摘要：Small, immigrant-owned businesses, such as auto repair shops and nail salons, often face barriers to environmental and occupational health compliance and may be a source of neighborhood pollution complaints. The Boston Public Health Commission established the Safe Shops Project to improve safety and environmental practices in such businesses using a community partnership model that incorporates enforcement inspection findings, worker training, technical assistance, and referral to health care and business resources. This integrated technical assistance approach has led to improved occupational health and environmental conditions, adoption of pollution prevention technologies, novel problem-solving, and dozens of health screenings and insurance referrals for workers and their neighbors. IN 2004 THE BOSTON PUBLIC Health Commission received federal funding to create the Safe Shops program to help improve safety and environmental practices in small businesses, beginning with Boston's predominantly immigrant-owned auto body and repair shops located in low-income neighborhoods. 1 With additional funding in 2007, the Safe Shops model was extended to the nail salon sector. These sectors were chosen because of their similar potential hazards and because of the Boston Public Health Commission's connections to community organizations concerned about these businesses’ environmental and occupational health impact. Our experience and the literature show that small businesses need and benefit from integrated and comprehensive approaches to the occupational and environmental health issues. 2 – 4 Safe Shops’ bilingual and bicultural staff provide training and technical assistance to help shops make fundamental and lasting changes to improve shop conditions, become better neighbors, and model environmental leadership to raise standards citywide. KEY FINDINGS ▪ Culturally and linguistically appropriate technical assistance can entice hard-to-reach small businesses to improve their environmental practices and become good neighbors. ▪ Small businesses benefit from comprehensive help that can address their environmental and occupational health and safety, business finances, and health care concerns from one source. ▪ Public health agencies can play a pivotal role in coordinating a broad community partnership to creatively address the multiple and common needs of immigrant-owned small businesses. ▪ Small neighborhood shops can adopt advanced pollution prevention strategies and improve compliance with housekeeping and hazardous waste management requirements. The program draws on the guidance and resources of a broad stakeholder group of program partners including environmental enforcement agencies, small business assistance centers, academic partners, local health centers, public health agencies, and community organizations to comprehensively address and integrate both business and community concerns. It has a staff of 4 (3 outreach workers and a coordinator) on an annual budget of approximately $250 000 in grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation in addition to some city support. Participating businesses generally have been referred by Boston's enforcement agencies or come to the program through door-to-door solicitation by an outreach worker. Following a business owner's agreement to participate, Safe Shops field staff conduct walk-through assessments, provide training sessions in individual businesses on best practices and technology for worker protection and pollution prevention, and work with owners to develop an improvement plan. They also assess worker and owner needs for health care, business loan assistance, and child care resources. Project staff facilitate connections to available resources such as free basic health screening events for workers and neighbors of participating shops, small business coaching, or technical assistance with new equipment. Progress is evaluated through pre- and postintervention shop inspections and worker knowledge and practices surveys as well as documentation of significant improvements or problems by project staff. All Safe Shops materials needed to replicate the project, including a “Safe Shops Tool Box for Auto Shops,” a training video available in English or Spanish, and a “Safe Nail Salon Training Program,” are available for free through the project's web sites ( http://www.bphc.org/safeshops and http://www.bphc.org/safenails ). Subjects include pollution prevention techniques, emergency preparation and response, hazardous waste storage and disposal, personal protective equipment, and housekeeping. Open in a separate window Safe Shops participant Supreme Auto Center purchased several specialized spray guns that eliminate paint overspray and reduce the amount of airborne hazardous chemicals.
