December 20, families who have lost a loved one due to a workplace death were joined by MassCOSH and community and labor allies at a State House vigil to remember those who won't be home this holiday season. Our hope is that every member of the legislature sees the media coverage…
Over two dozen overnight cleaners at Stop & Shop supermarkets decided they no longer wanted to be sick with fear that the propane tanks they were required to transport to their homes might combust at any moment, and were tired of feeling nauseous and dizzy from exposure to powerful, toxic…
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…
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. But for MassCOSH Labor-Environment Coordinator…
As 14-year-old Daki Grant walked through Boston’s 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. From a young age, the MassCOSH Peer Leader’s brother had suffered from a…
What do you do when you are one of the very few women on the job and your male coworkers won’t stop commenting on your body? What if you work nights cleaning offices, and your boss keeps making unwanted contact with you, who do you report to? How do language…
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,…
The 2016-17 MassCOSH Legal and Medical Access Directory (click to view) is our annual effort to ensure that all workers have the tools and resources to fight against unjust and unsafe working conditions. The critical funds donated by the legal professionals in this document will be used in the coming…
On October 21, we lost Kelvin Mattocks and Robert Higgins to horrific circumstances. Click here to read MassCOSH’s official statement on the matter and related media coverage.
For Don Dumont, April 28th has a powerful new meaning. Last summer, his 24-year-old son went off to work at a construction site in Taunton; he never made it back home. Working about 40 feet off the ground on part of a structure’s framing, Nick Dumont fell and died a…
One year after a groundbreaking executive branch worker safety law went into effect in Massachusetts, MassCOSH and its advocates are hailing the law’s role in averting injury and death for the 36,000 Massachusetts executive branch workers. A similar law, which would impact all other public employees, passed the Senate at…
Every day in Massachusetts, an army of immigrant women prepare to work in our factories, office buildings, and food processing facilities. Facing language barriers, poverty, and lack of resources, too many of these hard-working women find themselves prime targets for sexual harassment, assault, and even rape on the job.