Thursday marks 25 years since nearly two dozen workers died and 300 more were injured in a series of explosions and a fire at a chemical plant near the Houston Ship Channel. This anniversary of the “Phillips Disaster” reminds us that many jobs which draw people to Houston bring with them a certain degree of risk. Industries like oil and gas, construction, and health care are key economic drivers for Greater Houston; what drives them are workers who sometimes face potential hazards on the job.
On this edition of Houston Matters, we examine the health and safety hazards Houston workers in some of our larger industries face.
Then we turn our attention to one industry — health care — and explore why researchers have found an increased prevalence of asthma among health care workers, especially nurses.
Also this hour: A lot can happen in a week. Some of it good. Some of it bad. Some of it downright ugly. When faced with intriguing developments in the week's news, we turn to our rotating panel of "non-experts" to parse The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of it all. On today's panel: Houston Chronicle columnist Lisa Falkenberg, Dianah Dulany, General Manager of ComedySportz Houston (celebrating their 24th anniversary with a show Nov.15) and Frederick J. Goodall, author of the parenting blog MochaDad.com, one father's quest to be a better dad. Lisa, Dianah and Fred join us to discuss the Supreme Court ruling reinstating the Texas Voter ID law, the Houston Public Media/KHOU 11 poll finding about Harris County Judge Ed Emmett's idea for the Astrodome, and word that a new Whole Foods market opening this summer in Houston will include something unique to the chain — its own brewery.
Plus: For the past decade, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston has held a film series called "Movies Houstonians Love." Each screening features a well-known Houstonian who selects a movie that has influenced him or her in some way. The series began its tenth season earlier this month. We learn more from the museum's Marian Luntz.
