The Occupational Health of Prison Inmates: An Ignored Population and an Opportunity

Details

• Personal Author:
  Montoya-Barthelemy A
• Description:
  In the early 2000s, a group of American workers were engaged in electronics recycling, a job regarded as highly hazardous due to potential exposures to solvents, lead, manganese, beryllium, and ergonomic hazards. This particular group was primarily engaged in "glass breaking," referring to the removal and rupture of cathode ray tubes from computer monitors. As the bulbs were broken they would release a fine dark dust that would cover the workers' clothes and skin. Upon entering their eating area, about 200 ft. away, the employees would shake off their jackets, again releasing the dust which would cover their tables and food. Work that should have taken place in a closed booth was performed on the open warehouse floor, few workers were informed about the hazards they faced, and they were provided inadequate laundry facilities and no respiratory protection. In frustration, the head safety officer used personal funds to perform environmental testing which showed levels of heavy metals that were 40 to 500 times recommended limits. His concerns expressed to management went unheeded, finally forcing him to file for federal whistleblower status and finally prompting a formal investigation. Former workers reported that management responded by ceasing operations, forging training documents, washing buildings, and replacing soil before inspections. Years later, many employees complained of a variety of health complaints which they attributed to their time at this job, from chronic cough to constitutional and neurological symptoms, but have received no compensation for these conditions. A former supervisor expressed personal knowledge of at least six premature deaths which she attributes to their exposures. Finally, it was exposed that while working, these same workers were paid less than $1 per day, were not covered by workers' compensation or protected from discrimination, could not collectively bargain for improved working conditions, and faced huge barriers to litigation for damages. ... I need help to compose a position paper that will outline an increased attention to inmates as workers, worthy of a workplace as safe as our own, and in urgent need of the research to inform intervention. Within this organization lies the experience to navigate systems, to mentor research, and open doors. To that end, I bring you a familiarity with an esoteric literature, a couple novel ideas, and the energy of a newly graduated physician to drive our efforts as far as you will let me. Finally, leaders of this organization have talked about reviving the moral authority of our organization, and in doing so, you have given this recovering surgeon plenty to be passionate about. Work is work, workers are workers, and just as our foremother Alice Hamilton spent a lifetime seeking out the most downtrodden of laborers, we have a responsibility to use our professional expertise and social position to uphold the safety and dignity of all workers, regardless of their setting, occupation, or social status. In doing so, we may truly become the physicians described in our vision statement, championing "the health and safety of workers, workplaces, and environments." [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Correctional Facilities Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Correctional Facilities Correctional Health Occupational Exposure Work Environment Worker Health
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  61
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064187
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2019 Feb; 61(2):e74-e76
• Contact Point Address:
  Andre Montoya-Barthelemy, MD, MPH, 205 Wabasha St S, St Paul, MN 55107
• Email:
  agmb1214@gmail.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bc1c117fe8c833b5ad88a4601eb6d0514117893cb022eda3c7fb930d59d0c90eac6dff5da923e7748a47149c1340a57aedc58b3ea7d5ceb084559f27c6a2a4c8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222693/cdc_222693_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 130.69 KB ]