
This is an adaptation of an article which originally appeared in Mountain Life and Work—a publication of the Council of the Southern Mountains. It was expanded and modified for use here by a member of our editorial collective with the permission and cooperation of the authors.
For almost a decade exposes of worker deaths due to asbestos have commanded newspaper headlines. In 1972 the U.S. government held hearings on a new asbestos standard for the workplace. Yet today the human cost of asbestos exposure remains a public scandal.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), passed by Congress in 1970, establishes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the Department of Labor. The Act sets minimum standards for working conditions, which are enforced by the inspection of workplaces and the levying of fines of up to $1000 for each...
This issue of Science for the People magazine is concerned with occupational health and safety. The Stony Brook Chapter chose this topic, not because of any particular expertise we possess in this area, but rather because of its relevance to workers' lives and to their organizing efforts. We knew that at least 30% of...