from “Labor Life”, May 2008

There were 80 men and women killed on the job in Massachusetts in 2007. Their ages ranged from 71 years old to a 17 year-old roofer, who, with no training or safety gear, carried asphalt shingles up a ladder to the top of a roof, lost his balance, and fell to his death.

In a study issued by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO’s Coalition for Safety and Health, an estimated 1,900 workers were newly diagnosed with work-related cancers, and another 50,000 were seriously injured on the job. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO is advocating passage of House Bill 1866/Senate Bill 1088, which will insure that pubic sector workers receive the same safety protections as workers in the private sector.

In addition, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO is supporting passage of House Bill 1829/Senate Bill 1062, which will mandate that temporary workers obtain information about possible workplace hazards and receive the safety equipment they need on the job.