OSHA gets an earful

On November 10, as the region’s senior safety leaders listened and took careful notes, workers and union representatives from eastern Massachusetts gathered at the Plumbers Hall in Boston to report instances of workplace abuses, dangers, and the role that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) can play in protecting their health and safety.

One man spoke of his employer denying that he ever worked for him after heavy equipment he was lifting fell on his shoulder. Another woman described the time her hand got stuck in a slicing machine, regaining her freedom only after the machine was taken apart piece by piece. Even after medical attention and physical therapy, she has yet to regain the full use of her hand.

Marthe Kent, Regional Administrator, accompanied by her senior staff, addressed the packed room, explaining that the meeting, referred to as OSHA Listens, was being held to see how OSHA could aid the region’s workers and how the administration could improve its practices.

Worker members of MassCOSH, the Brazilian Immigrant Center, the Chinese Progressive Association, the Mass. Nurses Association, the Massachusetts Building Trades Council and other unions lined up discuss instances of workplace dangers which might fall under OSHA's oversight.

The Boston Interpreters Collective Institute, a group dedicated to eliminating language barriers and building community, offered their translation services to the meeting. The organization helped translate English, Portuguese and Spanish in real time while another interpreter interpreted into Chinese, allowing everyone at the meeting to understand and contribute to the discussion regardless of their native tongue.

A MassCOSH worker center member who reported that his employer forced him and his co-workers to work in a dangerous kitchen and operate a faulty oven which later exploded, was the first to speak.

“For more then 5 years, my coworkers and I were forced to work long hours and experienced physical violence,” explained Laurentino, listing some of the many safety violations he experienced at work. “We contacted OSHA [about these dangers] and they sent someone who could only speak Chinese, not Spanish as we had indicated. How can OSHA help us if they can’t speak our language?”

The question immediately addressed the troubling issue of OSHA’s budget lacking the funds to hire more multi lingual staff and provide adequate interpretation.

Kent emphasized that when job openings are available OSHA is eager to have bi-lingual applicants referred.

OSHA also made concrete commitments to address workers’ complaints at a regional recycling center, where workers reported instances of exposure to medical waste, the lack of effective protective gear, and hearing loss from the machines they worked around. The Massachusetts Department of Labor (DOL) officials also agreed to look further into the matter, stating they had heard similar complaints regarding the recycling industry.

To reduce workplace injuries and deaths, OSHA fines employers who violate the agency’s safety standards. But Frank Callahan of the Massachusetts Building Trades Council noted that, too often, “the size of the fines are just the cost of doing business.”

Officials explained that fines in Massachusetts are higher then the national average. Serious OSHA fines in Massachusetts average $1,197 compared to the national average of $1,097. However, the panel recognized that the size of the fines remains a topic of much debate.

The meeting also addressed one of the most delicate issues OSHA tackles: investigations into workplace deaths. OSHA is reasonable for conducting investigations into every workplace fatality and often times must work with grief stricken family members as part of the process.

Melissa King took the time to address the panel on this delicate issue. King, who had lost her father in a workplace accident wanted to know how OSHA improving upon how they organization reaches out to families who have lost someone.

“During this very difficult time, families might not know what to do with a letter from OSHA or how important it is,” explained King. “How is OSHA working to improve relations with families directly after a death?”

Carol Bates of OSHA spoke up, indicating that she was recently appointed as OSHA’s new family liaison. To make this position as effective as possible, Bates promised to meet with King, who also serves as the MassCOSH Board Treasurer, to discuss any improvements that can be made when reaching out to families during these difficult periods.

As the meeting came to a close MassCOSH, other organizations, and OSHA vowed to continue to work together to ensure that every worker is covered by the protections they are entitled to under the law.

For more information on OSHA resources and how to file a complaint at your workplace, please visit www.osha.gov. MassCOSH events calendar is regularly updated it inform its members of similar labor happenings held throughout the year and can be found at www.masscosh.org