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Precarious work has recognized adverse impacts on the health of workers; however, there are few policy, systems and environmental (PSE) change public health interventions that target the causes and consequences of precarious work. To build the capacity of health organizations to develop and implement such interventions, researchers engaged representatives from health organizations in a six-session learning process, entitled the healthy work collaborative. Representatives of labor organizations were engaged as technical assistance (TA) providers, which involved sharing content and skill knowledge with health participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with providers and participants to examine perceptions of the role of TA; providers' motivations for providing TA; and providers' and participants' perceptions of the impact of TA on learning and preparing for subsequent intervention. Results suggest that the provider–participant engagement evolved from one-way knowledge translation to a robust, two-way knowledge exchange with potential for collaborative intervention development and implementation. These results highlight the ways in which this provider–participant model facilitated engagement between representatives from sectors that had not previously worked together and suggests that such a model may be effective in catalyzing multi-level, multi-sectoral PSE change to address precarious work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precarious employment (PE) is a complex problem that affects an increasing number of workers across all economic sectors who experience low wages, hazardous conditions, and few benefits, and results in adverse health outcomes. PE is characterized by nontraditional work arrangements, precluding workplace-based interventions. Policy, systems, and environmental initiatives that engage cross-sectoral stakeholders may be an applicable health promotion approach to address PE. The University of of Illinois at Chicago Center for Healthy Work's Healthy Communities through Healthy Work (HCHW) is an outreach project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health–funded Center of Excellence for Total Worker Health that conducted a multiphased qualitative action research (AR) study. AR designs may be a novel approach to develop initiatives to address problems like PE. This article reports on HCHW's first AR phase to answer four research questions: (1) What are participants' perceptions of PE? (2) What are participants' perceptions of their roles in addressing PE? (3) What initiatives are under way that address PE? and (4) How can the findings be used to facilitate opportunities for healthy work? Key informant interviews with health (public health and health care; N = 23) and labor sector organizations (worker centers, worker advocacy organizations, and unions; N = 21) were conducted. Data were thematically analyzed alongside a chart-based content analysis, and shared in 11 key stakeholder meetings. Findings revealed an opportunity for the labor sector to improve health sector readiness to address PE in the context of health, and were used to develop the Healthy Work Collaborative, a cross-sectoral health promotion capacity building policy, systems, and environmenta change initiative to address PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This cross-sectional survey aimed to examine employment characteristics and their associations with employment precarity in two high socio-economic hardship Chicago neighborhoods., Methods: We used a community-based participatory approach to develop and administer a survey to residents who perceived their work situations to be precarious., Results: 489 residents were surveyed. Responses were skewed towards the most precarious work situations, with the majority of respondents employed outside of a traditional arrangement. Those in the highest precarity category were most likely to identify as Latinx and born outside of the United States. Unstable, low quality employment conditions were nearly all significantly associated with highest precarity work situations., Conclusions: Precarious employment is an important predictor of other employment conditions, and characterizing these at a hyperlocal level allows for a nuanced understanding of work as a determinant of health., Competing Interests: CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None declared., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.)

Workers in the temporary staffing industry face hazardous working conditions and have a high risk of occupational injury. This project brought together local workers' centers and university investigators to build a corps of Occupational Health Promoters (OHPs) and to test a survey tool and recruitment methods to identify hazards and raise awareness among workers employed by temporary staffing companies. OHPs interviewed ninety-eight workers employed by thirty-three temporary agencies and forty-nine client companies, working mainly in shipping and packing, manufacturing, and warehousing sectors. Surveys identified workplace hazards. OHPs reported two companies to OSHA, resulting in several citations. Partners reported greater understanding of occupational safety and health challenges for temporary workers and continue to engage in training, peer education, and coalition building.