What's work got to do with it?

In Part 2 of the Inclusion and Worker Well-Being in the Trades series, we interview Tiffany Thompson, former Director of Workforce Equity and Technical Assistance of Oregon Tradeswomen and Dr. Maura Kelly an Associate Professor of Sociology at Portland State University. 

Both Tiffany and Maura support, engage and help workplaces gain tools and provide education for respectful workplace programs. They provide program support and research opportunities to help build capacity, such as investing resources and time to contribute to cultural shifts needed on trade job sites.

Tiffany started her career working with survivors of interpersonal violence where she also provided training for service providers on how to work with individuals who have experienced trauma. In 2013, Tiffany first began working at Oregon Tradeswomen and saw the overlap between her previous work and the experiences of tradeswomen in the field. Since then, she has been working diligently, within and outside of construction, to bring about culture change to ensure that no one experiences the trauma that can come from harassment, bullying, hazing, and any type of interpersonal violence.

Dr. Maura Kelly is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Portland State University. She researches inequalities in the construction trades and advocates to increase opportunities for women and people of color. Dr. Kelly's evaluation research has assessed a variety of programs intended to increase the recruitment and retention of diverse workers in the trades, including the ODOT/BOLI Highway Construction Workforce Development Program, Green Dot for the Trades, the City of Seattle Acceptable Work Sites training, Mentorship Matters, as well as the Oregon Tradeswomen and Constructing Hope pre-apprenticeship programs.

Resources:

RISE Up: https://riseup4equity.org

EEOC Report: https://www.eeoc.gov/harassment

Immokalee Workers: https://ciw-online.org

Oregon Tradeswomen: https://oregontradeswomen.org

Learn about Dr. Maura Kelly and the programs she discussed: http://maura-kelly.com

Save-the-date for our 2022 Spring Symposium on Friday, June 3rd

"From the Great Resignation to the Great Reconfiguration: Connecting research and practice." Visit: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/training-and-symposia

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Episode information:

What's Work Got to Do With Inclusion And Worker Well-Being In The Trades? (Part 2)

Guest: Tiffany Thompson and Dr. Maura Kelly

Hosted by: Anjali Rameshbabu, PhD

Produced by: Helen Schuckers, MPH and Anjali Rameshbabu, PhD

Voiceovers: Helen Schuckers, MPH

Music by: Sam Greenspan, MPH

Connect with us Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and Oregon Healthy Workforce Center on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OHSUOccHealth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/occhealthsci.ohsu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/occhealthsci

Blog: https://blogs.ohsu.edu/occupational-health-sciences

Community feedback is important to us. If you love our podcast and want to further support our podcast, please consider leaving us a 5-star review. Thank you!

Kelly Kupcak is the Executive Director of Oregon Tradeswomen’s Executive Director. Kelly is honored to be a part of the work and mission of Oregon Tradeswomen which helps women move into dynamic careers in the skilled trades so they can take care of themselves and their families.

We invite one of Oregon Tradeswomen's partners and supporters, Larry S. Williams from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). Larry manages the Highway Construction Workforce Development Program which is sponsored by the Oregon Department of Transportation and managed by BOLI. This program has funded the Green Dot Bystander Intervention to a construction environment, build capacity at Oregon Tradeswomen to deliver the Rise Up! Curriculum, and for a current project at the Institute to develop a Respectful Workplace Climate Scale.

Resources:

Oregon Tradeswomen: https://oregontradeswomen.org

National Taskforce on Tradeswomen Issues: https://tradeswomentaskforce.org/system/files/national_taskforce_on_tradeswomens_issues_infrastructure_framework.pdf

Safe from Hate Pledge:

https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2022-03/Safe%20from%20Hate%20-%20Pledge%20and%20Signatories%20-%20Updated%2001-07-21.pdf

Respectful Workplace Review Committee Recommendations Report: https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2022-03/Zero%20Tolerance%20and%20Accountability%20Policy%20--%20Best%20Practices%20Guide.pdf

EEOC Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace: https://www.eeoc.gov/select-task-force-study-harassment-workplace

Institute for Women’s Policy Research recent survey and report on tradeswomen: https://iwpr.org/iwpr-publications/a-future-worth-building-report

RISE Up: https://oregontradeswomen.org/rise-up-oregon *Will be feature on Part 2 of this episode series

Oregon Specific Resources:

ODOT Legislative “Report on the Use of Federal Funds to Increase Diversity and Prepare those Entering the Highway Construction Workforce": https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/citizen_engagement/Reports/Highway%20Construction%20Workforce%20Development%20Report.pdf

Child Care Supports for the Construction Trades: Building and Sustaining Diversity in Oregon: https://iwpr.org/iwpr-issues/esme/child-care-supports-for-the-construction-trades-building-and-sustaining-diversity-in-oregon

ODOT page on “Workforce Development”: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Business/OCR/Pages/Workforce-Development.aspx

Support for Heavy Highway Apprentices: https://www.oregon.gov/boli/apprenticeship/Pages/support-for-heavy-highway-apprentices.aspx

“Improving the Recruitment and Retention of Construction Apprentices through Oregon’s Highway Construction Workforce Development Program” by Maura Kelly, Lindsey Wilkinson, Affie Eyo-Idahor, and Larry S. Williams: https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2022-03/Improving%20the%20Recruitment%20and%20Retention%20of%20Construction%20Apprentices%20%28accepted%20at%20JASS%29.pdf

Save-the-date for our 2022 Spring Symposium on Friday, June 3rd

"From the Great Resignation to the Great Reconfiguration: Connecting research and practice." Visit: www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-o…ining-and-symposia

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Episode information:

What's Work Got to Do With Inclusion and Worker Well-Being In The Trades?(Part 1)

Guest: Kelly Kupcak and Larry S. Williams, MA

Host: Anjali Rameshbabu, PhD

Voiceover and editing: Helen Schuckers, MPH

Music by: Sam Greenspan, MPH

Connect with us Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and Oregon Healthy Workforce Center on social media:

Twitter: twitter.com/OHSUOccHealth

Facebook: www.facebook.com/occhealthsci.ohsu

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/occhealthsci

Blog: blogs.ohsu.edu/occupational-health-sciences/

Community feedback is important to us. If you love our podcast please consider leaving us a 5 star review. Thank you!

Charlice Hurst, Ph.D. is an assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. Dr. Hurst teaches social entrepreneurship and social innovation. Her current research focuses on how to build an equitable workplace in the context of rapid changes to the economy and workplace.

Dr. Hurst is also a co-developer of the Just Wage Framework and Tool, which consists of a set of seven criteria for determining the justness of a wage. The tool and framework are designed to encourage robust, cross-sector conversations about what truly constitutes a fair wage and how to extend fair wages to all workers.

This talk was from our 2021 Fall Symposium where we discussed the area of work-life challenges and integration in the context of COVID. Dr. Hurst spoke on the important topic, "Designing Flexible Work to Create a Just Economy for Black and Latinx Women."

Resources:

Just Wage Framework and Tool: https://socialconcerns.nd.edu/higgins-labor-program/just-wage-tool#:~:text=The%20Just%20Wage%20Framework%20%26%20Tool,more%20just%20economy%20for%20all.

All of our Fall Symposium talks are available at: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/work-life-challenges-and-integration-context-covid

Save-the-date for our 2022 Spring Symposium on Friday, June 3rd

"From the Great Resignation to the Great Reconfiguration: Connecting research and practice." Visit: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/training-and-symposia

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Episode information:

What's Work Got to Do With Designing Flexible Work and Pay Equity for Black and Latinx Women?

Guest: Dr. Charlice Hurst, PhD

Introductions: Helen Schuckers, MPH and Leslie Hammer, PhD

Produced and edited by: Helen Schuckers, MPH

Music by: Sam Greenspan, MPH

Connect with us Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and Oregon Healthy Workforce Center on social media:

Twitter: twitter.com/OHSUOccHealth

Facebook: www.facebook.com/occhealthsci.ohsu

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/occhealthsci

Blog: blogs.ohsu.edu/occupational-health-sciences/

Community feedback is important to us. If you love our podcast and want to further support our podcast, please consider leaving us a 5 star review. Thank you!

Román Baca is a classically trained ballet dancer and choreographer. In 2001, recognizing his desire to defend the defenseless, he took a hiatus from dance and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving as a machine-gunner and fire-team leader in Fallujah, Iraq during the Iraq War. After the war, Román returned to dance and co-founded Exit12 Dance Company, which tells veterans’ stories choreographically, to increase cross-cultural understanding and heal divisions. Exit12 has delivered its programming in multiple conventional and unconventional performance spaces across the world.

Alongside Román’s work with Exit12 he is also an Early Career Researcher at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire, a Junior Research Scientist with the USAF/USN Research Unit, and a Ph.D. Candidate at York St. John University in the UK studying the intersection of dance and war. Earlier this year Román worked as an Arts Envoy with the US State Department to Nigeria where he conducted creative workshops with paramilitary, police, and charitable organizations on arts and health. Román completed his MFA at Trinity Laban and was the 2019 awardee of the Selma Jeanne Cohen Dance Lecture Award for his research into the dance and the military.

To learn more about Exit12 Dance Company, visit: https://exit12danceco.org

Resources:

To learn more about Stephen Wolfert and the DE-CRUIT initiative, where veterans find a path to healing through Shakespeare, visit: https://www.decruit.org

Román also mentions the National Intrepid Center of Excellence(NICoE) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the research of Allison Winters Fisher: https://walterreed.tricare.mil/NICoE

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Episode information:

What's Work Got to Do With Supporting Veteran Through Art and Dance?

Guest: Román Baca

Host: Nichole Guilfoy

Produced and edited by: Helen Schuckers

Written by: Helen Schuckers and Anjali Rameshbabu

Connect with us Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and Oregon Healthy Workforce Center on social media:

Twitter: twitter.com/OHSUOccHealth

Facebook: www.facebook.com/occhealthsci.ohsu

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/occhealthsci

Blog: blogs.ohsu.edu/occupational-health-sciences/

Community feedback is important to us. If you love our podcast and want to further support our podcast, please consider leaving us a review. Thank you!

What's Work Got to Do With Firefighter Safety, Health, and Well-being?

Cameron Homan is a Portland Firefighter and District Representative for Portland Fire Fighter Association Local 43. Cameron is a 3rd generation public safety worker, has been a firefighter for 10 years, with 5 of those years serving the Portland public and 4 years serving as a district representative for the Portland Firefighters Union. He is currently working in the Hollywood District at Station 28 and hails from Tacoma, Washington. Cameron shares with us today what life is like working as a firefighter, as well as his experience collaborating with our Institute on a research study.

Shelby Watkins, MPH is a Research Associate in Dr. Nicole Bowles Lab. Shelby helped coordinate the study with Portland Firefighters’ Association, IAFF Local 43. She joins us on the round table discussion today with Cameron to discuss the research collaboration that looked at sleep and shift schedules within Portland firefighters.

To learn more about Portland Fire Fighter Association Local 43, visit: https://local.iaff.org/local0043

Connect with us Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and Oregon Healthy Workforce Center on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OHSUOccHealth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/occhealthsci.ohsu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/occhealthsci

Blog: https://blogs.ohsu.edu/occupational-health-sciences/

Community feedback is important to us. If you love our podcast and want to further support our podcast, please consider leaving us a review. Thank you!

On this episode of What’s Work Got To Do With It? we highlight our 2021 Summer Intern Program at the Institute and OHWC. Each summer, undergraduate interns work with faculty mentors in basic and applied research over a three-month paid summer internship designed to introduce them to biomedical and occupational health research. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to make the tough decision to cancel our summer intern program last summer in 2020, so we are excited to be able to host our summer intern program for 2021 and offer undergraduate students the opportunity to work on research projects virtually this year.

We spoke to each of our 2021 Summer Interns as they share their experience working alongside institute researchers and how this experience will inform their future careers in research, clinical health, and public health.

Guests: Renee Kozlowski, Kaiyo Shi, Megan Jones, Lauren Lee, and Anika Banister

Host: Helen Schuckers, M.P.H.

Visit our Summer Intern page for more information on the application process. Applications open each year in December for the following Summer: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/summer-internships

Read our Oregon and the Workplace blog on our 2021 Summer Intern poster session: https://blogs.ohsu.edu/occupational-health-sciences/2021/08/12/2021-summer-interns-virtual-poster-presentation/

Listen to our 2019 Summer Intern podcast episode: https://soundcloud.com/occhealthsci/summer-interns

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We want to hear from you on workplace topics that you would like us to learn more about. Email us at [email protected].

Visit www.ohsu.edu/occhealthsci, subscribe to our Oregon and the Workplace blog, or follow us on our social media channels: facebook.com/occhealthsci.ohsu or twitter.com/ohsuocchealth to stay updated on current research, resources, news, and community events.

What's Work Got To Do With NIOSH'S 50th Anniversary?

Speaker: John Howard, MD, MPH, JD, LLM, MBA

Host: Anjali Rameshbabu, PhD

Narrator: Helen Schuckers, MPH

This year is the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) 50th anniversary. Since April 28, 1971, NIOSH has funded research, education and resources in occupational safety and health. “Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 that created NIOSH to assure so far as possible every working person in the Nation has access to safe and healthful working conditions.

Dr. John Howard is the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Howard was first appointed NIOSH Director in 2002 during the George W. Bush Administration and served in that position until 2008.

In 2009, Dr. Howard worked as a consultant with the US-Afghanistan Health Initiative. In September of 2009, Dr. Howard was again appointed NIOSH Director, and was reappointed for a third six-year term in 2015.

Prior to his appointments as NIOSH Director and WTC Health Program Administrator, Dr. Howard served as Chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the State of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency from 1991 through 2002.

On behalf of Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and OHWC, we wanted to congratulate NIOSH for their dedication and hard work the last five decades of service and its evolution to recognize the importance of improving safety, health and well-being in the workplace

Resources:

NIOSH 50th Anniversary page - Learn about NIOSH’s history and facts: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/about/50thanniversary.html

From the Director’s Desk – Dr. John Howard, MD addresses NIOSH’s 50th and highlights the origins of Total Worker Health®: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/enewsv18n9.html

Bookmark and follow NIOSH on social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up to date on NIOSH 50th activities.

https://www.facebook.com/niosh

https://www.twitter.com/NIOSH

https://www.instagram.com/nioshusa/

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Additional Resources:

Learn about the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-healthy-workforce-center

Access workplace safety, health, and well-being tools and toolkits from the Institute and OHWC: https://www.YourWorkpath.com

What's Work Got To Do With the Impacts Of COVID19 And Wildfire Smoke On Wildland Firefighters?

Speaker: Luke Montrose, PhD

Speaker Intro: Nicole Bowles, PhD

Narrator: Helen Schuckers, MPH

Dr. Luke Montrose is an environmental toxicologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Community and Environmental Health at Boise State University, with research interests in public health, epigenetics, and chronic illness, particularly as it relates to vulnerable and understudied populations. Dr. Montrose's research aims to translate basic science into practical clinical and community solutions to enhance public health.

Dr. Montrose’s research reflects his passion for studying human health through multiple lenses, ranging from community health to molecular biology. His recent studies have used cutting edge technology to measure exposure-induced epigenetic changes related to diet, air pollution, heavy metals and endocrine disrupting chemicals, and related these changes to humans and animal health effects.

Dr. Montrose's talk was given during our 2021 Science Seminar Series. To learn more, visit: www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/occhealthsci-seminar-series

The Conversation's "What’s in wildfire smoke, and why is it so bad for your lungs?": https://theconversation.com/whats-in-wildfire-smoke-and-why-is-it-so-bad-for-your-lungs-144790

The Conversation's "Wildfire smoke worsens coronavirus risk, putting firefighters in extra danger": https://theconversation.com/wildfire-smoke-worsens-coronavirus-risk-putting-firefighters-in-extra-danger-136016

CDC/NIOSH COVID-19 and Wildland Firefighters: https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2021/03/30/covid-wildlfires

Nation Interagency Fire Center: https://www.nifc.gov

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Additional Resources:

Learn more about our 2021 Spring Symposium, "Adapting to Climate Change for Worker Safety, Health and Well-being" that will be taking place on May 21st and access previous symposia recordings by visiting: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/training-and-symposia

Access workplace safety, health, and well-being tools and toolkits from the Institute and OHWC: www.YourWorkpath.com

What's Work Got To Do With Farmworkers' Experiences During COVID?

Speaker: Reyna Lopez, PCUN Executive Director (she/they)

Narrator: Helen Schuckers, MPH

Reyna Lopez's talk, "Essentially Forgotten?" was given at our Fall 2020 Spring Symposium where she addressed the impacts of COVID19 on the Latinx farm working community.

Reyna Lopez is a leader and proud daughter of immigrants from Mexico, who came to Oregon in the late 80’s following the migration of farm work in the Marion County area. She is currently the Executive Director of PCUN, which was started by farmworkers and is now Oregon’s longest standing Latinx led organization. Reyna grew up in Salem, Oregon and graduated from Willamette University with her BA in Political Science and Sociology. For over a decade, she has been a fierce leader and advocate for the Latinx community in Oregon, receiving the Immigrant Award from the American Association of Immigration Lawyers of Oregon, and Willamette University’s Young Alumni of the Year Award for her work in social justice causes, campaigns, movement and coalition building.

To learn more about PCUN, visit: www.pcun.org

Reyna's talk was given during our 2020 Fall Symposium last November, where speakers addressed work as a social determinant of health. Within the backdrop of the COVID-19 global pandemic and a public health crisis of systemic racism, this symposium will focus on the varying ways that social determinants of health have both affected, and are affected by work. To view Reyna's talk and presentation slides from the 2020 Fall Symposium, visit: www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/worker-health-work-social-determinant-health

Learn more about our 2021 Spring Symposium, "Adapting to Climate Change for Worker Safety, Health and Well-being" that will be taking place on May 21st and access previous symposia recordings by visiting: https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-institute-occupational-health-sciences/training-and-symposia

What's Work Got To Do With Mental Health and Suicide Prevention In Construction?

Guest: Steven Frost, LEED AP BD+C, CHST, ASP, CSP

Host: Nichole Guilfoy

The construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates compared to other industries. In 2016, the suicide rate for men in construction and extraction occupations was almost twice the total suicide rate for civilian working men (16-64 years old) in 32 states and 5 times greater than the rate for all fatal work-related injuries in the construction industry in 2018.

On today’s episode, we interview Steven Frost, Site Safety, Health and Environment Manager for a general contractor, that is one of the largest construction firms here in Portland. Steven is a leader in our region who advocates not only for workers’ physical safety – he also works tirelessly to protect and promote mental health and suicide prevention in the construction industry.

if you or someone you know is struggling, in crisis, or affected by suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is toll-free, and connects the caller to their local certified crisis center at 1-800-273-TALK(8255)

Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention: https://preventconstructionsuicide.com

Workplace Suicide Prevention: https://workplacesuicideprevention.com

Lines for Life: https://www.linesforlife.org

GetTrainedtoHelp.com: https://www.gettrainedtohelp.com/en

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We want to hear from you on workplace topics that you would like us to learn more about. Email us at [email protected].

Visit www.ohsu.edu/occhealthsci, subscribe to our Oregon and the Workplace Blog at blogs.ohsu.edu/occupational-health-sciences or follow-us on our social media channels: facebook.com/occhealthsci.ohsu, twitter.com/ohsuocchealth to stay updated on current research, resources, news, and community events.

Get access to workplace safety, health and well-being tools and toolkits from our research center by visiting: www.YourWorkpath.com