Health and Safety Challenges Among Dairy Workers in the United States

Details

• Personal Author:
  Menger LM ; Pezzuti F ; Roman Muniz N ; Rosecrance J ; Stallones L
• Description:
  Dairy farming is among the most dangerous agricultural settings. The purpose of this study was to describe the work experiences of dairy workers in the United States (U.S.) to design appropriate safety training programs. The long-term goal of the work is to eliminate occupational injuries among a vulnerable (primarily Latino) workforce in industrialized dairy operations. Focus groups were conducted before or after work shifts. Workers were asked to describe their work experience at the dairy, quality of relationships with their coworkers and manager/s, as well as safety policies and procedures, and training experiences. Focus groups were conducted in Spanish and required approximately one-hour. Discussions were recorded, transcribed and translated into English, and analyzed for themes. Forty-four dairy workers participated. The workers described their jobs as highly stressful, characterized by strenuous manual labor and time pressures. Participants reported many equipment issues and environmental hazards on the dairy, including exposure to unsafe conditions and numerous harmful substances. Relationships with co-workers were generally described as positive and team-oriented, while relationships with managers were more varied and negative. Participants reported limited knowledge regarding safety policies and procedures and made numerous suggestions for how to improve safety training. The participants identified individual, organizational and environmental points of intervention that can be used to inform management and training programs in order to promote and maintain a higher level of safety within the U.S. dairy industry. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Dairy Products Farmers Livestock Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety Stress, Psychological
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Processes Agricultural Workers Animal Handlers Animal Husbandry Workers Author Keywords: Occupational Health Cattle Dairy Products Dairy Workers Equipment Operators Job Stress Livestock Industry Risk Management United States

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• Publisher:
  International Centre for Rural Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  195-197
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20052151
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the International Congress on Rural Health 2015 & IV International Conference Ragusa SHWA 2015 (Safety, Health and Welfare in Agriculture Agro-food and Forestry Systems), September 8-11, 2015, Lodi, Italy. Failla S, ed. Milan, Italy: International Centre for Rural Health, 2015 Sep; :195-197
• Contact Point Address:
  L. Stallones, Department of Psychology Sage Hall MS 1879, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1879 USA
• Email:
  lorann.stallones@colostate.edu
• Editor(s):
  Failla S
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado State University - Ft. Collins
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20030915
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the International Congress on Rural Health 2015 & IV International Conference Ragusa SHWA 2015 (Safety, Health and Welfare in Agriculture Agro-food and Forestry Systems), September 8-11, 2015, Lodi, Italy
• End Date:
  20270914
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2b10369bf9e3d75327491df2467c773ef2a02a60416e1a23879d265ed82da27bf546f9d7021a7359b2255df9a0458b0a969292a8e2473f32599e8c199a03898e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211740/cdc_211740_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 159.89 KB ]