Training and Service Activities

CACOSH is committed to protecting the rights and safety of Illinois workers, whether they are union or nonunion workers. The Health and Safety movement rose out of the classic labor philosophy of workers' solidarity, "An Injury to One is an Injury to All." Those who study workers' rights, and who work in environmental, health and safety fields, occupational medicine, or labor law are in a powerful position to fight for the protection of all workers.

Through teaching, through organizing, through networking, and through multidisciplinary collaboration, CACOSH strives to be an advocate for the health and safety of the working class of the greater Chicago metropolitan area.

CACOSH Training

CACOSH shares its expertise in health and safety with union and nonunion workers and their workplaces, through training programs and through service requests. In past years, CACOSH has presented the programs such as:

• Workers' Memorial Day program on globalization issues
• "OSHA in your Workplace" program
• Various workshops for the immigrant and welfare-to-work populations
• Workers' Compensation seminars for workers hurt on the job

Since 2001, CACOSH has worked to rebuild relationships with the Chicago area's labor community, and has given numerous workshops and training seminars for union Locals, including:

• "Health and Safety Tools for Union Organizers," in conjunction with the Chicago Federation of Labor
• Workers' Compensation seminar with a Steelworkers Local
• "Protecting Yourself Against Hearing Loss" for the Railroad Engineers
• "Ergonomics" with Steelworkers Local 2154
• "Basic Health and Safety" and "Forming a Health and Safety Committee" an AFSCME Local.

CACOSH Service Requests

Through our links with experts in Occupational Medicine, Health and Safety, and related fields, CACOSH presents training, writes fact sheets, and researches specific issues--giving worker-friendly treatment of complex topics.

An important part of our work is answering service requests from unions and individual workers. We provide critical, even life-saving, information to workers who often have nowhere else to turn.

Examples of service requests that CACOSH has fulfilled include:

• A worker who developed a repetitive strain injury on the job said she had only seen the company doctor who told her it wasn't job-related. We advised her to get proper care from Cook County Hospital and provided a list of reputable Workers' Compensation attorneys.
  
  
• An AFSCME local contacted us because their offices were being transfered to a dilapidated building owned by a crony of the Governor. They complained that people were being packed into extremely close quarters, that the roof leaked, and that the unsound building structure presented a danger to the workers. The fire inspector, who was friendly with the owner, didn't find anything wrong. They wanted to use contract language that allowed them to bring in their own inspector, but didn't know how to find one. CACOSH advised them on more effective tactics for dealing with the situation.
  
  
• A union steward shut down a degreasing machine to protect workers from airborne chemicals due to improper ventilation. Management charged him with insubordination, and he was in danger of being fired. CACOSH provided documentation on the hazards of the chemicals present to help the Local justify the steward's actions during arbitration. We also researched and found an expert on degreasing machines to provide additional arguments

If you have a service request that you think CACOSH can help you with, please see our Contacts page.

CACOSH Needs You!
CACOSH is a small organization, and has limited resources of time and money to fill requests, research problems, and provide safety answers for Chicagoland's workers. If you have expertise in OHS/EHS fields, organizing, and activism, please consider volunteering to help CACOSH. You can reach us at our Contact page.

How Can I Support CACOSH?
CACOSH is a member of Community Shares of Illinois. Community Shares is a non-profit organization that represents over 70 different community organizations in Illinois that seek to improve quality of life in the state through their work on social issues.

Donate Now by clicking the box at the right! You can also support CACOSH by donating to Community Shares through your workplace giving program, if available.