Health and Safety in the Workplace

The fourth leading cause of death in New York State is occupational disease. Every day, 16 workers in the United States die as a result of a work accident, 1,500 workers die as a result of an occupational disease they developed at work (exposure to asbestos, chemicals, solvents, dust, metals and radiation sometimes many years earlier) and thousands more suffer disabling injuries, often as a result of heavy work, unsafe conditions or difficult or repetitive tasks like typing or assembly work. Most of these deaths and injuries are preventable and many result from workplace hazards that violate the law.

If you are concerned about your working conditions or suspect your workplace is making you sick or is hazardous to your health, please give as a call to discuss your situation.

We work in partnership with the Occupational Health Clinical Center of Syracuse, the only clinic in the region which is publicly funded and specializes in workplace health related illnesses. Their services can include prevention of occupational illnesses, medical services, and worker to patient empowerment.

Know Your Rights under OSHA Trainings

The Workers’ Center of Central New York can provide trainings on Know Your Rights under OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) to immigrants, refugees and vulnerable workers.  The trainings cover:

• The importance of OSHA rights to workers
• The rights under OSHA
• Employer responsibilities under OSHA
• OSHA Standards
• How to file a complaint with OSHA
• How OSHA inspections are conducted
• Safety and Health resources.

This program is funded by the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Midstate Education and Service Foundation and Interfaith Workers Justice.