Assemblyman Rory Lancman
Chair of the Subcommittee on Workplace Safety Workplace injuries and illnesses are complicated and have wide-ranging repercussions. When unsafe conditions in a workplace environment lead to injury, our task is not only to treat the injured party, but also to rectify the circumstances leading up to the event to prevent future injury. This continues to be a challenge when many workplace injuries are unreported, and therefore go unaddressed. In protecting New York’s labor force, it is critical that our workers are informed and feel confident they have somewhere to go where their needs will be met. New York currently enjoys the advantages of an Occupational Health Clinics Network (OHCN), a system that, since 1987, has considered both the causes and effects of unsafe workplace conditions in its healthcare approach. Located throughout the state, OHCN is available to all workers, retirees and residents of New York. These clinics offer critical services that rehabilitate injured and ill workers and go a step further to equip them with the tools to prevent future injury. An afflicted worker who enters one of the OHCN locations would receive an injury evaluation and a personalized course of treatment, while also having injury/illness prevention measures identified and Worker’s Compensation forms filed on their behalf. These services not only ease the physical and emotional pain of injury, but also help workers to understand the scope of their injury and their rights. The New York Occupational Health Clinics Network plays a major role in helping New Yorkers to stay safe and able to work, and the Subcommittee on Workplace Safety is committed to keeping the network fully funded. This will ensure that OHCN’s doors stay open, in clear recognition of how important the network is to the health and wellbeing of the state’s labor force.