The passage of a bill to increase the minimum wage also gave a big boost to the safety of the state's workforce. The bill included a measure that will extend Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) protections to executive branch employees.
"This is a huge step forward for the Commonwealth," said Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, Executive Director of the workplace safety group, the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health (MassCOSH). "By instituting health and safety measures that are known to prevent injury and death, we will protect the well-being of our state's employees and save the taxpayers costly workers compensation costs."
To learn more about the new safety provisions for state employees, visit www.masscosh.org.
[caption id="attachment_5010" align="alignright" width="300"]
Kim Sawyer and Rossmary Marquez[/caption]
HEALTH AND SAFETY INTERNS ON THE CASE Kim Sawyer and Rossmary Marquez are summer interns from the National Occupational Health Internship Program (OHIP) working with SEIU Local 888 on a study of the health and safety conditions of Massachusetts municipal workers. The study will help Local 888 develop member education and training about health and safety and to build a new Safety Council within Local 888. The interns will be here until mid-August. If you have a health and safety concern, contact your union rep.