New Directions in the Surveillance of Hired Farm Worker Health and Occupational Safety
Author: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Date Published: 1995
Recognizing that its surveillance and research projects had neglected important members of the agricultural labor force such as hired farm workers, NIOSH expanded the scope of its agricultural initiative to include this distinct population. To this end, in May 1995, a work group was convened consisting of experts in the areas of public policy, farm worker advocacy, and occupational health to assist NIOSH in developing a prioritized set of objectives for the surveillance of hired farm worker occupational safety and health. This 13 member ad hoc committee began by determining the obstacles that have hampered previous efforts. They arrived at six: worker factors, such as immigration status; farm owner and labor contractor opposition to government regulations; migrant clinic and clinician factors, such as a lack of training in occupational medicine; weaknesses in the Workers' Compensation Insurance system; limitations of current and previously used surveillance techniques; the political climate toward agricultural labor. The work group then devised a set of possible solutions for overcoming these obstacles. These proposals included the use of lay health workers, recruited from the hired farm worker population, to bridge the language and cultural gaps separating hired farm workers from those interested in monitoring their health status; increased support for organized labor; and greater enforcement of federal and state regulations. Additionally, from the group emerged a consensus regarding health issues and work exposures for surveillance and research. For surveillance, the work group identified ten occupational health priorities and ranked them in order of importance: workplace ergonomic conditions and musculoskeletal injuries; pesticides; traumatic injuries; respiratory diseases; water quality; infectious diseases; cancer; eye conditions; and mental health. Similarly, for research, the committee identified seven occupational health priorities and ranked them in order of their importance: pesticides; ergonomic and musculoskeletal conditions, injuries, effect of protective measures, cancer, identification of control or comparison populations, mental health. This report summarizes those factors and recommended priorities originating from the 1995 meeting. It is intended to serve as a guide for NIOSH and other government agencies concerned with agriculture and with the health and well-being of its hired labor force.
Date Published: 1995
Recognizing that its surveillance and research projects had neglected important members of the agricultural labor force such as hired farm workers, NIOSH expanded the scope of its agricultural initiative to include this distinct population. To this end, in May 1995, a work group was convened consisting of experts in the areas of public policy, farm worker advocacy, and occupational health to assist NIOSH in developing a prioritized set of objectives for the surveillance of hired farm worker occupational safety and health. This 13 member ad hoc committee began by determining the obstacles that have hampered previous efforts. They arrived at six: worker factors, such as immigration status; farm owner and labor contractor opposition to government regulations; migrant clinic and clinician factors, such as a lack of training in occupational medicine; weaknesses in the Workers' Compensation Insurance system; limitations of current and previously used surveillance techniques; the political climate toward agricultural labor. The work group then devised a set of possible solutions for overcoming these obstacles. These proposals included the use of lay health workers, recruited from the hired farm worker population, to bridge the language and cultural gaps separating hired farm workers from those interested in monitoring their health status; increased support for organized labor; and greater enforcement of federal and state regulations. Additionally, from the group emerged a consensus regarding health issues and work exposures for surveillance and research. For surveillance, the work group identified ten occupational health priorities and ranked them in order of importance: workplace ergonomic conditions and musculoskeletal injuries; pesticides; traumatic injuries; respiratory diseases; water quality; infectious diseases; cancer; eye conditions; and mental health. Similarly, for research, the committee identified seven occupational health priorities and ranked them in order of their importance: pesticides; ergonomic and musculoskeletal conditions, injuries, effect of protective measures, cancer, identification of control or comparison populations, mental health. This report summarizes those factors and recommended priorities originating from the 1995 meeting. It is intended to serve as a guide for NIOSH and other government agencies concerned with agriculture and with the health and well-being of its hired labor force.
