Worker Perspectives on COVID-19 Risks: A Qualitative Study of Latino Construction Workers in Oakland, California

Details

• Personal Author:
  Balmes J ; Fernandez A ; Franco AO ; Giglio L ; Meza E ; Rodriguez E ; Stock L ; Torres JM
• Description:
  Latino construction workers in the U.S. have faced a disproportionate risk for COVID-19 infection in the workplace. Prior studies have focused on quantifying workplace risk for COVID-19 infection; few have captured workers' experiences and perspectives. This study describes COVID-19-related workplace risks from the perspectives of Latino construction workers. We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured phone interviews with Latino construction workers from the Fruitvale District of Oakland, California. Twenty individuals were interviewed from December 2020 to March 2021. Nearly all participants (19/20) were Spanish-speaking men; mean age 42.6 years. The majority were low-income and over one-third did not have health insurance. Participants worked in varied construction-related jobs ranging from demolition to office work; additionally, four were day laborers, and three belonged to a labor union. We identified four major themes with public health policy and workplace safety implications: (1) Major concern about the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection for family health and economic wellbeing; (2) Clarity about mask use and social distancing but not disclosure; (3) Variability in access to additional resources provided by employers; and (4) Uncertainty around structural support for SARS-CoV-2 quarantine/isolation. Our findings provide further evidence from workers' own perspectives of the major gaps experienced during the pandemic in workplace protections and resources. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Construction Industry Emigration And Immigration Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Risk Assessment Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: COVID-19 Construction Workers Coronavirus COVID-19 Disease Prevention Essential Workers Face Masks Immigrant Health Immigrant Workers Infectious Diseases Latino Health Occupational Health Policy Risk Analysis Worker Safety Workplace Studies

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• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  19
• Issue:
  16
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067175
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Aug; 19(16):9822
• Contact Point Address:
  Erika Meza, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
• Email:
  erika.meza@ucsf.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9b5c40f7bb73988ad7f41830944a6ecf8ab066667401a4d7f9ae6c1be4b6ab031da95de431876d7ba8b76e4bfba52a3c2ab5c9b512509a4c309960247ec566f1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231315/cdc_231315_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 331.12 KB ]