The information contained on these Health and Safety pages
was submitted by Katherine Black, Health & Safety Coordinator for the
DC 47 Health & Welfare Fund for Locals 810, 2186 & 2187

Report from Kathy Black in the Health & Safety Office


The Union, the City and the IOD System

Did you know that the City is under no obligation to notify the
Union when our members are injured or become ill on the job? There is a
provision in the contracts that says the City will send copies of injury
reports to the Union once an individual has signed an appropriate release
form. However, the City gets around this obligation by failing to
provide employees with a release form and letting them know that the
Union wants this information so we can protect your rights to benefits
and appropriate treatment. Although we have repeatedly requested a log
of all our injured members, the City has ignored our requests and,
because we are not covered by OSHA, we have no legal recourse.

Perhaps we can address these loopholes in the next contract. In
the meantime, I urge all members who have suffered any injury or illness
in the course of your job to contact me at the Council's Health and
Safety Office (893-3770). As I have no systematic way of tracking cases,
I must rely on stewards and injured workers to contact me. Often,
members don't come to me until they are experiencing serious problems
getting medical care or benefits. By that time, their injuries may have
worsened and become more difficult to treat. Even if you feel you are
getting adequate care, the Union would like to hear about your
experiences. It could be there are services you are eligible for that
the City's insurance company, CompServices, Inc., hasn't told you about,
as I found in a recent case. Also, we need to be able to track which
medical providers are giving our members the care they deserve, and which
are not. We also want to be able to track the kinds of injuries and
illnesses employees are experiencing so we can work on removing risk
factors from the workplace.

No doubt many of you have heard stories about the City's doctors
that may make you leery about reporting a workplace injury and subjecting
yourself to treatment with a doctor you don't know or trust. While it is
true that we have complaints about some of the IOD doctors, there are
also many doctors in the system who are skilled, professional and fair. 
The Union is committed to making sure you get full professional care when
you are injured on the job, and that you receive all the rights and
benefits due you. I am here to advocate for you when you get sick or
hurt. We also have a list of excellent lawyers who specialize in
Workers' Compensation, should you need legal advice or representation. 
Please contact me, or have your steward call me, any time you file an
injury report with the City.

As we head into the bargaining season, it is vitally important
that I hear from those of you who have been injured but haven't contacted
me before. I need both your success and horror stories to help me
develop proposals for the new contract and to justify our positions at
the bargaining table. All names and specific medical information will be
kept confidential. The information you provide could help a fellow
injured worker in the future.



Latex Gloves Update

Last year in this column, I wrote about the epidemic of latex
allergies and illnesses that has developed in recent years with the
proliferation of use of latex gloves in many jobs, especially among
health care workers. Several of our members did report serious allergic
reactions and we worked with the City's Health and Safety office to find
alternative products that eliminated the risk. A couple of health
centers experimented with different materials until they found something
that was acceptable to most employees. Recently I spoke with a steward
who brought some questions from members to my attention, and we decided
it was time for a reminder about this important occupational safety and
health issue.

There are two types of allergies to latex, topical or skin
allergies and respiratory allergies. In the case of skin allergies, only
the affected employee needs to change the type of gloves she or he uses. 
Additional medical treatment may be required, depending on the severity
of the reaction. Latex skin allergies are relatively common but easily
avoided.

Employees who suffer from latex respiratory allergies are much
more at risk. These allergic reactions can be extremely serious and even
life-threatening. For a worker who suffers from this type of allergy, it
is critical that all other workers in the area also switch to non-latex
gloves. Latex particles easily become airborne when gloves are put on
and removed. The particles will be deposited on telephone receivers,
doorknobs and other surfaces where they can be transmitted to other
people and/or again become airborne and inhaled by the allergic worker. 
Because several of our members suffer from this type of allergy, it has
been necessary for entire health centers to switch to a new product.

Due to this epidemic, many new materials are being used to make
gloves suitable to various workplaces. Fact sheets and product resource
information are available through this office and the City's Risk
Management office has information too. Please call me at 893-3770 if you
have any questions or would like to receive additional written
information.