Effects on Prison Industries Authority inmate-workers of an occupational safety and health training that teaches worker empowerment

Inmate-workers at three state prisons in California have participated in an occupational safety and health course developed by UC Berkeley’s Labor Occupational Health Program and delivered by their supervisors. The 24-hour-long Worker Occupational Safety and Health Specialist course is part of a state-wide initiative to prepare workers in all kinds of occupations and industries to take an occupational safety and health leadership role in their workplace. Trainers from LOHP have taught this class to thousands of workers in Northern California and have also prepared a network of trainers to teach the course to their constituents after participating in a Training of Trainers course. Some of those network trainers are Prison Industry Authority supervisors who teach the course to their inmate-workers.  These inmate-workers are engaged in hazardous work – primarily in manufacturing and construction. Questions arise when teaching the worker leader course to prisoners. Have inmate-workers used the knowledge and skills gained from the class? Can they really take health and safety actions in their workplace? Does the class provide additional benefits unique to the prison population? This presentation will focus on the results of an evaluation conducted with inmate-workers who have participated in the WOSH Specialist training. Preliminary results indicate substantial gains in knowledge and skills among trained inmate-workers. Two have, in fact, gone on to obtain jobs in occupational safety and health after serving their prison time. Training in occupational safety and health can lead to worker empowerment within the context of work in Prison Industries.