Eliminating Health and Safety Disparities at Work

On September 14th and 15th, 2011, NIOSH in collaboration with several governmental and nongovernmental cosponsors, held a national conference on Eliminating Health and Safety Disparities at Work. Approximately 275 participants attended representing a diverse group of stakeholders including researchers, safety and health specialists, government agencies, workers, unions, employers and community organizations. On this page we provide the white papers, panel presentations, research posters and recommendations from that conference.

Conference Goal

To bring together representatives from multiple disciplines and perspectives to understand the social, cultural, and economic factors that create and perpetuate occupational health and safety disparities by:

• Examining the major research accomplishments and gaps related to the identification of social, cultural, and economic factors that create occupational health disparities, and
• Identifying and sharing promising practices for eliminating disparities through innovative intervention programs.

Who Should Participate?

Researchers and practitioners with interest in health disparities and disparities' relationship to work.

Representatives from community organizations, labor organizations, state and local health and labor agencies and employers concerned about health disparities at work.

Conference Organization

This two-day conference will feature a mix of plenary speakers, poster presentations, and breakout discussions. (Meeting Agenda)

Five white papers on the following topics will be presented and discussed (White paper descriptions):

• Work Organization
• Workplace Injustice
• Approaches to Education and Training
• Health of the Low-Income Workforce
• Effects of Social, Economic, and Labor Policies

For more information: SBaron@cdc.gov, ASteege@cdc.gov.

Additional Conference Co-sponsors

The conference is also sponsored by the following professional organizations:

• Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC)
• Institute of Medicine of Chicago (IOMC)
• American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM)
• Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
• American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)
• American Public Health Association (APHA)