Resource Details

It’s your right to know! Helping Community Health Workers Promote Chemical Safety on the Job

Year Developed: n.a.

Resource Type: Archived Webinar.

Primary Audience: Outreach Staff
Secondary Audience: Administrative Staff Clinicians Enabling Staff

Language(s): English

Developed by: Migrant Clinicians Network (See other resources developed by this organization).

Resource Summary: Millions of workers are exposed to chemicals everyday on the job. All workers have the right to know about the chemicals they work with and community health workers can be an important source of information and support for workers. This workshop will teach community health workers how to explain what happens when someone is exposed to chemicals and how workers can best protect themselves

Resource Details: Jason and his crew of painters arrived at the​ir​ worksite ready for the day's work. The job at hand involved stripping paint in a small room and the boss said not to come out until the job was done. ​​It didn't take long before Jason began feeling dizzy and nauseous and then started vomiting.​ Soon his world was spinning​ and he was slipping in and out of consciousness. He looked to his coworkers and noticed them slumped on the ground. All three men had to be removed from the site and revived. Jason was lucky. The paint stripper his crew used contained methylene chloride, which is highly toxic and resulted in at least 13 worker deaths between 2000 and 2011. ​ Millions of workers are exposed to chemicals everyday on the job. All workers have the right to know about the chemicals they work with and community health workers can be an important source of information and support for workers. This workshop will teach community health workers how to explain what happens when someone is exposed to chemicals and how workers can best protect themselves.