A recent Massachusetts Department of Public Health report on worker opioid-related overdose deaths shows MassCOSH’s efforts to educate and provide services to at-risk worker is more badly needed than ever. The report, titled Opioid-related Overdose Deaths in Massachusetts by Industry and Occupation, 2016-2017, is an update to a report on opioid-related…
MassCOSH is pleased to announce the Fields Corner Crossroads Collaborative has named its first program director Keyla Kelley, MS, CCLS, CEIM, CLC. In 2018, thanks to a three-year funding incubation grant by Boston Children’s Hospital’s Children’s Health Equity Initiative, eight Fields Corner-based organizations have joined together to fight for good, safe jobs, improved child health, increased community leadership in local advocacy efforts, and…
More than 13,000 farmworkers are employed on farms across Massachusetts, yet they are excluded from minimum wage and overtime laws. That exclusion means these incredibly essential workers are often forced to work well over eight hours a day, six to seven days per week. Their exclusion has also resulted in farmworkers experiencing poverty rates that…
On November 5, OSHA released an emergency temporary standard (ETS) that requires almost all private-sector employers with at least 100 full- or part-time employees institute policies that require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo testing for COVID-19 at least every seven days and wear a face covering at…
Press Release November 8, 2021 For Immediate Distribution Contact: Jeff Newton, MassCOSH Communications Director Jeff.newton@masscosh.org (857) 301-7730 …
With most of Boston’s public schools built before World War II, 130 buildings are increasingly unable to abate the heat that comes with ever-warming springs and summers. The issue has become a major campaign for MassCOSH’s Teens Lead @ Work program and these young people are not hesitating to tell city leaders about their concerns. On September 30, MassCOSH joined representatives from Boston Public Schools,…
MassCOSH and labor groups around the nation are celebrating years of grassroots organizing paying off as the Biden Administration announced a new initiative this past September to protect workers and communities from extreme heat due to climate change. The initiative prioritizes heat-related interventions and inspections of work activities on days when the heat index exceeds 80 degrees…
MassCOSH is very pleased to announce that our Director of Policy and Programs Al Vega has been appointed to the Future of Work Commission, tasked with helping prepare the Commonwealth for what the future may hold for workers as technology rapidly evolves. The 17-member commission was created by Governor Charlie Baker and has been asked to study major topics, including the…
On October 6, Fernando Augusto Rafael Da Silva, a husband and father of two, fell to his death in East Boston at a construction site. His death hit the Brazilian immigrant community hard and was yet another tragic reminder of how dangerous the construction industry can be. According to the MassCOSH report, Dying…
Now that kids are back to school in-person, families have many questions and concerns: What health and safety protections must my school district put in place? How can I know if my child’s school building is safe? How will I know if my child has been exposed to COVID-19? And…
MassCOSH used our recent move to the VietAID Building (42 Charles St, Dorchester, MA 02122) to upgrade some technology we use in the office. One big change is that we have cut the cord to our phones and are now using an internet phone service. Our main office number, (617)…
While Hurricane Henri brought a near miss to Massachusetts, hurricane season runs through November 30, and its important workers mobilized to clean up after storms, our “second responders,” know about the potential hazards on the job and their rights. To that end, MassCOSH is making its “Muck and Gut” training…