The case for worker notification.

Abstract

There is currently a heated debate about whether the U.S. Congress should enact the High Risk Occupational Disease Notification and Prevention Act. This Act would set up an orderly system for identifying, notifying, and assisting workers at high risk of occupational disease. Significant underpinning for this legislation comes from three pilot projects conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Workers' Institute for Safety and Health. These projects demonstrate that notification and intervention for occupational high-risk groups can be implemented feasibly within the existing structures of community health and labor management relations. These projects also suggest that, contrary to the views of opponents of current legislation, it is the absence of systematic programs that leads to massive litigation and high costs. At present, these costs are borne by workers and society.