Concerns of the Dry-Cleaning Industry: A Qualitative Investigation of Labor and Management

Details

• Personal Author:
  Earnest S ; Ewers, Lynda M. ; Goldenhar, Linda M. ; Haag WM ; Petersen, Martin R. ; Ruder, Avima M.
• Description:
  Occupational scientists agree there are hazards associated with dry-cleaning, but do dry-cleaning owners and workers concur? Knowledge of owners' and workers' perceptions can help guide intervention efforts to reduce worker exposure. To better understand these issues, a qualitative study was conducted using focus group methodology and constant comparative analysis. Two owner and four worker focus groups were held. Findings suggest that overall, health and safety issues were not of great concern. Owners were primarily concerned with the economic impact of regulations. Workers did express some anxiety about solvent exposure, (perchlorethylene), and burns, but most felt that these hazards were "just part of the job." Also, other than the installation of air-conditioning in the shops and the provision of health benefits, workers could not think of ways health and safety on the job could be improved. These findings will be used to develop comprehensive safety and health interventions (e.g., engineering plus education and training) in dry-cleaning shops. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hazardous Substances Occupational Health Safety Solvents
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Dry Cleaners Dry-cleaning-industry Dry-cleaning-solvents Health-hazards Health And Safety Perchlorethylene Qualitative-analysis Qualitative Methodology Safety-research Solvent-vapors
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  112-123
• Volume:
  35
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022642
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 1998 Dec; 35(2):112-123
• Contact Point Address:
  Linda M. Goldenhar, PhD, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation, and Field Studies, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway MS-R16, Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998
• CAS Registry Number:
  Tetrachloroethylene (CAS RN 127-18-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1999
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8fd6095e2a039cda8297ba88c59df9c987b10d31a7d2971bc7c734a093314635067c99307a2bcf6fa6a59fb0e3cfa4c55ae99da3cf9736c8c95d018b8fe637b2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199349/cdc_199349_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 119.01 KB ]