4045.0: Tuesday, November 14, 2000: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM | ||||
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| This panel will propose a theoretical framework, called here the political economy of the work environment, for analysis of work environment issues that affect the health and safety of workers as well as the environment. The framework centers around the understanding of the concrete economic, political and social interests of work environment actors such as workers, managers, and the state. After the presider introduces this framework, three different applications of the theory will be discussed: The first suggests a more complete view of the international debate around the exportation of hazards from developed to developing countries by including the frequently forgotten issue of the importation of hazards by developing countries. The empirical evidence for this perspective is based on a comparative study of waste management facilities in Bahia, Brazil and Texas, U.S. The second offers an example of using the framework to analyze a worker health education intervention, the Superfund Worker Training Program. Through the development of a social history the political economy of this program is presented. It provides a basis for considering future applicability of such interventions as well as the political efforts/forces required to secure and implement future programs. The third demonstrates the need for a new conceptual framework to evaluate health-based interventions. The proposed Work Environment Impact Assessment (WEIA) is analogous to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and entails identifying and evaluating both intended and unintended consequences, or outcomes, associated with a particular intervention. The empirical evidence for this perspective is based on the Alar ban | ||||
| See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement. | ||||
| Learning Objectives: Refer to the individual abstracts for learning objectives | ||||
| Carlos E. Siqueira, MD,, ScD | ||||
| Charles Levenstein | ||||
| Theory of the work environment Charles Levenstein, PhD | ||||
| Political economy of the importation and exportation of hazards Carlos E. Siqueira, MDSCD | ||||
| Superfund worker training program Craig Slatin, ScDMPH | ||||
| Work environment impact assessment Beth Rosenberg, ScDMPH | ||||
| Discussion | ||||
| Sponsor: | Labor Caucus | |||
| Cosponsors: | Environment; Occupational Health and Safety; Socialist Caucus; Women's Caucus | |||