Nazima El‑Askari, MPH

Biography

Elaine Nazima El-Askari is a Program Coordinator who received her MPH in Health Education from U.C. Berkeley in 1986, and has over 28 years’ experience as an occupational health educator. Prior to obtaining her MPH, Nazima worked in a large shipyard for 7 years. She served on her union’s joint labor management health & safety committee and was a shop steward. She also served on two union negotiating committees to help negotiate effective health and safety contract language for her union.

Since interning at LOHP in 1985, Nazima has designed, developed and delivered a variety of training programs for workers. Highlights include AIDS in the Workplace, ergonomics, workplace violence prevention, construction safety, and hazardous waste. Nazima is a member of LOHP’s management team which oversees all of LOHP’s financial and administrative functions. She is also responsible for oversight of LOHP’s work in the labor community including outreach and education to unions.

Nazima is also the Principal Investigator (PI) of LOHP’s NIEHS-funded HAZWOPER Program. She oversees this certified training program that complies with state and federal laws. She also develops HAZWOPER courses and teaches in the program.

Since 2000 Nazima has coordinated LOHP’s work with the State Buidling & Construction Trades Council of California (SBCTC), AFL-CIO. In partnership with the SBCTC she has developed and delivered training programs for construction workers on noise, ergonomics, construction fatalities, and falls.

She also helps coordinate LOHP’s national Occupational Health Internship Program (OHIP). She coordinates this program with unions and other worker organizations in the Bay Area and helps mentor interns in the summer.

Projects/Areas of Expertise

Construction Safety; Hazardous Waste; WOSHTEP; OHIP; Workplace violence and domestic violence prevention at the workplace; HIV/AIDS education at the workplace; Bloodborne pathogen training for homecare workers; Training on construction hazards; “Health and Safety at the Workplace,” Laney College and San Francisco State University (ongoing).

Publications

1. Teran S., Baker R., El-Askari E. 2007. Immigrant Workers in Construction: Sharing Lessons Learned in Our Unions. Silver Spring, MD:  CPWR – Center for Construction Research and Training.

2. El-Askari E. 2003. Building an effective workplace violence prevention program in healthcare. Clin Occup Environ Med. 3(4):843-54.

3. Askari E. 1996. Tools for developing a workplace violence prevention program. Occup Med.11(2):363-74.

4. Askari E. 1989. Training of LVNs, housekeeping staff, and other hospital employees. Occup Med. 4 Suppl:51-9.

5. Askari E, Mehring J. 1992. Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome training from a union perspective. Am J Ind Med. 22(5):711-20.

6. Alexander D, Askari E. 1991. AIDS education for labor and management: category III workers. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 52(2):A108-11.

7. Askari E, Alexander DL. 1989. AIDS and the minority health care worker. AAOHN J. 37(3):109-13.