By Elizabeth Johnston

Historically, workplace health and safety, like the workplace itself, has been dominated by males and male issues. But economic and cultural developments over the last few decades have created more and better opportunities for women to enter the workplace as blue collar workers. Workplace safety systems need to accommodate this influx of women.

This series will look at how companies in Canada and the U.S. are adapting to some of the unique health and safety challenges posed by female workers. Part 1 will provide an analysis of the state of women in the workplace; Part 2 will discuss women's workplace health and safety concerns; and Part 3 will address the issue of protective equipment and safety wear for women.

General Economic Trends

The main reason for the growing presence of women in the labor market is economic. Quite simply, women are working because they need the money. A lot of this is attributable to the growing number of women acting as sole providers for their families.

But it's not all driven by money. Cultural and social changes have also given women more latitude to choose their professions. The old stereotypes and stigmas about women doing "men's jobs" are largely disappearing. It's now more acceptable for women to work in positions historically performed by men.

Where in the workplace are women going? Many of them are opting for the more physically demanding jobs. But a lot of women are picking up trades.

For example, Canada is currently experiencing shortages of skilled workers in many industries. To address these shortages, government agencies in many of the provinces are seeking to tap the female labor market. Government efforts involve, among other things, offering apprenticeship training courses to teach women various trades.

Statistical Outlook - Canada

According to the latest 2003 Labour Statistics Canada, a significant number of women have entered the paid work force over the past several decades ( 57% in 2003 as compared to 42% in 1976). In contrast, the rate of growth in male employment has fallen from 73% to 68% over the same period.

As a result of these trends, women accounted for 47% of the employed force in 2003 and 13.5% of these women were employed in goods-producing industries.

Here's a breakdown of percentages by industry:

Statistical Outlook - The U.S.

According to the U.S. Department , Bureau of Labor Statistics report, "Women in the Labor Force in 2004":

• Of the 116 million women age 16 years and over in the U.S., 68 million were labor force participants working or looking for work.
• With a labor force participation rate of 59.2%, women represented 46% of the total U.S. force.
• Women are projected to comprise 47% of the total labor force in 2012 as they did in 2003. They will also account for 55% of the increase in total labor force growth from 2002-2012.
• Smaller percentages worked in service occupations, 20%; 6% worked in production, transport and material moving occupations; and 1% worked in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.

Conclusion

Greater involvement of women in the workforce is no longer just a value; it's a fact. Like it or not, women are occupying a greater percentage of blue collar positions - whether in manual labor or in the trades. And, just like their male counterparts, these women need to be protected against risks of injury and illness. Next week, we'll look at one of the key safety concerns of women: The need for personal safety equipment and workwear that's literally tailored to their bodies.

MEMBER REPLY

Disciplining Contractors

As usual, Richard Hawk provoked a lot of response from SafetyXChange members. Here's what one member had to say about Richard's story on disciplining contractors.

I disagree with Richard Hawks's explanaton in solution #1 in his Double Standard article. A contractor should not be told that a house employee safety infraction would be treated lighter because he may lose his job. This is an indication that complacency has set in at the company and rules are not being enforced.

Ross D. Barnes, CET,
James C.Johnson Associates Inc.
Construction Management Consultants,
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Canada.

THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF SAFETY

HISPANIC WORKERS

September marks Hispanic Heritage Month. In recent weeks, there's been a lot written - and rightly so - about the important contributions of the Hispanic community to the American economy and culture. We thought it would be appropriate to do a quick workplace health and safety profile of Hispanic workers.

Unfortunately, it's not a happy picture. Although things are slowly improving, Hispanic workers continue to suffer higher rates of injuries and illnesses than other groups. Here are the statistics:

• There are 17.5 million Hispanic workers in the US
• 12.6 percent of the American workforce is Hispanic
• In 2002, 12.1 percent of the workforce was Hispanic. But during that year, 15 percent of all workplace fatalities and 17.8 of non-fatal injuries involved Hispanics
• By contrast, in 2002, whites accounted for 72.1 percent of the workforce but only 65.8 percent of non-fatal injuries
• In 2002, blacks accounted for 10.2 percent of the workforce and 11.3 percent of non-fatal injuries.

Source: AFL-CIO Study, "Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect."

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