Alex Parry, Ph.D.
@safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.5K following 260 posts
Historian of home injuries, public health, and product safety at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Former Ph.D. student and graduate worker organizer at Johns Hopkins. Still frustrated and/or over-caffeinated.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
Have you ever been burned by an iron?

Received a shock from a power cord?

Pulled your sleeve out of a motorized wringer?

Check out my article on the history of home laundry safety on Project Muse!

#histmed #histstm #histsci #STS
Illustration of a little girl playing with a motorized wringer washer from the National Safety Council’s Family Safety magazine (1967). The image appears in Alexander Parry, “Making Homemakers Responsible for Safety: Housework, Laundry Equipment, and the Unequal Burdens of Accident Prevention, c. 1910–80,” Technology and Culture 66.2 (2025): 411-447
Reposted by Alex Parry, Ph.D.
elizabethjacobs.bsky.social
The editors of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) were apparently fired today.

The precursor to MMWR began in 1878 to address emerging public health threats rapidly.

We are not “great” without it. We are vulnerable to threats from sporadic foodborne illness to bioterrorism.
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
Very thankful for having the opportunity to think through some of these challenges with everyone. And it was great to see you virtually, Ben!
Reposted by Alex Parry, Ph.D.
bhgross144.bsky.social
It's time for lunch here at #SHOT2025. Or in my case, it's time for a lunchtime roundtable on the Current Politics of Research (4.510) organized by Allison Marsh.

We begin w/brief remarks from Kristen Iemma, who is studying the history of the National Archives but is wary of publishing right now...
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
I’m appalled to see the following disclaimer on the CDC website:

“The Trump Admin. is working to reopen the government for the American people. Mission-critical activities of CDC will continue during the Democrat-led government shutdown.”

Arsonists complaining about a fire.
Disclaimer from CDC website
Reposted by Alex Parry, Ph.D.
rcolesworthy.bsky.social
"Bucknell has decided to close its highly respected, decades-old UP in June 2026. The stated reason? The press serves scholars, not Bucknell undergrads. Bucknell undergrads—& some grad students as well—disagree." FANTASTIC piece on BUP's student internship program. networks.h-net.org/group/discus...
Bucknell UP Closure Would Also Mark End of Vital Student Internship Program | H-Net
A post from Feeding the
networks.h-net.org
Reposted by Alex Parry, Ph.D.
thigbie.bsky.social
It’s official! We’re launching the UCLA Department of Labor Studies. After years of building as a small but mighty “program,” Labor Studies has been elevated to departmental status. We’re the first but hopefully not the last of our kind in the UC system.
uclairle.bsky.social
We are thrilled to announce that UCLA Labor Studies is now officially a department!🎉

The UCLA Labor Studies Department is the first of its kind at the UC

Read more about this historic development here: irle.ucla.edu/2025/09/25/u...
RELEASE– Historic first: UCLA launches Labor Studies Department
UCLA Labor Studies undergraduate major and minor will expand as a new academic department
irle.ucla.edu
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
In addition to prohibiting digital humanities projects, the current Collaborative Research grant guidelines bar recipients from using NEH funding to offset publishing costs (e.g. open access fees and image copyright costs). Baffling.
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
Trying out an activity tomorrow where students classify abstracts on a specific topic (in this case, the history of fat / fatness) to learn how to write literature reviews.

Do folks have other useful exercises to teach students the “mechanics” of historical research and writing?
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
Of course. Teaching is why I wanted to be a part of academia in the first place, and the folks at OU were great colleagues and role models. But the commitment of educators to their work doesn’t excuse poor compensation and overwork.
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
Inane observations are an art form.
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
The budgeting meme about scented candles, but with history of medicine artifacts:
eBay listing for Karen Gets a Fever (1972), a health education picture book from the Medical Books for Children series
Reposted by Alex Parry, Ph.D.
joshtpm.bsky.social
This is worth sharing far and wide. Federal Employees and contractors oral history project. Im not involved in this. Just got the link, idea seems to be to create a record of the assault on the American Repuvlic after Jan 2025. www.fecohp.org
FECOHP – Federal Employees and Contractors Oral History Project
www.fecohp.org
Reposted by Alex Parry, Ph.D.
rpanchasi.bsky.social
Just sharing the “Xtreme endnotes” assignment @parisnoire.bsky.social mentions here in case anyone else finds it helpful as we begin a new academic year.

FWIW, it’s a purely analog exercise in an AI-freaky world & my students have never not had fun doing it.✌🏽

www.historians.org/perspectives...
Reposted by Alex Parry, Ph.D.
drmendozan.bsky.social
🗃️ Variation of this: I gave students one of my chapters w/no footnotes, asked where they thought footnotes should go: What type of source was used? What makes you think that? They have to consider how writing shows evidence vs. context vs. author’s voice. They liked it a lot and had great questions!
rpanchasi.bsky.social
Just sharing the “Xtreme endnotes” assignment @parisnoire.bsky.social mentions here in case anyone else finds it helpful as we begin a new academic year.

FWIW, it’s a purely analog exercise in an AI-freaky world & my students have never not had fun doing it.✌🏽

www.historians.org/perspectives...
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
I’m mulling over the historical interplay between the materials used to make toys as part of a new project. Wood, plastic, metal, foam, stuffing, and even Velcro all had distinct, and shifting, applications and meanings in the consumer marketplace. Safety, unsurprisingly, was a key factor.
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
We’ve been slowly refurnishing the house with used furniture, and I have a newfound appreciation for the seemingly infinite types of desks, sideboards, buffets, shelves, armoires, cabinets, hutches…
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
I taught Composition and Technical Writing at OU, and everyone there worked extremely hard despite being poorly paid and being expected to prepare students for every type of academic writing in a semester or two.
disabilitystor1.bsky.social
I did, for seven years at the University of Oklahoma.
I know many school teachers who taught in the OK school system, who worked hard, and wanted the best for their students, and deserve support in such a hostile environment.
bobhall44.bsky.social
Oklahoma? Who the hell eoukd teach there?
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
“Kid will love these! What could possibly go wrong?”
Photograph from Life magazine (1971) showing spring-loaded jumping shoes sold to children as toys
safetyworkhstm.bsky.social
The latest addition to my growing collection of safety artifacts: the Suzy Homemaker Super-Grill, complete with A/C current, a working heating pan, and a set of particularly scary warning labels.
Box of the Topper Corp. Suzy Homemaker Super Grill (1967), which came with a patented, UL-approved safety plug