title: Promoting health and safety in San Francisco's Chinatown restaurants: findings and lessons learned from a pilot observational checklist.
abstract: Noncompliance with labor and occupational health and safety laws contributes to economic and health inequities. Environmental health agencies are well positioned to monitor workplace conditions in many industries and support enhanced enforcement by responsible regulatory agencies. In collaboration with university and community partners, the San Francisco Department of Public Health used an observational checklist to assess preventable occupational injury hazards and compliance with employee notification requirements in 106 restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown. Sixty-five percent of restaurants had not posted required minimum wage, paid sick leave, or workers' compensation notifications; 82% of restaurants lacked fully stocked first-aid kits; 52% lacked antislip mats; 37% lacked adequate ventilation; and 28% lacked adequate lighting. Supported by a larger community-based participatory research process, this pilot project helped to spur additional innovative health department collaborations to promote healthier workplaces.
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Section, San Francisco, CA94102, USA. megan.gaydos@sfdph.org
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gaydos
authors.forename: Rajiv
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bhatia
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Pam Tau
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shaw San
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Alicia L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Salvatore
authors.forename: Niklas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.forename: Meredith
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minkler
mesh_terms: D057189:Checklist; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016272:Occupational Health; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012147:Restaurants / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D012495:San Francisco; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017132:Workplace