Research, updates, and worker safety resources

For a variety of reasons, not every young person is able to obtain a college degree before entering the workforce.

This past April 28, Bostons observance of International Workers Memorial Day attracted a record crowd, in no small part due to a horrible tragedy that occurred six months prior.

Thanks to years of hard work and talented staff, MassCOSHs Worker Center is increasingly recognized as a regional leader in the fight to ensure that immigrant workers can enjoy safe, fair-paying jobs.

*Click here to read our media coverage* This past October, Robert Higgins and Kelvin Mattocks were working in a trench their employer, Atlantic Drain Services, knew lacked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) required protections needed to prevent the earth from caving in around them. Atlantic Dr...

This past October, Robert Higgins and Kelvin Mattocks were working in a trench their employer, Atlantic Drain Services, knew lacked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) required protections needed to prevent the earth from caving in around them.

Emotional Candlelight Vigil Held to Honor Workers Lost on the Job Families Shared Stories How Their Loss has Affected Them, Advocates Called on Elected Officials to do more to Protect Workers BOSTON Yesterday afternoon, over 70 family members of workers killed on the job and worker rights advocates gathered on the M...

This past January, David White and his family received the news you never want to hear. His son, Ricardo R. Oliveira, a 22-year-old construction worker, had fallen 25 feet while working at a job site. A few days later, Ricardo passed away, leaving David and loved ones heartbroken and in shock.

What do you do when you are one of the very few women on the job and your male coworkers wont stop commenting on your body? How do language barriers and immigration status affect a womans ability to work free of harassment and abuse?

This past June, airport cleaning workers and wheelchair attendants stood before the MassPort Board of Directors sharing stories of becoming sick and injured from exposure to toxic chemicals and other job hazards, and urging the agency to insist that their employers provide safe work conditions.

As 14-year-old Daki Grant walked through Bostons Community Academy of Science and Health school this past summer, documenting hazards that trigger asthma and other respiratory health problems, he suddenly realized that the work he was doing hit home.

Boston Globe OP ED City, state let contractor slip through cracks JOHN TLUMACKI/BOSTON GLOBE FILE PHOTO Two workers from Atlantic Drain died at this Dartmouth Street work site after the trench filled with water.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/27/2016 Contact: Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, MassCOSH Executive Director (c) (617)-642-1878 Jeff Newton, MassCOSH Communications Coordinator (O) (617) 825-7233 x14 Labor, community, and legal groups call for swift investigation, enforcement and reforms in response to trench fatalities BOSTON Labor...

Labor, legal and community leaders released a statement today calling for a state and federal investigation into the drowning deaths of Robert Higgins and Kelvin Mattocks, and prosecution of Atlantic Drain Services, to the full extent of the law, if the company is found to have violated federal safety requirements,...

had a long history of OSHA violations, the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health said in a statement. Two families and numerous coworkers and neighbors are mourning today. Emergency responders put their lives at risk.

By Beth Healy and Megan Woolhouse GLOBE STAFF SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 Luis Mayancela was 15 years old when he fell from the roof of a house in Portland, Maine, where he was helping fasten shingles. He tumbled two stories, severely breaking his leg. His employer did not call an ambulance.