229313 A worker-focused approach to raising health and safety standards for communications tower climbers in New York State: Identifying workers' stake in change

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 : 10:45 AM - 11:00 AM

Patricia Rector, Outreach Director , Occupational Health Clinical Centers, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY
Wallace Reardon, 13-year Communications Tower Climber , Department of Political Science, State University of New York at Oswego, Pulaski, NY
The presentation describes a statewide project of publicly funded occupational health clinics in New York in partnership with communication tower workers and their families, especially those affected by serious injuries or fatalities in this highly dangerous occupation. Its underlying premise is that tower workers themselves have unique and specific interests separate from employers, which if excluded, too narrowly frame the public policies establishing health and safety standards in the industry. Thus the project is designed first to listen to workers' concerns, create multiple occasions to engage them actively in critiquing and analyzing what went wrong when an incident occurred, and builds a partnership of advocacy that leads to well-grounded policy recommendations. Specifically, the project activities include: 1) using multiple strategies of outreach to enlist the participation of workers directly, 2) employing first-hand accounts of injury observed or fatalities witnessed, 3) providing opportunities to critique existing industry standards and regulatory involvement, 4) create relationships with medical or academic researchers who take workers' concerns seriously, and 5) explore what policy recommendations and/or action plans will elevate standards in the state in this fast-growing industry. The presentation will feature a highly experienced tower worker in partnership a policy-oriented outreach educator, closely detailing and analyzing what worked and what didn't, with attention to the implication of these methodologies in elevating state, national, or international standards as the highly profitable telecommunication industry rapidly expands. Presenters will incorporate photography to underscore visually the work culture, hazards, and challenges of this industry.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Ethics, professional and legal requirements
Occupational health and safety
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Identify workers' unique interests in asserting health and safety issues in communication tower construction, maintenance, and repair. Formulate criteria for the assessment of communication tower workers' health and safety standards in one's own state or region. Critique existing health and safety practices, policies and regulations in this industry from a worker's perspective Formulate a multi-step strategy for outreach, structured listening, mobilizing, and policy change.

Keywords: Advocacy, Workplace Safety

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I launched the plan for this project, oversee its implementation, and develop partnerships and political strategies that drive it. I have been a social justice activist and organizer for more than 40 years. I have been co-presenter with worker/activist Wallace Reardon at statewide health and safety gatherings in New York.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.