ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the effects of hazards in the work place on the health of black Americans. Black Americans experience an excess of 26,169 deaths each year from hypertensive related diseases. In the area of occupational health and safety, a number of "victim blaming" arguments are advanced to explain the higher injury and death rates of non-white workers. "Blaming the victim" is an industry management tactic that is used to justify inaction in areas of occupational health and safety. Environmentally-induced diseases are those that occur due to exposures in the environment. Socially-induced diseases result from social rather than physical, genetic or environmental causes. Stress and stress-related illnesses are identified as socially-induced diseases. Physically-induced diseases are those that occur because of intrinsic factors such as diets, smoking or genetics. There are numerous factors that contribute to the health status of black Americans. Occupational exposures, however, have received little attention.
