Massachusetts Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights

This health impact assessment (HIA) informed the establishment of a Massachusetts Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights that was under consideration by the state Legislature. The bill of rights aimed to guarantee basic work standards and protect domestic workers, primarily nannies, housekeepers, and personal caregivers/aides. The HIA provided the best available information on the law’s potential health effects on domestic workers, their families and communities, and recipients of their services, and examined how these effects could be associated with rest and recovery time, wage and income security, and occupational health. Examples of immediate impacts of the bill that the HIA considered included changes in amount and quality of sleep; the ability to seek care when sick or injured; flexibility and control over work schedules; income; privacy; and exposure to health and safety hazards. The HIA also examined potential intermediate impacts such as changes in cognitive functioning and concentration; physical and emotional fatigue; productivity; social relationships; and economic security.

This HIA was funded through a partnership with the National Network of Public Health Institutes and the Health Impact Project.