Category Archives: Research & Publications

Safety Voice for Ergonomics (SAVE)

Safety Voice for Ergonomics (SAVE): Evaluation of a masonry apprenticeship training program
Jennifer A. Hess, Laurel Kincl, Douglas L. Weeks, Amelia Vaughan, Dan Anton

Masons have high rates of strains and sprains, more than other construction trades. Viable solutions to these musculoskeletal  injury hazards have been identified by industry stakeholders, yet in the past masons have received minimal ergonomics training to prevent such injuries. Apprentices and other younger workers have even higher rates of injury so it essential to provide them with ergonomics training and strategies to identify and speak up about safety issues on job sites. To fill this gap, our team developed the Safety Voice for Ergonomics (SAVE) training, a 7-unit, interactive video training with discussions, quizzes and activities that specifically address masonry ergonomic hazards and solutions. This training is available to download for free from the Center for Construction Research and Education.

Persistent Unpredictability

A new LERC and UO Sociology study on the impacts of the first statewide Fair Workweek law reveals “Persistent Unpredictability” in Oregon retail, food services, and hospitality workers’ schedules, as employers find ways to continue changing workers’ schedules at the last minute and avoid  predictability pay obligations.

While the law is a first step in addressing unstable scheduling practices and increases advance notice and ensures workers have the right to rest between shifts, certain provisions, such as the voluntary standby list, leave room for improvement.

This study also reveals the need for adequate funding for BOLI as more robust resources for education and enforcement are necessary. For more see full report here: Persistent Unpredictability: Assessing the Impacts of Oregon’s Employee Work Schedules Law

#foreveressential

In a follow up study to the “Predictable Unpredictability: Assessing the Impacts of Oregon’s Employee Work Schedules Law” LERC and UO Sociology researchers conducted 52 in-depth interviews with Oregon retail, food services, and hospitality workers about what it means to be an essential worker in the service sector under COVID-19. This study reveals that workers have no choice but to be essential and continue working despite facing new physical and emotional hazards in their workplaces. See the brief here.  

Clean Energy Labor Standards

LERC’s Department Manager, Deb Mailander, worked with University of Oregon Law School students in Fall 2019 to research opportunities where high quality jobs and labor standards could be incorporated into federally funded renewable energy technology projects.  The resulting report was published by the Law School’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center. Policy Options for Attaching Labor Standards to Employment in the Clean Energy Technology Sector

A white-paper of the University of Oregon School of Law Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center Energy Law and Policy Project (Fall, 2019)