The Power of a Photograph to Capture Many Truths in Occupational Health

Details

• Personal Author:
  Quinn, Margaret M. ; Seixas, Noah S. ; Smith PM
• Description:
  The truth of the saying that "a picture says a thousand words" has become evident again with the circumstances related to the cover photograph on the May 2018 Annals of Work Exposures and Health (AWEH) special issue on gender, work, and health. Sometimes the same photograph can evoke profound, yet different meanings. The cover photo was taken by renowned labor and occupational health photographer, Mr Earl Dotter, who has chronicled the lives of workers in the USA for more than 50 years (Dotter, 2018). The AWEH May 2018 issue was developed to evaluate what we know currently about gender roles and their impact on workers. The cover photo was selected to illustrate a woman and a man, performing physically demanding work, side-by-side, in an equal manner. It was taken in a dairy barn and the strength and intense focus of the farmers was compelling. Following publication, we received feedback that the photo, which pictured the work of milking cows, evoked some understandably strong reactions; it triggered for some, associations with disrespect toward women, because women have been referred to negatively as 'cows'. The association was particularly strong because this was the first AWEH issue on gender. It is important to pay attention to what photos evoke for us; in fact, we hope that the AWEH May 2018 issue will be a starting point for a constructive dialogue on the serious, long-term consequences of gender differences and inequalities on worker health, including in our own field. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Photography Safety Sex Characteristics
• Keywords:
  Gender Factors Occupational Health Worker Health
• ISSN:
  2398-7308
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  131-132
• Volume:
  63
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055162
• Citation:
  Ann Work Expo Health 2019 Mar; 63(2):131-132
• Contact Point Address:
  Margaret M. Quinn, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, Department of Public Health, University of Massachusetts, 600 Suffolk Street, Suite 520, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
• Email:
  Margaret_Quinn@uml.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4623a3da339e392a957800e22d5aeeb970ac4a0d3da100fb99f6d24c7acd4c84c63ca4fc29eed0ab1404b2e5b89bf7028a724ec41ca36b4ada701bdf7adca1a2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217523/cdc_217523_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 142.07 KB ]