Experiences in Finding and Recruiting Workers for a Former Worker Medical Screening Program

Worker notification presents an assortment of challenges to sponsors of medical screening programs for retired workers. Department of Energy (DOE) workers face an increased risk of illness due to past exposures to ionizing radiation and chemical hazards. Queens College, in conjunction with the United Steelworkers and the Atomic Trades and Labor Council unions, has operated a medical screening program for DOE workers from nine facilities since 1998. Worker notification entails locating workers to inform them of potential exposures, related health risks and ways to mitigate them, which often includes medical screening. Obstacles to recruiting former workers include limited access to employee records; out-of-date residential addresses and phone numbers; developing materials to appropriately address a diverse workforce and overcoming distrust among those who may be skeptical of the program's sponsors. 21,663 workers have been recruited and have participated in the Queens College program. This includes 1,500 first time participants enrolled in 2011, despite the existence of the program for 14 years. The program employs a variety of interconnected methods to increase the visibility of the program in target communities and to enroll participants. Former and current DOE workers are central to the design and implementation of program outreach. Among the most important methods used are face-to-face meetings, brochure and invitation letter mailings, follow-up phone calls, public events participation, , DOE site communications, media, program newsletters and word of mouth. The objective of this presentation will be to describe the multi-faceted approach used for worker notification, while addressing its challenges and successes.