1. Ensuring the Right to Rest: City Ordinances and Access to Rest Breaks for Workers in the Construction Industry.
- Author
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Scott J, Boggess B, and Timm E
- Subjects
- Adult, Controlled Before-After Studies, Heat Exhaustion prevention & control, Heat Stroke prevention & control, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Texas, Cities legislation & jurisprudence, Construction Industry legislation & jurisprudence, Construction Industry statistics & numerical data, Occupational Diseases prevention & control, Occupational Health legislation & jurisprudence, Rest
- Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of city Rest Break Ordinance (RBO) policies in expanding access to rest at work., Methods: We use data from surveys of construction workers in Austin and Dallas, Texas, in 2009, 2012, and 2015 (nā=ā557) to calculate the odds of receiving a rest break in pre- versus post-RBO Austin and in post-RBO Austin versus pre-RBO Dallas, controlling for demographic and employment characteristics., Results: Construction workers were 35% more likely to report receiving a rest break in Austin post-RBO and 16% less likely in Dallas without a RBO as compared to Austin with a RBO., Conclusion: The increased likelihood of receiving rest breaks at work in a RBO city suggests that, in the absence of enforceable national standards, city-level RBOs can be an important first step to effective prevention of heat-related illnesses (HRIs) and heat-related fatalities at work.
- Published
- 2018
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