Women and work hazards resources
Women’s
work Too many assumptions about the
nature of ‘women’s work’ combined with too little
attention to the real risks means the hazards of women’s jobs
may be far less likely to get resolved.
Hazards 101, January - March 2008 [pdf]
• See the full TUC
Checklist
Work's
worse for women
US government research shows women are at
greater risk from many workplace hazards, and examines evidence on "working
women and stress" and "women in construction". Another study shows women
facing high work demands, low control and low social support are at
the greatest risk of ill-health.
Hazards 71
[pdf]
Also: Providing
health and safety protection for a diverse construction workforce: Issues
and ideas, NIOSH
Women hurt at work
Ever see a sign saying "Danger! Women at work"?
Ever wonder why not? Well, it is not because women do not do the 3D
- dirty, difficult and dangerous - jobs. Infact for many modern work
hazards it is often women facing more of the risk. Hazards guide
and resources on a "gender sensitive" health and safety approach.
Hazards factsheet 67 [pdf]
or html
version
WHO gender and occupational health webpages
Women's health and safety
Web links on women's health and safety at
work from the US union-backed New York Committee on Occupational Safety
and Health (NYCOSH).
NYCOSH
links
Britain: Teachers' union guide
to women's health and safety
Briefing from the UK National Union of Teachers
on women's health and safety at work. NUT
briefing
Women primary victims of safety
negligence at work
Although invisible in official statistics
on work-related accidents and illnesses, women are more likely to be
victims of poor safety standards at work, says the Brussels-based International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU).
ICFTU
Online
ICFTU
Online: Health and safety - women pay dearly
“Women’s work-related
illnesses have been defined out of existence”
Up until now, work and occupational health
have mainly been about physical risks in the workplace and less about
strain injuries, psychosocial risks and how to combine work and private
life. “Legislation on occupational injury has mainly focused on the
risks to men. Women’s illnesses have been defined out of existence,”
says Wanja Lundby-Wedin, president of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation,
LO.
More..
Women, work and health:
Third international conference
The June 2002 Women, work and health: Third
international conference has agreed priorities to bring gender and health
related issues to the legal, social and political agendas: To interrelate
and address global inequalities and problems; to integrate practice
and research; and to identify and fill gaps in knowledge.
Conference
details
Older women's health and safety
ignored
A new TUC report says the health and safety
of twelve million women is being ignored. The Health and Work of Older
Women: a neglected issue, says that older women work longer hours than
younger women, have lower status jobs and have a higher chance of developing
bad backs and broken bones. It sets out an agenda for action by government,
employers, unions and researchers. News
release
TUC website resources
on women's health and safety
List of TUC resources referring to women's
occupational health and safety
TUC
safety webpages
Women, work and health
Gender sensitive health and safety - a February
2001 report of a TUC symposium on research into women's health and safety.
TUC
safety webpages
A woman's work is never
safe
This TUC report highlights some of the occupational
hazards unique to women due to physiological and social differences
between the sexes, and the way that women's concentration in certain
occupations leads to some health and safety hazards having a much greater
impact on women. TUC
safety webpages
Women's health and safety:
putting back strain on the map
The TUC wants to see women workers use their
own experiences to demand better standards of health and safety from
their employers. Women's jobs can be just as back-breaking as men's,
and this report demonstrates that we have only just begun to address
this huge health problem.
TUC
safety webpages
UNISON women's health
and safety guidance
This guide for health and safety representatives
from UK public service union UNISON should be used to ensure that employers
consider women staff when developing any health and safety initiatives,
such as carrying out risk assessments, planning new systems of work
or introducing work equipment or personal protective equipment. It can
also be used to start raising awareness of women's health and safety
concerns among members.
UNISON
guide [pdf]
Women
at work [pdf]
European trade union website
The European Trade Union Confederation's safety
research arm, TUTB, has pulled together detailed resources and news
on women's health and safety
TUTB
women's health and safety webpages
Women under strain
• Women's work, women's
burden
Men do heavy, dangerous work, women
do light, safe work - so it's men that are at risk of musculoskeletal
disorders. Nothing could be further from the truth... more
• Women's
survey shows more risks equal more strains
Union research started in Milan, Italy,
in April 1996 suggests women get more strains because women get
more jobs with a strain injury risk... more
• Women risky jobs
The risks you are exposed to and the
nature of your work can be heavily influenced by your gender...
more
• Women's lot of
hazards
Stress, strains and violence at work
are more likely to affect women than men, a 1998 survey of workplace
union reps by the UK Trades Union Congress (TUC) revealed. It
concluded that almost 9 out of ten women now suffer work stress
and over half workplace strains... more
All from from Europe under strain: A report
on trade union initiatives to combat workplace musculoskeletal
disorders |
NYCOSH women's safety resources
The New York Committee on Occupational
Safety and Health (NYCOSH) links to resources on women's occupational
health and safety, including international union resources.
NYCOSH
website
ITGLWF women's health
and safety guides
International Textile, Garment, and Leather
Workers' Federation women's pages, including policy and resource documents
on sexual harassment at work.
ITGLWF
women's pages
Order
form for: Women's health and safety: Hazards in the textile, garment
and leather industry
ITF Women's campaign
An International Transport Workers' Federation
(ITF) women's campaign includes a call for for measures to address safety
problems and bullying at work.
Campaign
page
CAW guide: Protect your future
- you and your baby
The purpose of this CAW booklet is to inform
you of what harm can occur during pregnancy and how you can protect
yourself, your fetus and your baby. It's important that all women exercise
their health and safety rights in the workplace at all times.
CAW
booklet
NIOSH women's safety and health
at work webpages
As the only US federal agency mandated to
conduct research to prevent injuries and illnesses in the workplace,
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has
an expanding research program to address the occupational safety and
health needs of working women. These pages contain information on working
women, the hazards they may face, and NIOSH research in areas of particular
concern to women.
NIOSH
women's health and safety webpages
NIOSH
women's health and safety at work factsheet
CINBIOSE women workers' health
webpages
The women workers' health action plan and
resource list produced by CINBIOSE, best academic source on women's
work and health, in collaboration with union representatives. CINBIOSE
researchers, based at the University of Quebec, Montreal have demonstrated
how hazards affect women and how traditional science and workplace policy
means the problem is both under-estimated and under-compensated.
CINBIOSE
women workers' health resource listing
Improving the health of women in the workforce:
ENGLISH
VERSION or FRENCH
VERSION
Related
research projects
ILO/FINNIDA Women at work
Asian-Pacific Newsletter on Occupational Health
and Safety specialissue on women at work.
Asian-Pacific
Newsletter
Women's Environmental Network health pages
Women's Environmental Network is one of the
few groups in the UK to make the connection between health and environment.
WEN campaigns on issues including hazards arising in the workplace.
WEN
health webpage
Women and men do different jobs,
so face different risk factors for work-related mental illness
A study in the International Archives of Occupational
and Environmental Health identified several occupational risk indicators
for poor mental health among women, especially sub-clinical depression
and high alcohol consumption. Occupational factors such as shift work,
job strain, no education at the employer's expense, low occupational
pride, low stimulation at work and poor social support were related
to poor mental health among women.
International
Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, Volume 75, Number
4, May 2002
Women work hazards news
Global: Women
and work hazards
A number of organisations have created new
or dusted off their old materials on women and work hazards.
HSE
mothers at work webpages • European
Agency gender issues in health and safety at work webpages •
BWI
women and work hazards webpages • TUC
women’s health and safety webpages • Hazards
at Work women’s chapter and Hazards
women and work hazards webpages •
Risks
347
Hazards news, 15 March 2008
Britain:
TUC wants a healthy approach to gender
The TUC is asking safety reps to make sure
their workplaces have a gender sensitive approach to health and safety
management. TUC’s Gender and Occupational Safety and Health (G&OSH)
working party has produced a checklist to help assess workplace health
and safety policies and practices.
TUC
summary document and checklist
[also available as a pdf]
• TUC
women’s health and safety webpages • Hazards
women and work hazards webpages • Risks
339
Hazards news, 19 January 2008
Afghanistan:
Women workers face deadly risks
Women working in four wool and fur factories
in Afghanistan as dying as a result of the harsh, dusty work. Over 1,500
women work in the factories in Herat city, where they separate fur from
goats’ hair and weave sheep’s wool without protective gloves
or masks.
IRIN
news
Hazards news, 3 November 2007
Global: Mum’s
job can affect the fetus
Workplace exposures in pregnancy can affect
the health of the fetus with workers in blue collar jobs at greatest
risk, researchers have found. The authors say the evidence suggests
workplace exposures may have negative effects on fetal development,
but add more research needs to be conducted on the reasons why the risk
is elevated in particular occupations.
Parvez Ahmed and Jouni JK Jaakkola. Maternal occupation and adverse
pregnancy outcomes: a Finnish population-based study, Occupational
Medicine, volume 57, Number 6, pages 417-423, 2007
[abstract]
• OHS
reps, issue 123, 13 September 2007
Hazards news, 22 September 2007
Saudi Arabia:
Migrant domestics killed by employers
The killing of two Indonesian domestic workers
by their employers in Saudi Arabia highlights the Saudi government’s
ongoing failure to hold employers accountable for serious abuses, campaign
group Human Rights Watch has said. The brutal beatings by these employers
also left two other Indonesian domestic workers critically injured.
Human
Rights Watch news release
Hazards news, 25 August 2007
USA: New Solutions
special issue
The new issue of New Solutions, a US-based
international journal on environmental and occupational health policy,
focuses on women’s occupational health. Papers look at how policy,
prejudice and practice combine to place women at risk at work and in
the wider community. There are contributions from some of the top experts
on workplace health and gender, including Professor Karen Messing, author
of ‘One-eyed science: Occupational health and women workers.’
New
Solutions, Special issue: Women's occupational health,
volume 17, number 1-2, 2007
Hazards news, 4 August 2007
Britain:
Teachers ‘victims of sexist bullies in class’
Young teachers are increasingly seen as “fair
game” by some pupils for sexual harassment including touching
and innuendo, according to a report from teaching union NUT. The union’s
study found young female teachers in particular are frequently confronted
with sexist language and bullying in school.
Risks 285, 2 December 2006
Global:
Gender equality, work and health
‘Gender equality, work and health’,
a new review published by the World Health Organisation (WHO), documents
the relationship between gender inequality and health and safety problems.
It reviews gender issues in research, policies and programmes on work
and health, and highlights some specific issues for women, including
the types of jobs they do, as well as their need to reconcile the demands
of work and family.
Gender
equality, work and health: A review of the evidence, WHO,
2006 • Full report [pdf]
Britain:
Older women’s workplace health “neglected”
Too little is known about the work and health
of older women, according to a new report. ‘Older women, work
and health’, a research paper jointly commissioned by Help the
Aged and TAEN – The Age and Employment Network - shows that few
studies have explored the links between the work and health of older
women despite their increased participation in the labour market.
Risks 282, 11 November 2006
Britain:
Payout for woman filmed by her boss
A woman whose boss bombarded her with love
notes and who rigged up a CCTV camera to watch her at work has been
awarded £16,500 compensation. Amicus member Heather Harrop, 42,
became sick with stress and was forced to leave her job after she attracted
the unwanted attention of Michael Richardson, 66.
Risks 280, 28 October 2006
Sweden:
Gender analysis lacking in research
Occupational medicine fails to take account
of risks to women, according to a top occupational health research unit.
Sonya Bylund, a researcher at Sweden’s globally respected National
Institute for Working Life, said research in the field of occupational
medicine is largely carried out on men, with the findings assumed to
apply to women as well, adding legislation, risk assessment and measuring
standards are often based on men.
Risks 279, 21 October 2006
Global:
Road transport women put safety first
Women road transport workers are “very
worried” about health and safety issues, a new survey from global
transport union federation ITF shows. Initial results of an ongoing
study found 43 per cent of respondents “expressed the highest
level of concern,” it says.
Risks 278, 14 October 2006
Britain:
Harassed woman awarded second payout
A woman made sick by sexual harassment at
work has been awarded compensation. An Exeter employment tribunal this
week ordered Councillor Tony Prior, the former mayor of Chard, Somerset
to pay £33,697 in damages to former town clerk Sally Bing.
Risks 278, 14 October 2006
Britain:
Long hours may be worse for women
A University of Leeds, study has concluded
long work hours may affect women worse than men. Research has found
that women who work longer hours were more likely to smoke, take less
exercise, and eat unhealthily, patterns not seen in men.
Risks 266, 22 July 2006
Britain:
Miscarriage welder wins damages
A female welder who raised safety concerns
when pregnant and who went on to win a sex discrimination claim against
her father's company has been awarded £7,500 for injury to feelings.
Suzanne Bunning, 31, took GT Bunning of Dereham, Norfolk to an industrial
tribunal after suffering a miscarriage.
Risks 265, 15 July 2006
Britain:
Waitress wins harassment payout
A waitress made ill by the sexual harassment
she experienced is to be paid £124,000 in compensation for unlawful
discrimination and unlawful dismissal by a leading London restaurant.
The London employment tribunal heard of a culture of bullying and harassment
at the kitchen of Harry's Bar in Mayfair.
Risks 251, 8 April 2006
Britain:
Campaign exposes chemical link to breast cancer
Women are being kept in the dark about the
cancer risks from industrial chemicals, campaigners have warned. Public
service union UNISON and the Women's Environmental Network (WEN) say
their ‘Big See Challenge' will press the case for tighter controls
on cancer causing chemicals.
Risks 227, 8 October 2005
USA:
Passive smoking at work linked to breast cancer
Secondhand smoke exposure has been linked
conclusively to breast cancer, with half of all cases linked to workplace
exposures. The Californian study found exposure to secondhand smoke
increased the risk of breast cancer by 70 per cent.
Risks 215, 16 July 2005
Britain:
Women bear the brunt of back pain
Women suffer more back pain at work but are
less likely to take time off, an official survey has found. The Health
and Safety Executive (HSE) survey also found women were less likely
to tell their bosses they were in pain.
Risks 212, 25 June 2005
Britain:
Pregnant women and risk assessment
A new TUC online guide provides a detailed
and practical workers’ resource on pregnancy and risk assessments.
TUC says safety representatives must ensure employers fulfil their legal
obligations and protect both pregnant women and those who return to
work while breast-feeding.
Risks 203, 23 April 2005
• TUC
pregnancy and risk assessment briefing
Britain:
TUC's two step on women and work hazards
The TUC wants to know what's happening
on women's health and safety in the workplace and has devised a two
step plan.
Risks 198, 12 March 2005
USA:
Metalworking fluids linked to breast cancer risk
Women with jobs that involve metalworking
fluids may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, a preliminary
study suggests. The new study looked at women who spent at least three
years working at one of three large car manufacturing plants in the
US.
Risks 196, 26 February 2005
Sweden:
Study finds work stress can give women diabetes
Women who experience stress and a lack
of control over their work could be at great risk of diabetes, according
to Swedish research.
Risks 195, 19 February 2005
Europe:
Health at work is an equality issue
Cutting health risks and tackling stress
at work are equality issues, a European conference of service sector
unions has heard. Delegates to the UNI-Europa women's Conference in
Brussels heard a gender specific approach to health and safety at work
is needed to avoid "gender specific distortions in occupational
health and safety."
Risks 187, 18 December 2004
Canada:
Women's work worse than records show
Injury statistics do not provide a complete
picture of the occupational hazards experienced by women in the workplace,
according to a report in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
• Institute
for Work and Health newsletter
• PM Smith and CA Mustard. Examining
the associations between physical work demands and work injury rates between
men and women in Ontario, 1990-2000, Occupational and Environmental
Medicine, volume 61, pages 750-756, 2004 [abstract]
Risks 185, 4 December 2004
Global:
High stress doubles risk of painful periods
High levels of stress double the risk of painful
periods, according to new research. Dysmenorrhoea, or painful periods,
is one of the most common gynaecological problems among women of childbearing
age.
Risks 183, 20 November 2004
Britain:
Stress 'linked to miscarriages'
Stress could be linked to miscarriages,
researchers have suggested. A research team led by Dr Petra Arck monitored
the progress of 864 pregnant women. Blood samples were taken at the
start of their pregnancies. The women also completed standard questionnaires
to measure their own perceptions of the stress they felt. It was found
that the 55 women who miscarried were more likely to have reported stress
than women whose pregnancies continued. Dr Arck said: 'We can clearly
say that stress has a major impact on pregnancy maintenance.' The research
was presented to a meeting of the British Society for Endocrinology
last week. The authors say their work with mice suggests giving at-risk
women extra doses of the hormone progesterone could protect pregnancies.
Risks 182, 13 November 2004
Denmark:
Night shift work can be bad for pregnancies
Working a night shift can lead to longer pregnancies
and lower birth weight babies, researchers have found. The researchers
examined Danish statistics and concluded: "Night work may prolong
the duration of pregnancy and reduce fetal growth, especially among
industrial workers."
Risks 174, 18 September 2004
Britain:
Ignorant bosses put pregnant employees at risk
Lack of awareness could be putting the health
and well-being of pregnant women and their unborn babies at risk, says
the shopworkers' union Usdaw. And two other reports from the Equal Opportunities
Commission also call for workplace health and safety action.
Risks 173, 11 September 2004
Britain:
"Frantic life syndrome" hits women workers
Working women in the UK think new technology
makes their lives even more hectic, according to a new report. As a
result, a growing number of career women are suffering from what has
been dubbed "frantic life syndrome."
Risks 169, 14 August 2004
Britain
Expectant and new mums feeling the heat
Shopworkers' union Usdaw is warning that pregnant
workers could be wilting in the face of Britain's steamy summer weather.
Risks 169, 14 August 2004
Menopause A
new TUC study reveals many women have jobs that could be making menopause-related
symptoms worse, and calls on employers to provide better welfare facilities,
rest breaks and a lot more forethought and understanding. [large
pdf]
USA:
Axing safety law left women at risk
President Bush's decision to axe an ergonomics
safety law introduced in the last days of the Clinton presidency has
left workers in the heavily female health care field particularly prone
to injury.
Risks 160, 12 June 2004
Britain:
Don't let employers be gender blind
General union GMB is urging safety reps to
raise the profile of women's health and safety within their workplaces.
Risks 147, 13 March 2004
Women's work: Lots of risks
and little work protection Women's
health and safety is neglected, say unions - and something must be done
about it.
Hazards
77 [pdf]
Europe:
Work risks to women are neglected
Safety and health risks facing women at work
tend to be underestimated and neglected, says a report from the Bilbao-based
European Agency. Gender issues in safety and health - a review says
its investigation found the traditional prevention approach can underestimate
work-related risks to women.
Risks 141, 31 January 2004 • European
Agency news
release, report
and new gender
website
Europe:
The gender workplace health gap in Europe
A new report from the European trade union
safety think tank TUTB says women's issues tend to be absent from health
and safety policies. It says the hazards involved are either unknown
or underestimated and priorities are defined in male-dominated sectors
and occupations, and recommends improvements.
Risks 140, 24 January 2004
GLOBAL Workplace health research
isn’t the fairest of them all
A gender blind approach to occupational health
research is can undermine efforts to properly assess the impact of work
on health. An international group of researchers, writing in the American
Journal of Industrial Medicine, conclude gender-sensitive practices
enrich the scientific quality of research and should lead to better
data and ultimately to well-targeted prevention programmes.
Karen Messing and others. Be the fairest of them all: Challenges
and recommendations for the treatment of gender in occupational health
research, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, vol.43 (6), pages
618-29, 2003 [abstract]
• Risks
120, 23 August 2003
Five point programme for positive
pregnancies
A national charity has launched a Pregnancy
Accreditation Programme for UK employers. Tommy's, the baby charity,
will vet employers wanting accreditation to make sure they attain five
key goals: encouraging attendance at ante-natal sessions at times convenient
for the pregnant worker; providing a smoke-free workplace; providing
easily accessible smoke-free rest areas; providing healthy pregnancy
information; and making available to all employees details of current
laws and guidance on pregnancy at work.
Risks
18
