USW occupational illness clinic fills hall with standing-room only crowd
April 16, 08 by TheFleetIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Dan Bellerose | Source: Sault Star
Interest was evident Thursday at the first of three information meetings at the USW Hall, as a standing-room audience of about 200 turned out for background on the May 7-8 clinic, the reason for calling the clinic, the process, and the necessary documentation for those expecting to attend.
Union officials started brainstorming when the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) earlier reported that 40 former ASI employees, with approved occupational disease claims, had died over six years, between December 2001 and December 2007.
Sixty occupational disease claims were forwarded to WSIB since January, said Andy LaDouceur, a member of the Local 2251 occupational disease committee.
The clinic will assess working conditions inside the steel plant, focusing on exposures to toxic chemicals and substances.
… Included in the campaign coalition is USW Local 2724, three local ASI retiree groups, the Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers, WSIB, USW District 6 and the Ontario Federation of Labour.
“A number of labour organizations and agencies are sending people to assist us at their own expense,” said DaPrat, whose clinic’s information will be available to other organizations.
Not included in the partnership is Algoma Steel itself.
… Research indicates it takes 25 to 30 years after the initial exposure for occupational disease to manifest itself, usually once the employee enters retirement, and many mistakenly attribute poor health to non-occupational origins or even fate.
“Don’t assume anything when it comes to occupational disease,” said Nancy Hutchison, USW District 6 health and safety co-ordinator, also in attendance Thursday.
“Don’t assume that because you smoke that it’s the sole reason behind lung cancer; the workplace can also be a significant contributing factor.”
