152145 Documenting industry-wide health, safety and environmental conditions for bargaining and policy-making

Wednesday, November 7, 2007: 9:45 AM

Thomas H. McQuiston, DrPH , USW Tony Mazzocchi Center for Health, Safety and Environmental Education, Chapel Hill, NC
Josie Beach , USW Local Union 12-369, Kennewick, WA
Kristin Bradley-Bull, MPH , New Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc., Durham, NC
James Frederick, MS , Health, Safety and Environment Department, USW, Pittsburgh, PA
Tobi Mae Lippin, MEd , New Perspectives Consulting Group, Inc., Durham, NC
Linda Cook , Tony Mazzocchi Center for Health, Safety and Environmental Education, Bradford, PA
Thomas Seymour , USW Local Union 12-5, Concord, CA
        
We will share experiences and learnings from national participatory research projects studying health, safety and environmental issues at oil and chemical-related facilities. We will present information on research processes, results, publication and actions related to two studies that engaged local union members, international union staff, and consultants in all phases of action-oriented research. The first study examined chemical plant security in high risk industries following 9/11. The second study looked at process safety in the oil refining industry following the BP Texas City disaster of 2005. Reports from the studies were useful tools for the promotion of needed industry-wide changes.

Learning Objectives:
Following participation in the session participants will: 1. Increase their knowledge of the methods, benefits and limitations of staff and worker involvement in all phases of research. 2. Recognize that: a. Many unsafe designs and practices that caused the BP Texas City disaster are endemic to the refining industry and remain unchanged. b. Since 9/11, high hazard, chemical-related industries have largely ignored inherently safer approaches to reduce site vulnerabilities and have instead focused on perimeter security. 3. Understand the applicability of participatory research findings in leveraging positive changes through bargaining and policy-making.

Keywords: Participatory Action Research, Occupational Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Intervention Research, Communicating Results, and Translating Research into Practice
See more of: Occupational Health and Safety