Preventing eye injuries among citrus harvesters: the community health worker model

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bryant CA ; Forst LS ; Galindo-Gonzalez S ; Israel GD ; McDermott RJ ; Monaghan PF ; Thompson Z ; Tovar-Aguilar JA ; Zhu Y
• Description:
  Objectives: Although eye injuries are common among citrus harvesters, the proportion of workers using protective eyewear has been negligible. We focused on adoption of worker-tested safety glasses with and without the presence and activities of trained peer-worker role models on harvesting crews. Methods: Observation of 13 citrus harvesting crews established baseline use of safety eyewear. Nine crews subsequently were assigned a peer worker to model use of safety glasses, conduct eye safety education, and treat minor eye injuries. Safety eyewear use by crews was monitored up to 15 weeks into the intervention. Results: Intervention crews with peer workers had significantly higher rates of eyewear use than control crews. Intervention exposure time and level of worker use were strongly correlated. Among intervention crews, workers with 1 to 2 years of experience (odds ratio [OR]=2.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.11, 7.55) and who received help from their peer worker (OR=3.73; 95% CI=1.21, 11.57) were significantly more likely to use glasses than were other intervention crew members. Conclusions: Adaptation of the community health worker model for this setting improved injury prevention practices and may have relevance for similar agricultural settings. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Education Environmental Exposure Eye Farmers Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Sense Organs Sense Organs / Injuries Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Exposure Levels Eye Injuries Eye Protection Eye Protective Equipment Eyes Eye Shields Farm Workers Injuries Models Personal Protection Personal Protective Equipment Risk Factors Safety Equipment Safety Glass Work Environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  0090-0036
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; Illinois ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  101
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048345
• Citation:
  Am J Public Health 2011 Dec; 101(12):2269-2274
• Contact Point Address:
  Robert J. McCermott PhD., University of South Florida College of Public Health, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, Tampa, FL 33612
• Email:
  rmcdermo@health.usf.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Public Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3b1c424430e071a325eb9524c7affb7f1cbcb89038311c215fc64d673027a4d98513c1430152f8a1f279d1812cbedd28950e0ce1b7981689150391b446d319f9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203114/cdc_203114_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 497.46 KB ]