Worker rights

After years of hard fighting, the labor movement has achieved certain basic legal and contractual health and safety rights for workers. These rights apply to all workers in the U.S., regardless of citizenship. 

Under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act, workers have a legal right to:

• a workplace free of recognized health and safety hazards;
• any information employers have about any exposure to hazards such as toxic chemicals or noise;
• any of their own medical records that employers have;
• complain to an employer about dangerous conditions;
• file complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and request OSHA inspections. This right also applies to safety complaints to other government agencies, such as a fire department.
• respond to questions from an OSHA inspector and point out hazards; and
• not face discrimination for exercising health and safety rights.

Time to talk

The National Institutes of Health is promoting an educational campaign called Time to Talk to encourage both patients and their health care providers to openly discuss the use of complementary and alternative medicine.

When patients tell their doctor, nurse, home health aid or other health care providers about the use of alternative medicines, such as herbs, providers can more effectively manage their health.

Providers also need to ask their patients about use of complementary and alternative medicines so they can be fully informed and help patients make wise health care decisions.

Talking not only allows fully integrated care, it minimizes risks of interactions with a patient's conventional treatments.

Shortages wreak havoc

The American Federation of Teachers reports in "Healthline" a global shortage of 4 million health care workers.

The World Health Organization says 57 countries, most of them in Africa and Asia, are facing severe shortages in health care professionals. The U.S. and the United Kingdom, which also have shortages, have been recruiting health care workers from other countries, which then threatens the health care systems of those developing countries.

Since 2001, more than 66,000 foreign-born registered nurses have joined the U.S. workforce. The health care profession is also experiencing double-digit vacancy rates for pharmacists, x-ray technicians and laboratory technologists.