Study: Long Hours, Physical Stress Are Taking a Toll on Technicians

A landmark university study of CWA technicians at Verizon in California offers proof of what many telecom techs know all too well: They are working long hours, facing heat stress, electrical hazards, physical strain and other conditions that are affecting their health.

The study was conducted by leading researchers at the Center for Social Epidemiology and the University of California's Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at Irvine.

The pilot survey looked at working conditions for techs represented by CWA Local 9586 who work for Verizon. CWA also wanted to include customer service representatives in the survey but Verizon refused to cooperate, said CWA Occupational Safety and Health Director Dave LeGrande.

Among the factors contributing to job stress was long hours, with technicians working 49 hours a week on average and about a quarter working in excess of 50 hours, much of it mandatory overtime.

Poor ergonomics — having to twist and reach and sometimes sit or stand in a position for several hours at a time — as well as electrical hazards and heat stress also were cited by techs.

"This survey is an important tool for us, because anecdotally, we've known that these concerns are real and widespread, but now we have numbers to back it up," LeGrande said. "Even though the focus here was California and Verizon, we know that our technicians across the country are experiencing similar problems."

For instance, 88 percent of the technicians reported that they were often or always exposed to extreme hot or cold weather conditions and 81 percent said they work in close proximity to electrical hazards. Fifty percent said they have experienced near misses or accidents. Making the risk worse, 92 percent said they have to work alone.

A large number of technicians indicated the physical stress has caused musculoskeletal health problems, with 29 percent reporting regular back pain, 32 percent neck and shoulder pain and 27 percent knee pain. Sixteen percent report loss of strength in their arms or hands and 17 percent reported losing feeling in their fingers or wrists.

LeGrande said the study also looked at the lost time as a result of the pain. For instance, 22 percent had one to 15 sick days as a result of back problems. "These are the types of problems that the federal ergonomics standard was intended to correct, or at least reduce," he said. "Employers fought the rule and they're still fighting any regulation around ergonomics, even though it's in the best interest of their bottom line to reduce the risks to their workers' health."

Mental health is also an issue, with 42 percent of technicians reporting high levels of psychological distress and 19 percent reporting it as severe. More than a third report high blood pressure, a precursor to heart disease.

LeGrande said CWA will present the full findings to union leaders and members, and to Verizon to advocate further research and action. More details about the study are included in the reports from CWA's recent safety and health conference, online at www.cwasafetyandhealth. org.