The OSH Working Group was formed in the Spring of 2018 to bring to life an alliance among Workers’ Center of Central New York (WCCNY), Greater Syracuse Council on Occupational Safety and Health (GSCOSH), Labor Unions, Legal professionals and any other people interested in advancing workers health in our community. The OSH Working Group is a volunteer group who intend to protect workers’ health by raising awareness, providing education/trainings, and advancing policy. The group meets monthly and is currently active on the topic “Safe Patient Handling.”
Goals
- To prevent occupational illness and injury for “at work risk” workers
- To increase healthcare access for excluded workers, including occupational health services
- To improve personal financial conditions for a subset of the US workforce as expressed here in our region
- To promote better work statuses, arrangements, and conditions in our region
Mission
We aim to extend and defend every person’s right to a healthy workplace by improving health and safety conditions at work and preventing work related injury, illness, and death. These aims will be addressed by advancing both advocacy and education using local, regional, and national strategies.
Why Us? Why Now?
In light of persistent threats to worker health at local, state, and federal levels, we seek to empower workers and improve working life. By combining our knowledge and skills and creating partnerships with individuals and organizations that will:
- Develop campaigns and events to raise awareness
- Advocate for policies that improve worker health
- Engage in worker education focused on preventions
Plans
This OSH working group plans to develop action on an occupational safety and health agenda in light of current social, economic, and political conditions. Our first project was to discover if the New York State’s Safe Patient Handling Law was widespread in Syracuse. Our first report details a survey of direct care workers from several Syracuse.
New York State’s Safe Patient Handling Law: A Step Forward for Worker’s Safety and Health?
Hospitals, nursing homes, and home healthcare are not often the types of workplaces most people associate with ‘dangerous work,’ but they should be. The official statistics, some of which are decades old, show that the injury rates among nurses, nurse aides, home health aides, and others who work in direct patient care are among the highest for any type of work. The epidemic of back, neck, shoulder, and arm injuries has been directly affecting these workers for many years.
For More Information on the OSH Working Group
Project Contact
Jeanette Zoeckler, PhD, MPH
Director of Preventative Services
Occupational Health Clinical Center
(315) 432-8899, ext. 127
[email protected]
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Occupational-Safety-Health-OSH-Working-Group-642301779618977/