• Activity Handout: “What’s Causing Workers to be Injured, Made Ill and/or Stressed on the Job”
• Flip chart
• Flip chart markers
• Resource Handout: “Examples of Workplace Safety and Health Hazards”

•  Explain that one very important goal of a union’s health and safety efforts are to reduce the number and severity of workers’ injuries and illnesses. The most effective way to do this is to eliminate  or reduce the hazards that cause or contribute to those injuries and illnesses.
• In order to eliminate or reduce hazards, a union first needs to identify the problems and concerns (hazards) that are causing (or could cause) workers to become injured, made ill or stressed on the job.
• Health and safety hazards in the workplace include ANYTHING on the job that can damage a worker’s physical and/or emotional health.
• Hazards are not always obvious; so you need to be familiar with your particular industry, workplace and work practices.
• There are many different ways to identify workplace hazards, but most likely everyone here is already aware of at least some of the hazards and problems in your workplace

• Divide participants into small groups of two to eight participants (depending on the size of the large group). Ask each small group to select one person to be the recorder/reporter for the group.
• Once participants have been divided into small groups, have each small group gather together. Distribute the Activity Handout: “What’s Causing Workers To Be Injured, Made Ill and/or Stressed on  the Job” to all participants, and read aloud the handout with the entire group.
• Explain that each group will have about ten minutes to share some of their concerns and problems. Each group will select three concerns/problems to share with the large group. At the end of that time, each group’s recorder/reporter will report back to the large group on the three concerns/problems selected by the group.

• While small groups are engaged in their task, facilitators should walk around among the various groups and help with any questions they may have.
• Give the groups a “two minute warning” when they have about two more   minutes to complete their task.

• Ask for a group to volunteer to report back on their three causes of workplace injuries/illnesses/stress. Record these on the flip chart.
• Ask for another group to volunteer. If the second group has one or more items that are the same as the first group, the facilitator can make a check mark rather than writing the item again.
• Continue until all groups have reported.

• Ask participants if there are similarities between the groups’ lists, and if so, what those similarities are. Start by looking at the problems/concerns that have more than one check mark beside them.
• If there are similarities, ask participants why they think these issues are of concern across departments (or workplaces, if this activity is being conducted with those who work in several different facilities).
• Ask participants what the major differences are among the groups’ responses.
• If there are differences, ask participants what they think accounts for these different concerns.      
•  Distribute Handout: “Examples of Workplace Safety and Health Hazards.” Explain that this is one way to categorize the hazards that are causing or contributing to members being injured, made ill and/or stressed on their jobs. This is not a complete list of all hazards; it is just an example of some in each category. Read aloud handout with group.

• Sum up this activity by noting that there are many concerns and problems about health and safety on the job. Remind participants that this activity is aimed at identifying some major concerns/problems. Once problems have been identified and named, the next task is to identify solutions that will eliminate or reduce their problems. This is the key to reducing workplace injuries, illnesses and stress.
• Post the list of concerns in a visible place and tell participants that one goal now is to figure out how to eliminate or reduce these specific problems. Sometimes both short-term and long-term solutions will be needed. Workers and unions have an important role to play in not only identifying problems, but identifying what is needed to solve the problems.

• Three problems/concerns most frequently mentioned by participants.
• Three problems/concerns that are causing the most workers to become injured, made ill and/or stressed at work.
• Three problems/concerns that are injuring/making ill/stressing workers the most severely.
• Three problems/concerns that are the most difficult to get addressed and corrected.
• Three problems/concerns that are seen to be the easiest to get addressed or corrected.
• Any combination of these or other considerations.

BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS   Mold, fungus, infectious diseases that could be spread in a workplace (like Tuberculosis), mouse droppings, and pigeon droppings.

ERGONOMIC HAZARDS (hazards that result in back or repetitive strain injuries):
Lifting, standing all day, vibration, awkward postures, repetitive motions.	Awkward Posture

SAFETY HAZARDS	Unsafe equipment, electrical hazards, slippery floors, unguarded machines, fall hazards, confined spaces, lack of training
Electrical Hazard	Fall Hazard / Slippery Floor

• a flip chart
• Flip chart markers
• Resource Handout: “Examples of Workplace Safety and Health Hazards”

• Explain that one very important goal of a union’s health and safety efforts is to reduce the number and severity of workers’ injuries and illnesses. The most effective way to do this is to eliminate or reduce the hazards that cause or contribute to those injuries and illnesses.
• In order to eliminate or reduce hazards, a union first needs to know the problems and concerns (hazards) that are causing (or could cause) workers to become injured, made ill or stressed on the job.
•  Health and safety hazards in the workplace include ANYTHING on the job that can damage a worker’s physical and/or emotional health.
• Hazards are not always obvious; so you need to be familiar with your particular industry, workplace and work practices.
• There are many different ways to identify workplace problems and concerns, but most likely everyone here is already aware of at least some of the problems in your workplaces.
• What we are going to do now is make a list of some of the key problems/concerns that you believe are causing or contributing to co-workers (or members) being injured, made ill or stressed on the job.

• Ask participants: “What is causing your members/co-workers to be injured, made ill, or stressed on the job?” Record these on the flip chart. You can ask people to raise their hand if they want to volunteer to share a problem/concern, or you can just go around the room and give everyone a chance to state a problem/concern from their department/workplace.
•  If participants mention a problem/concern that has already been listed, put a check mark next to that issue for each participant who mentions it, rather than writing it agai
• After about ten minutes (depending on size of group), end this part of the activity by telling participants that there are probably many more problems/concerns that are not yet up on the list, but that this is a good working list to start with.

•  Ask participants what similarities they see among the problems/concerns listed on the flip chart. Start by looking at the problems/concerns that have more than one check mark beside them.
• If there are similarities, ask participants why they think these issues are of concern across departments (or workplaces, if this activity is being conducted with those who work in several different facilities).
• Ask participants what the major differences are among the problems people are experiencing.
• If there are differences, ask participants what they think accounts for these different concerns.
• Distribute Resource Handout: “Examples of Workplace Safety and Health Hazards.” Explain that this is one way to categorize hazards that are causing or contributing to members being injured, made ill and/or stressed on their jobs. This is not a complete list of all hazards; it is just an example of some in each category. Read aloud handout with group.

• Sum up this activity by noting that there are many concerns and problems about health and safety on the job. Remind participants that this activity is aimed at identifying some major concerns/problems. Once problems have been identified and named, the next task is to identify solutions that will eliminate or reduce their problems. This is the key to reducing workplace injuries, illnesses and stress.
• Post the list of concerns in a visible place and tell participants that one goal now is to figure out how to eliminate or reduce these specific problems. Sometimes both short-term and long-term solutions will be needed. Workers and unions have an important role to play in not only identifying problems, but identifying what is needed to solve the problems.

Click Here to download a printable copy of Introductory Activities for Large & Small Groups