Women in the Construction Trades: Addressing Health and Safety Challenges
Featuring Hannah Curtis Safety and Health Empowerment for Women in Trades (SHEWT) is a multi-phase study aimed at reducing tradeswomen's risk of workplace health and safety hazards through research and program development. Construction workers experience many health and safety concerns including slips/trips/falls, being struck by/against machinery, musculoskeletal disorders, and chronic health hazards from contaminants. Women workers face additional gender-specific hazards such as inadequate physical protection, unsanitary facilities, and stress from discrimination and harassment. As opportunities for women in the trades continue to grow in the Pacific Northwest, better understanding of trades women's unique exposure to workplace hazards is needed. SHEWT is a collaboration between the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and community partners Washington Women in Trades, the Washington State Labor Education and Research Center, the University of Oregon Labor Education and Research Center, and the Washington State Building Trades Council's Pre-Apprenticeship Construction Education (PACE) program. Funding and support for this project has been provided by the State of Washington, Department of Labor and Industries, Safety and Health Investment Projects. |