Shiny Cars, Healthy Workers
above: Margaret Hughes; background: Gustavo Toledo/iStock/Thinkstock
Using Peers to Survey Janitors Commercial janitors work hard for low wages and have high injury rates. Professor Noah Seixas and his team conducted the nation’s first study to evaluate the effects on custodians from pressure to increase the speed to do the same work with fewer staff. They collaborated with a labor union, Local 6 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Casa Latina, a labor advocacy group, to train a small group of janitors to survey their peers in one of three languages—English, Spanish, or Vietnamese. These trainees interviewed union and non‐union janitors, and a control group of security officers. When asked to verify that they do not have enough time to get the job done, more than threequarters of union janitors agreed or strongly agreed, compared with 39% of nonunion janitors and 25% of security guards. All workers with a higher work intensity had a two-fold increase in injury, disability, and pain. Back, arm, and shoulder injuries were common. n
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Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Autobody repair shops pride themselves on erasing signs of a car accident. Our department is working with them to keep their workers safe. Professor Michael Yost—with colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Safety & Health Assessment & Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program at the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries—has been studying ways to help autobody painters prevent exposure to a family of chemicals called isocyanates, which are used in paint. These chemicals can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, and can also cause immune sensitization, leading to asthma. Their collaboration, called PaintHealthy Collision Repair, includes shop owners and painters. Painters have long used respirators, but the gloves they use to prevent absorption have been problematic. Researchers in Yost’s lab have investigated different glove types and recommended those that are most protective, yet provide the tactile sensations painters need for their craft. Funding comes from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Washington state’s Medical Aid and Accident funds. Learn more about the project at http://www.painthealthycollisionrepair.org. n
Kendra Broadwater