Hesperian Health Guides announces new publication: Workers’ Guide to Health and Safety
On International Workers’ Day, the Berkeley, CA-based health publisher Hesperian is celebrating by releasing a one-of-a-kind resource on workers’ health and safety. More than a decade in the making and drawing on the experiences of workers and health educators from every continent, this book aims to provide essential information to workers themselves, those who are the best placed and the most highly motivated to prevent the devastating factory disasters that all too often dominate the news.
The Workers’ Guide to Health and Safety provides occupational safety and health information in an accessible, well-illustrated format that speaks directly to workers’ experience. While covering workplace problems such as electrical hazards, machine dangers, ergonomics, chemical use, fire, among others, it also breaks new ground by also focusing on “social hazards”: low wages, long hours, sexual harassment, workplace violence, and other problems that affect factory workers’ health but are usually not considered part of occupational health and safety. The book also covers specific illnesses that are common or exacerbated by factory conditions, such as HIV, tuberculosis, and mental health.