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Workers' health

Economic globalization has pushed millions of poor people out of agriculture and into Export Processing Zones (EPZs), also known as Free Trade Zones (FTZs), where they find themselves at the forefront of the world's industrial workforce. Increasingly, transnational companies are moving their factories to developing countries to take advantage of inexpensive labor, lax environmental regulation and free trade policies, that prioritize profits over human lives.

More than 60 million people work on global assembly lines, facing long hours of dangerous work for wages that typically cover less than half of their families' basic needs.

These workers — many of whom are young women from rural areas — face physical hazards from machinery, chemicals and long hours of repetitive work. They are also frequently subjected to labor and human rights violations, often gender-based, such as mandatory pregnancy tests and contraceptive injections, sexual harassment, and forced and unpaid overtime. At the same time, the air and water of their communities are devastated by toxic emissions and industrial waste.

Workers need clear and comprehensive information about health risks and hazards associated with EPZ industries, along with steps they can take to protect themselves and their communities and to organize for change.

Click here for more information on A factory worker's guide to organizing for safe jobs and healthy communities