Hazardous Harvest: Farmworker Conditions in N.C.
Author: Smith-Nonini, Sandy
Date Published: 1999
This article is available in both English and Spanish, and examines cases of hazardous working conditions in North Carolina. These cases are only the latest examples of the human costs from the harsh working conditions endured by the 344,000 mostly Latino men and women who labor North Carolina's farms. The poorest paid of U.S. workers, farm laborers are exempt from most workplace legal protections, and their constant exposure to pesticides makes farm labor one of the most hazardous of U.S. jobs. When overwork and unsanitary living conditions are added to the mix, it becomes easier to understand why the average farmworker has a life expectancy of only 49 years.
Date Published: 1999
This article is available in both English and Spanish, and examines cases of hazardous working conditions in North Carolina. These cases are only the latest examples of the human costs from the harsh working conditions endured by the 344,000 mostly Latino men and women who labor North Carolina's farms. The poorest paid of U.S. workers, farm laborers are exempt from most workplace legal protections, and their constant exposure to pesticides makes farm labor one of the most hazardous of U.S. jobs. When overwork and unsanitary living conditions are added to the mix, it becomes easier to understand why the average farmworker has a life expectancy of only 49 years.
