More than Training: Workers' Rights Centers Empowering Hazard Awareness/ Response

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Immigrant workers are one-third more likely to suffer fatal occupational traumatic injuries than U.S. workers as a whole, and are more likely to be engaged in contingent or informal work. Workers' centers have emerged to address worker needs. Workers using these centers have expressed strong interests in training, often characterize themselves as independent contractors rather than day laborers, and engage in direct action or group action and file complaints to government agencies, suggesting strong self-efficacy. While work hazards are a concern, few centers address them. Occupational safety and health training programs have been associated with reduced injury claims outcomes and increased hazard identification and remediation when offered in the context of union support. The goal of this proposal is to translate a modified OSHA 10-hour hazard awareness training intervention developed by a worker center serving Latino day laborers in New Jersey that uses a small group, rights-based, problem-solving approach and includes hands- on practice with equipment. The project will be conducted in partnership with workers' centers, university- based educators, and a national network of workers' centers. Thirty worker members from each of two Chicago worker centers will be recruited to assume leadership roles in health and safety targeting construction. One third will participate in a two-day weekend program conducted by a New Jersey team of worker and OSHA certified trainers, after which each worker will be issued an OSHA 10-hour card. Subsequent training for the remaining two-thirds of the worker leaders will be offered by the Chicago partners, with New Jersey partners observing and debriefing. Trainee evaluation will be conducted using previously developed knowledge, attitude, self-reported practice and injury outcome measures with a crossover control study design and mixed qualitative/ quantitative methods assessing outcome effects and fidelity of transfer. During year 2, Chicago partners will continue to train locally and will serve as the hub for outreach to teams from 6 additional Midwest worker centers through a national network of workers' centers that will also train national staff during this time, and will engage partners in regional training centers and universities to replicate the outreach effort. During year 3, existing training programs will continue, and an additional 12 centers will be recruited through the national network for participation. The project will measure changes in existing interventions, such as OSHA referral and direct action, over the course of the project, and will track centers adopting the approach; workers trained, and sampled markers of impact. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will use existing construction hazard awareness training materials and methods to provide occupational safety and health training programs to Latino immigrant day laborers working primarily in the construction sector through a problem-solving, peer-educator approach. A national network of 20 worker center training sites will provide the context for subsequent hazard identification and remediation by the trained workers and other center members, as well as through referrals to OSHA.