Why Is This Job Killing Me?

Mary Newman and John Kachuba have made the subject of workplace health and safety interesting and accessible in their book Why Is This Job Killing Me? They present ten categories of workplace dangers, each introduced with a story of a person who experiences an injury or illness. Twenty year-old Dennis wrenches his back believing he didn't need the back-support belts supplied by his employer. Karen has successive miscarriages due to chemical exposure. Fifty-six year old Mike dies of carbon monoxide poisoning working with machinery in a confined space. Shirley gradually suffers hearing loss, diminishing her job-effectiveness. Conditions increasing the risk of accidents, cancer, nervous system disorders, respiratory problems, and stress are all examined and supported with recent research. Occupational health and safety guidelines and regulations are cited. The effect of reading the book is an increased awareness of potential problems and a realization that each person can have an impact on the safety of his or her work environment. For employers, it serves the same purpose, with clarification of the lines of responsibility. The book is definitely not anti-employer or inflammatory in any way. It encourages employees to follow the proper chains within the workplace if a hazard is discovered, but also gives specific information on how to follow up if an employer does not respond. I like the level tone the authors take, noting that while some workplace hazards are a result of intentional rejection of known safe practices by unscrupulous employers, the vast majority of employers want a safe environment for their workers. The book ends with a chapter on how to get help with workplace issues. Each chapter has a list of references and a thorough index is found the back. Why Is This Book Killing Me? is appropriate for a wide range of readers, from those who want general information on workplace health issues to those interested in the specifics of health regulations and medical risks. It is fully grounded in science, yet compellingly readable.

In this little paperback, Kachuba and Newman have brought important and potentially life-changing information to a much larger audience. Without sounding reactionary, they have sounded an alarm for a nation whose workers are being exploited (often unintentionally) through unsafe working conditions. This alarm resounds in much the same way that Rachel Carson's classic Silent Spring announced new priorities to an uninformed population in 1962. Clear, well documented research is intermingled with anecdotal evidence that something is indeed terribly wrong with the standard practices of American industry. Whether a reader is in white collar management, blue collar assembly or even seeking employment on the ground level, there is information here that should inform your work choices, and the choices of those employers who are concerned about maintaining a healthy and productive work force. Newman and Kachuba have done their homework, and in doing so help protect all of us.