New Faces at MassCOSH

We are very pleased to introduce our newest MassCOSH Board members who will help lead MassCOSH into 2020 and beyond.

Traci Teal joined our board this December at our Annual Meeting. Having tragically lost her father, Joseph McWilliams, to a 2006 workplace incident, Traci told us that she wanted to honor her father by becoming an advocate for good, safe jobs. It took Traci just a few weeks to prove how valuable her experience and advocacy can be.
 
Late this past December, an investigative reporter sought out MassCOSH to help create a news piece on the tragic effects of unsafe work on families. Traci immediately rose to the occasion, bravely offering to speak with the reporter on how the loss of her father affected her family. Speaking before the worker memorial at the Iron Workers Local 7 union hall, Traci and her brother Danny spoke on behalf of the thousands of family members who are affected by workplace hazards, helping to shine a powerful, emotional spotlight on the continual need to improve worker safety and well-being on the job. Danny, an opioid awareness peer trainer trained by MassCOSH, also talked about his work in that role.
 
Traci is looking forward to aiding MassCOSH in its Fallen Family program, reaching out and connecting families who have lost a loved one on the job to MassCOSH resources and services. We look forward to working more closely with this fantastic person and family!

Three new Worker Center leaders also joined our Board in December. Fernando Chacón, Mayra Molina, and Beatriz Yañez Placencia were elected by their peers in the MassCOSH Immigrant Worker Center to represent them on the Board of Directors. They will bring the voices and experience of injured workers to our governing body.