An Investigation of Labor Practices Among Temporary Electronics - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

An Investigation of Labor Practices Among Temporary Electronics Workers in Guadalajara, Mexico

Mary-Catherine A. Goddard MPH Industrial Hygiene Internship University of Michigan School of Public Health goddarmc@umich.edu

Where is Guadalajara?

Centro de Reflexión y Acción Laboral - CEREAL

• I collaborated with a non-profit organization in Guadalajara,

Mexico, called Centro de Reflexión y Acción Laboral (CEREAL) from May 30th to July 29th 2016.

• Since 1997, CEREAL has offered free legal assistance for

workers primarily in the electronics industry.

• A history of poor labor standards and working conditions in

the electronics industry and countless complaints filed by workers prompted the organization to increase their

• ccupational health and safety efforts.

Goals and Internship Objectives

• Communicate and understand occupational health-

related topics in Spanish

• Become familiar with occupational health and safety

training tools that support and empower workers in the electronics industry

• Identify the occupational hazards associated with

electronics workers

• Connect with and learn from occupational health and

safety professionals in Mexico

Projects/Accomplishments

• Occupational Health and Safety Trainings led by the Maquiladora Health

and Safety Support Network and the UC Berkeley Labor Occupational Health

• Program. Curriculum included reviewing industrial hygiene hierarchy of

controls, the acute and chronic health effects of chemical substances (tin, lead, silver, isopropyl alcohol, and acetone), and where workers could find

• ccupational health and safety information online in Spanish.
• Trip to Ciudad Juarez to observe working conditions and compare to
• Guadalajara. Both groups of workers face similar challenges: low-pay, long-

shifts, transportation, vacation time, and temporary contracts.

• Tours of Manufacturing Facilities I toured two electronics manufacturing

companies, Samsung Electronics and Sanmina-SCI. At each facility I observed the circuit board production areas and discovered how different management styles impact the company’s dedication to worker health and safety.

• Conversations with Environmental Health Sciences and Occupational

Health and Safety (EHS/OHS) Professionals I met with an EHS/OHS consultant who explained Industrial Hygiene monitoring procedures and spoke with a federal workplace inspector representing the Secretaría del Trabajo y Provisión Social to learn first-hand perspectives from professionals in the field.

Importance of Workers’ Perspectives

• Relied on workers’ stories about daily experiences

in the electronics industry because of companies’ reluctance to let guests enter facilities.

• Developed background knowledge on
• ccupational hazards in the industry through

English classes the workers attended at CEREAL. I led an English class combining occupational health and safety vocabulary in English and Spanish.

Occupational Hazards in the Electronics Industry: From Workers’ Perspectives

• Chemical hazards
• Soldering chemicals
• Conformal coating on circuit boards
• Physical hazards
• Ergonomics
• Noise
• Unfair labor practices
• Long shifts
• Transportation (1-2 hours)
• Low salaries
• Temporary contracts

This photo was drawn by an electronics worker who identified

• ccupational hazards and health

effects.

Lessons Learned and Moving Forward

• Investigating the working conditions in the electronics

industry takes time and more research is needed. I hope to sustain my relationship with CEREAL to serve as a resource for Occupational Health and Safety and Industrial Hygiene knowledge.

• CEREAL would benefit from creating a database

mapping chemical exposure and how they correspond with specific work positions. Identifying process chemicals used in cleaning and bonding electronics will aid in construction

• f exposure profiles.
• Research the electronics industry supply chain to support

sustainable and clean electronics.

• Combine my Spanish and Industrial Hygiene degrees.

Acknowledgments

• My summer in Mexico was funded by the University of

Michigan President’s Advisory Committee on Labor Standards and Human Rights.

• Thank you to Dr. Edward Zellers in the Environmental Health

Sciences Department at UM-SPH and Garrett Brown with the Maquiladora Health and Safety Support Network for making this internship possible.

• Finally, thank you to the entire team at Centro de Reflexión y

Acción Laboral: David Foust Rodríguez, Hugo Mendoza, Jorge Barajas, Miguel Angel Alvarez, and Felipe Burgueño, for their

• n-site support throughout my internship.

Thank you!