La Ley de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacional. Conocimiento y actitudes de los trabajadores latinos de Chicago

Abstract

In the seventies the Occupational Safety and Health Act was approved in the United States. Since then, the American workers have the legal right to stay free of risks in their working environments. However, for Latin workers the benefits from this law have: been minimal. This article analyses the working and safety conditions of inmigrants laborers form Latin origin of the Chicago area. It also looks at the enforcement of the owners' obligation to skill their workers. It includes an analysis of the attitudes of this working population to unions. The population included in the sample is of recent inmigrants who work in manufacturing. The workers are classified according to their exposure to toxic or dangerous materials. In synthesis, the paper examines three main issues: The enforcement of OSHA, these worker’s knowledge about it, their access to safety equipment, and their participation in workers unions