Climate Change, Heat, and Farmworker Health

Details

• Personal Author:
  Handal AJ ; Iglesias-Rios L ; O'Neill MS
• Description:
  Heat exposure is a major concern for farmworkers in the United States-most of whom are Latinx, exempt from labor and social protections, and at high risk for heat-related adverse health outcomes (Kuehn, 2021). Farmworkers have enhanced vulnerability to heat due to work conditions (e.g., long working hours) and social conditions (e.g., poverty, substandard housing, undocumented status), which further exacerbates this vulnerability. With more frequent and severe heat waves in coming decades due to climate change, implementing heat-related safety measures to protect farmworkers is increasingly urgent (Balbus et al., 2016). Consistent with previous research (El Khayat et al., 2022; Mac & McCauley, 2017), our work through the Michigan Farmworker Project (Handal et al., 2020) identified farmworker's health concerns due to prolonged heat and sun exposure including nausea, tiredness, dizziness, and fainting. Participants reported using hats and long-sleeved shirts to avoid potential burns and heat exposure. Long-term effects of chronic sun exposure, such as skin cancer, were a concern shared by some in our study, yet farmworkers generally lack knowledge about sun and skin cancer risks (Kearney et al., 2014). Farmworkers discussed facing complex working dynamics of control and power that jeopardize their ability to implement heat safety practices. Participants reported limited opportunities to adequately hydrate or avoiding stopping to drink water to keep up with the fast work pace-a situation exacerbated by a piece-rate payment system, which incentivizes working faster and minimizes breaks as earnings depend on amounts of crop units harvested. Finally, participants noted insufficient information on the dangers of heat exposure and exhaustion, consistent with the literature. ... Because of the unique qualifications of occupational health and safety nurses, expanding occupational health and safety nurse collaborations with employers and advocates can enhance implementation of specific actions to minimize heat impacts in this important workforce, which sustains the food system of our nation. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Climate Change Farmers Health Personnel Hot Temperature Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers Author Keywords: Agricultural/Forestry/Fishing Workers Climate Change Environmental Health Epidemiology Farm Workers Genetic Environmental Interactions Hazards Health Equity Heat Exhaustion Heat Exposure Immigrant/Migrant Workers Long Work Hours Low-wage Worker Nurses Occupational Health Disparities Occupational Health Nursing Outdoor Workers Qualitative Research Methods Racial Disparities Racism

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• ISSN:
  2165-0799
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  43
• Volume:
  71
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066876
• Citation:
  Workplace Health Saf 2023 Jan; 71(1):43
• Contact Point Address:
  Alexis J. Handal, PhD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Room 6622, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA
• Email:
  ahandal@umich.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Workplace Health & Safety
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0edbcbc865f101d31efcbeb6e3a5395547c794e62e2778710bb4855fed0fdc15829cdcaa6a4763ec5b5e760c600807f493842119631494a358d9676ffdb00701
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231035/cdc_231035_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 94.52 KB ]