Odd jobs to worry about safety... or are they?

Submitted by jessica on Thu, 05/22/2008 - 09:42.

I don't know about you, but my thoughts fly to factories, lumber yards, mine shafts and construction sites when I think of workplace safety... but I'm learning that there are risks in jobs I wouldn't have thought risky.

  • Manicurists and pedicurists: bacterial infections (yuck!) and what is inhaling all that nail polish doing to their respiratory systems?
  • Call center employees (or anyone in telemarketing): Mental stress from constant rejection? (Do not discount depression or other mood disorder as a serious occupational hazard.)
  •  Bank tellers: sitting around all day... until someone comes in to make a withdrawal.. with a gun! Workplace violence, scarily, is on the rise.
  •  Volunteer jobs: Just because you're helping out of the kindness of your heart, doesn't mean you're completely safe... ask for Orientation and Training at any volunteer job you do, same as you would with paid work.
  • Retail work: How dangerous is it to be a cashier, right? See danger of workplace violence, same as bank tellers, gas station attendants...
  • "Junior" jobs can carry grown-up risks, like sexual harrassment (babysitting gigs) and being struck by vehicles (snow shoveling, paper routes).

I plan to tell my kids - when they get to working age - No Job is Immune from Hazards!

What is a job you've had or know about that seems "unlikely" to be hazardous to one's health or safety?

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Jessica There are curious

Submitted by Kevin Jones on Wed, 05/28/2008 - 13:45.
Jessica There are curious hazards in odd jobs but some jobs we may think are hazardous are less so. For many years I have provided OHS advice to Australia’s licenced brothel industry. Now that is an occupation that is on the fringes of OHS enforcement, law and society. You would expect violence to be a hazard in this industry but in the legal workplaces, this seems not to be the case. The workers tell me that most clients don’t visit for a fight. There are quite a number of sprains and strains in the industry and, because of the stringent licence obligations, sexually transmitted diseases are almost unheard of. It is a fascinating industry for workplace safety matters.

Funny... I was listening to

Submitted by heather on Thu, 05/29/2008 - 13:30.

Funny... I was listening to CBC Radio the other day and a prostitute rights advocate was speaking about the dire hazards for street workers in Canada (where licensed brothels do no exist). I was struck by her comment about how the high-end call girl who slept with the governor of the state of New York State got so much media attention - but no one talks or writes about the average hooker's workplace health and safety risks. "I guess lipstick and high heels are so much sexier," she noted. I was going to blog about this very subject in the near future, so thanks so much for bringing it up - and I especially appreciate your own nation's perspective. Way to go, Australia, for taking care of the world's oldest profession!!

What about in the

Submitted by Jade on Fri, 05/30/2008 - 10:55.
What about in the office.... I witnessed one injury that could have been easily avoided. It was in a call centre setting and the doors have the swipe card access but there were no windows in the door. Someone was standing behind the door trying to get their swipe card out of their purse when someone on the other side swung the door wide open! The person looking for the card got knocked right off their feet, and had a large bump on the head. At least the employer made sure to get the doors changed to one with windows in an effort to prevent this from happening again -- but foresight is always better than hindsight.

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