The Pump Handle
The Pump Handle
New study explores the healthy immigrant effect, casting doubt on the current school of thought
Posted by The Pump Handle on January 7, 2013 It’s often noted that immigrants to the United States experience a decline in health after adopting American lifestyle habits. However, a recent study has found that new immigrants might not be arriving in such good health after all.
Top notch job by OSHA staff to globally harmonize labels and datasheets for chemicals
Posted by The Pump Handle on January 4, 2013 The OSHA staff responsible to modernizing the agency’s chemical right-to-know regulation with global standards deserve credit for completing the rule itself. Unlike other federal agencies, they also create a meaningful public record documenting who said what about the proposed changes to labeling and safety data sheet requirements. (Re-post)
Maintenance matters — in cookstoves and other global health interventions
Posted by The Pump Handle on January 3, 2013 A study on use of new cookstoves in India finds that solving soot problems isn’t as simple as just giving people new stoves. Long-term use of equipment provided by aid groups is also an issue in water and sanitation projects.
Fair pay for home healthcare workers
Posted by The Pump Handle on January 2, 2013 In December 2011, the Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division published a proposed rule that would extend minimum-wage and overtime pay protections to the home care workers who assist elderly and disabled patients with their daily needs. (Re-post)
Series worth re-reading: Visits to Texas worker centers
Posted by The Pump Handle on December 31, 2012 While we’re on vacation, we’re re-posting some of our past content. Kim Krisberg’s series of posts on worker centers in Texas is well worth a second read.
Important 2012 events: Supreme Court’s ACA ruling
Posted by The Pump Handle on December 28, 2012 In looking back at the year 2012, one of the most momentous occasions was the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act. Here are a few of our posts on the topic.
Public health officials urge USDA to withdraw plan to “modernize” poultry inspection, worker and food safety will suffer
Posted by The Pump Handle on December 27, 2012 The Obama Administration’s quest to appease businesses’ claims about burdensome regulations awoke a giant in the form of the civil rights, public health and workers’ safety communities. From the Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Council of LaRaza, to the American Public Health Association, the feedback on USDA’s proposal to “modernize” the poultry inspection process is loud and clear: scrap the idea because faster line speeds will take a grave toll on poultry plant workers. (Re-post)
Happy birthday, Freedom of Information Act!
Posted by The Pump Handle on December 26, 2012 President Johnson may not have intended to sign the Freedom of Information Act on Independence Day, but July 4th is a fitting birthday for a law that helps citizens know what their government is doing and hold it accountable. (Re-post)
Worker safety rule stuck in White House black hole, disease risk persists
Posted by The Pump Handle on December 24, 2012 Many months have passed since the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent to the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) a draft proposed regulation designed to protect workers who are exposed to respirable crystalline silica. (Re-post)
Construction workers in central Texas successfully tie living wages to big business tax breaks
Posted by The Pump Handle on December 14, 2012 Workers in Travis County, Texas, are celebrating what advocates are calling a landmark victory, after local leaders voted to ensure that economic incentive deals benefit both big business and workers.