“New Zealand sex workers have been told how to avoid back strain and occupational overuse syndrome (OOS) through ‘repetitive massage’ in new health and safety guidelines produced by a government department. Bad backs can be avoided by ‘ensuring that all beds and other workstations support the back and allow for a variety of services to be performed without strain or discomfort’, the Occupational Safety and Health Service (OSH) said. ‘Repetitive massage which could cause overuse injury to the hands, arm and back could be alternated with other (non-repetitive) activities,’ the guidelines said. The 100-page Guide to Occupational Health and Safety in the New Zealand Sex Industry carries a red-letter warning: ‘This document contains sexually explicit material’. It recommends sex workers check condoms for breakage or usage ‘when the service has been occurring for more than five minutes’. ‘Relubrication is a good excuse to use to stop the service and check/change the condom,’ it says.” —Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

It’s hard not to feel that this document exemplifies the attitude that an enlightened — or perhaps that would be cynical, depending on your perspective — government takes toward prostitution. Let’s face it: prostitution is inevitable. Men will always be willing to pay for sex, and therefore some women (and also some men) will always be willing to sell themselves. Consequently, prostitution is a “problem” that is never going to be solved. However, prostitution does raise other genuine problems that can be solved — and one such problem is that of occupational injury.

Governments often devise standards for workplace safety. They frequently recommend ergonomic procedures to guard employees against undue injury. In this regard, why should sex workers be treated any differently than technology workers or people who handle hazardous materials? (After all, in a certain sense prostitutes do handle hazardous materials!). Prostitution is obviously a physically demanding job. It puts tremendous stress on the back, the neck, the knees, the hands. It’s tough on the orifices too. So why shouldn’t ergonomic experts devise best-practice guidelines for sex acts? Not only will it help hookers themselves, it could also have positive social ramifications — for example, by preventing broken-down whores from living off the public dole.

VideoBox

It's like the iTunes Music Store for Porn. Download unlimited high-quality video for only $9.95/month.