Assessing Agricultural Safety and Health Among Hmong Farmers in Washington State

Details

• Personal Author:
  De Castro AB ; Krenz J
• Description:
  Refugees in the United States are increasingly engaging in farming activities. Refugee farmworkers may be susceptible to disparate rates of agricultural-related injuries because they are farming in new environments with limited training on safety hazards. Assessing safety and health is critical to understanding challenges that refugee farmers face. Hmong refugees have established farms in Washington and their farming practices are representative of emerging refugee farmers in the region. The project objectives are to compare participatory approaches to conventional industrial hygiene methods to characterize safety and health issues encountered by Hmong refugee farmers, identify priority agricultural hazards, and describe best practices which reduce exposure to agricultural hazards. Methods: We will combine participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and photovoice to obtain information on perceived agricultural safety and health issues. PRA is an approach which employs participant-generated maps, seasonal calendars, and stories to facilitate self-discovery of problems and solutions. Photovoice utilizes participant-taken photographs to identify hazards and "best practices." We will compare information from these approaches to conventional industrial hygiene methods. A comprehensive checklist will be developed, and trained researchers will conduct systematic assessments of working conditions and farming practices throughout the growing season. Results: Preliminary data on agriculture safety hazards and "best practices" will be presented, along with a comparison of participatory approaches and conventional industrial hygiene methods. Conclusions: Current Hmong farming practices are representative of emerging refugee farmers, and hazards and "best practices" identified in this study will guide the development of training materials for both Hmong and emerging refugee farmers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Demography Farmers Hazardous Substances Healthcare Disparities Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Industry Agricultural Safety Author Keywords: Agricultural Work Safety Demographic Characteristics Farm Workers Hazard Identification Health Disparities Refugees Safety Education
• Publisher:
  American Public Health Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053375
• Citation:
  APHA 140th Annual Meeting and Exposition, October 27-31, 2012, San Francisco, California. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2012 Oct; :267518
• Contact Point Address:
  Jennifer Krenz, MS, MPH, University of Washington, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, PO Box 357234, Seattle, WA, USA 98195
• Email:
  jkrenz@uw.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  APHA 140th Annual Meeting and Exposition, October 27-31, 2012, San Francisco, California
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:bbaa940845ffa3abe22f3892cc4b9321f6e741a441af82e91cf1d333133dacbbb1b5089a213ef15a2c8c933db5a931f8e3c58a2201360e963dc16bc5113a8484
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216141/cdc_216141_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 133.24 KB ]