Students Participate in Interdisciplinary Training: Policy Roundtables Op-Ed 1

During the 2016-2017 academic year, NWCOHS trainees participated in “Work & Health” policy roundtables organized through a collaboration between the West Coast Poverty Center, the Harry Bridges Centerfor Labor Studies, Center for the Study of Health in Public Policy, and the Northwest Center for Occupational Health & Safety.  These policy roundtables convened researchers, practitioners, and policymakers for informal discussions on how work, working conditions, and employment characteristics influence health, as well as the connections between health, productivity, and economic sustainability. The goals of these roundtables were to stimulate broad thinking and to create networks between academic and community leaders with interests in these arenas.  Three policy roundtables were conducted.

NWCOHS trainees were assigned to interdisciplinary teams (comprised of trainees representing programs in Construction Management Occupational Safety & Health, Industrial Hygiene (Exposure Sciences), Occupational Health at the Human Animal Interface, Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Health Services Research, and Occupational Medicine) and wrote op-eds about the policy roundtable they attended. We will be sharing the op-eds in a series of posts! (author names have been removed for confidentiality).

Student Op-Ed 1

Roundtable Session: “Effects of Minimum Wage Policies on the Health of Workers”

Dr. Paul Leigh, an economist from the University of California, Davis, on November 9, 2016.

Dr. Paul Leigh

The impact of low wages may extend beyond an individual’s wallet. As an immediate impact, low-wage earners may have insufficient funds for healthy food, shelter, and healthcare. Long-term, low wages may result in low self-esteem, which in turn can have negative health effects. Low wages mitigate the price of lost work, thus reducing incentives to make healthy decisions and such avoid missed work. Despite this, low wages plague workers across several sectors.

For example, animal workers in the US may include agricultural workers (farm workers and workers in slaughterhouses or meat processing plants), animal control officers, veterinarians and their support staff, keepers and caretakers in zoos and aquariums, and even animal trainers in Hollywood. Nearly without exception, these workers suffer from low wages and inadequate benefits. The poverty rate for farm workers, including those in crop agriculture, is nearly double the national rate, and benefits are rarely provided.  Animal control workers, who are required to maintain licensure for their work, average under $17 per hour. Veterinary technicians earn less than half the wages of registered nurses ($31,070 versus $66,640). Zookeepers on average make $11.71 per hour, and animal trainers in the entertainment industry are often only paid while on set, “volunteering” their time to provide basic animal husbandry.

The pattern of wage reduction is not exclusive to agriculture and animal industries. US workers in manufacturing environments are prone to the negative health effects associated with low wages. The median hourly rate for a production worker ranges from $9-18 per hour, depending on the type industry and level of experience. Low wages have a negative effect on the psychological and physical   Workers who have low wages have lower job security and may move from job to job more often. This is a problem as unfamiliarity with a work process increases the risk of being injured on the job. The results of workers being in poorer physical health can lead to them getting behind on work, missing more days of work, and even losing their job, which can further increase disparities. Health of workers in manufacturing workplaces, which leads to decreased job performance as well as an increase in the number of on-the-job injuries. This results from employees engaging in unsafe work practices, such as taking shortcuts in processes to save time, not following safety rules or guidelines, having decreased judgement, as well as being distracted and disconnected from their work.

As a nation, we should broach this topic with empathy. Moreover, we need to consider our own personal professional experiences regarding what we value in a working environment. Would we feel comfortable sending our children to a low-wage job knowing the financial, safety, and health stresses imposed upon them? As occupational safety and health graduate students, we call upon US employers and policymakers to take a stronger stance on employment practices, which impact the financial stability and well-being of our workforce. Although our country’s businesses have become a highly charged political topic regarding their economic competitiveness on the world stage, lowering wages in order to remain relevant and profitable is not a sustainable or ethical solution. Moreover, it devalues our workforce’s contribution. All economic sectors, including the aforementioned manufacturing and agriculture industries, must consider the moral, financial, and sustainability benefits of wage increases.

Leadership in Health and Safety - ERC Students Learn from Industry Professionals

John Fauver kicks off the course with "What is Leadership?"

On September 21, 2016 the Northwest Center Continuing Education Program hosted a course called "Leadership in Health and Safety" designed to bring together students and professionals to learn about effective leadership in the field of health and safety. 45 participants spent the morning hearing from leadership thought leaders John Fauver, Fred Hutch and Molly Breyssee Cox, UW Foster School of Business Center for Leadership and Strategic Thinking.

ERC Trainee Max Chmielinski shares the group norms
his group established.

During the course students and professionals broke out into groups to practice establishing group norms, and to discuss failed leadership examples and potential solutions. Attendees were encouraged to reflect on their values, strengths, weaknesses, to identify their skills as leaders and areas where improvements could be made towards more effective leadership.

Students and professionals shared their personal stories of leadership failures in small groups, to help each other understand potential solutions for the future. Student Lauren Frisbie shared the challenges she faced training employees on proper Personal Protective Equipment and tool use in the field. She discussed with her group the difficulties of training youth, and received feedback on techniques she could use in the future to ensure understanding and creative a positive learning environment. Lauren said, "being able to discuss leadership ideas and experience with people in the field" was the most valuable part of the course. The experience helped her "compare [her] perspective and hear about experiences [she] hadn't thought of."

Student Qinxue Li felt that the self reflection portion of the material was the most valuable to her. "I learned that reflection is as important as the experience itself...one can waste the experience of success or failure if he has no time of introspection" said Qinxue.

"I will push myself to practice what I learned form this course deliberately. For example, I've learned self-reflection is very important, I'd like to reflect on what has happened in the last few months or memorable experiences in the last few years and attempt to learn from them. I will keep practicing this until the process becomes an integral part of my way of thinking."

Stephanie Wong, DEOHS grad, speaking on her experience.

Attendees at the course also heard from DEOHS graduate Stephanie Wong in the afternoon. Stephanie completed her BS in Environmental Health in 2008 and her MS in Exposure Science in 2010. She started working as a safety specialist at Boeing in 2010, and in 2012 transitioned into a position as one of the site's industrial hygienists. After two years of industrial hygiene, she started working for the Design for Environmental Health and Safety group on Boeing's newest airplane development program. Stephanie shared her leadership experiences since earning her MS, and inspired current students with her success stories. Stephanie talked to attendees about how she is working to "systematically incorporate Environmental Health and Safety into the DNA of the production system."

Mike Ellis speaks on the importance of employee engagement
and commitment 

Mike Ellis, Corporate Safety Manager for Apollo Mechanical, and Curt Malloy, Administrator for the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at Fred Hutch, also spoke to course attendees about their experiences in effective communication and safety leadership.

You can view course-related resources on the Continuing Education website, osha.washington.edu

The Winner's Circle - Semiahmoo Student Awardees

Every year at the Semiahmoo conference, students are recognized for their hard work and groundbreaking ideas. Several of this year's winners shared their success stories with the NWCOHS blog:

Greta Frey, a research assistant for the Superfund Research Program's Community Engagement Core (CEC), won a poster award for her community based participatory research on best practices when communicating and sharing data with tribal partners. Greta's work will allow the Superfund Research Program to work more effectively with tribal partners on key projects.

Fangfang Wang, a University of Washington Student, shared an award winning poster titled, "Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Truck Drivers' Reaction Times". In her study, Fangfang compared two air-ride truck seats in the field to determine whether or not exposure to whole body vibration is associated psychomotor fatigue and driver reaction times, common factors in commercial vehicle accidents.


Barrett Welch, an MPH student at Oregon State University, received the Ignite Award at this year's conference. Barrett's current research investigates national trends in arsenic exposure among the U.S. population and associations with changes in immunological markers of disease. Of his first Semiahmoo experience Barrett said, "I really enjoyed the atmosphere of collaboration and the diversity in [research] specialities. "



Connie Tzou (UW), not featured in this blog post, also received an award for her oral presentation.

The Semiahmoo Conference - from a student perspective

Every year the Semiahmoo Symposium on Environmental and Occupational Public Health brings together faculty, staff and students from The University of Washington, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Oregon State University, and the University of Victoria. The conference provides attendees with a forum to share new ideas and current or evolving research.

This year, several NWCOHS students attended the conference and shared their experiences:

Grant Quiller and Darrick Dickerson, both students in the exposure science MS program, experienced all of the excitement of Semiahmoo first hand.

Grant, a second year student, is currently working with DEOHS faculty members June Spector, PhD and Kris Ebi, PhD to research outdoor occupational heat exposures under the context of a changing climate.

"Climate change was a common theme presented throughout the conference" said Grant, "As we progress as public health professionals, climate change will impact our decisions and recommendations for both policy and prevention."

Darrick, a first year MS student, experienced Semiahmoo for the first time this year and described it as "an amazing experience for students and faculty to network with colleagues from all over the Pacific Northwest."

Darrick felt the conference was beneficial to his progress as a first year student because it allowed him to "form new ideas, hear about other people's research, ask questions, and establish friendships with students and faculty who share the common interest of public health."

Both students found the poster session to be a highlight of the conference. "It gave me a chance to ask in-depth questions, and have discussions that I couldn't have had during their regular presentations," said Darrick.