An Investigation of Labor Practices Among Temporary Electronics - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

An Investigation of Labor Practices Among Temporary Electronics Workers in Guadalajara, Mexico Mary-Catherine A. Goddard MPH Industrial Hygiene Internship University of Michigan School of Public Health goddarmc@umich.edu

Where is Guadalajara?

Centro de Reflexión y Acción Laboral - CEREAL I collaborated with a non-profit organization in Guadalajara, • Mexico, called Centro de Reflexión y Acción Laboral (CEREAL) from May 30 th to July 29 th 2016. Since 1997, CEREAL has offered free legal assistance for • workers primarily in the electronics industry. A history of poor labor standards and working conditions in • the electronics industry and countless complaints filed by workers prompted the organization to increase their occupational health and safety efforts.

Goals and Internship Objectives Communicate and understand occupational health- • related topics in Spanish Become familiar with occupational health and safety • training tools that support and empower workers in the electronics industry Identify the occupational hazards associated with • electronics workers Connect with and learn from occupational health and • safety professionals in Mexico

Projects/Accomplishments Occupational Health and Safety Trainings led by the Maquiladora Health • and Safety Support Network and the UC Berkeley Labor Occupational Health Program. Curriculum included reviewing industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, the acute and chronic health effects of chemical substances (tin, lead, silver, isopropyl alcohol, and acetone), and where workers could find occupational health and safety information online in Spanish. Trip to Ciudad Juarez to observe working conditions and compare to • Guadalajara. Both groups of workers face similar challenges: low-pay, long- shifts, transportation, vacation time, and temporary contracts. Tours of Manufacturing Facilities I toured two electronics manufacturing • companies, Samsung Electronics and Sanmina-SCI. At each facility I observed the circuit board production areas and discovered how different management styles impact the company’s dedication to worker health and safety. Conversations with Environmental Health Sciences and Occupational • Health and Safety (EHS/OHS) Professionals I met with an EHS/OHS consultant who explained Industrial Hygiene monitoring procedures and spoke with a federal workplace inspector representing the Secretaría del Trabajo y Provisión Social to learn first-hand perspectives from professionals in the field.

Importance of Workers’ Perspectives • Relied on workers’ stories about daily experiences in the electronics industry because of companies’ reluctance to let guests enter facilities. • Developed background knowledge on occupational hazards in the industry through English classes the workers attended at CEREAL. I led an English class combining occupational health and safety vocabulary in English and Spanish.

Occupational Hazards in the Electronics Industry: From Workers’ Perspectives Chemical hazards • Soldering chemicals • Conformal coating on circuit boards • Physical hazards • Ergonomics • Noise • Unfair labor practices • Long shifts • Transportation (1-2 hours) • This photo was drawn by an Low salaries • electronics worker who identified Temporary contracts • occupational hazards and health effects.

Lessons Learned and Moving Forward Investigating the working conditions in the electronics • industry takes time and more research is needed . I hope to sustain my relationship with CEREAL to serve as a resource for Occupational Health and Safety and Industrial Hygiene knowledge. CEREAL would benefit from creating a database • mapping chemical exposure and how they correspond with specific work positions. Identifying process chemicals used in cleaning and bonding electronics will aid in construction of exposure profiles. Research the electronics industry supply chain to support • sustainable and clean electronics. Combine my Spanish and Industrial Hygiene degrees. •

Acknowledgments • My summer in Mexico was funded by the University of Michigan President’s Advisory Committee on Labor Standards and Human Rights. • Thank you to Dr. Edward Zellers in the Environmental Health Sciences Department at UM-SPH and Garrett Brown with the Maquiladora Health and Safety Support Network for making this internship possible. • Finally, thank you to the entire team at Centro de Reflexión y Acción Laboral: David Foust Rodríguez, Hugo Mendoza, Jorge Barajas, Miguel Angel Alvarez, and Felipe Burgueño, for their on-site support throughout my internship.

Thank you!