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July,
2002
(From
COEH newsletter, Bridges)
NUMMI
Acts on
Research Recommendations
A new contract between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and New United
Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) in Fremont, California,
has incorporated key recommendations from COEH health and
safety researchers.
When
COEH faculty and students looked into concerns about respiratory
hazards at the truck and automobile assembly plant two years ago,
their findings pointed to a possible problem with air quality in
the truck and car body shops. In their report to NUMMI management
and the UAW Local Union 2244, which jointly supported the study,
they recommended that NUMMI improve ventilation in the two shops.
Since their study had been modest in scope and lacked objective
measures like lung function tests, they also recommended further
research.
The
NUMMI study, directed by COEH faculty member Katharine Hammond of
Environmental Health Sciences at UC Berkeley, brought together researchers
and students in many disciplines, including COEH faculty member
Ellen Gold of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at UC Davis;
Robin Baker, director of COEH’s Labor Occupational Health
Program (LOHP) at UC Berkeley; and COEH Acting Director John Balmes,
a pulmonary specialist at UC San Francisco.
According
to Hammond, the new contract triples the available funding for health
and safety research—from $50,000 to $150,000—and stipulates
that, in addition, the company will pay costs associated with time
off the job for employees to complete surveys and medical tests.
Moreover, the company has agreed to improve the quality of air in
the truck body shop and the new car body shop.
"I’m
gratified to see that our recommendations have been translated into
action and will bring about improvements that will contribute to
the workers' health," Hammond said.
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