Researcher: Low-wage workers have a right to a healthy, safe workplace
Making a low wage is a health hazard, says Jeanette Zoeckler, PhD, the director of research and special projects for the Occupational Health Clinical Center at Upstate. She's been immersed in the Low-Wage Workers' Health Project since 2013, analyzing the health effects of low-wage jobs on workers, mostly from the service sectors of multiple industries. Conditions that can put workers at risk include: chemicals used in the workplace, requirements to stand for long periods, the sheer volume of work and in some cases, an emotional toll. Her study charts a variety of symptoms reported by 559 low-wage workers from the Syracuse area. The next phase of her research will expand into other areas of Central New York.