A Cross-Sectional Legal Epidemiology Study of Associations Between State-Level Labor Laws (LLEI) and Workplace Sanitation and Training Indicators Among Hispanic US Crop Workers Using the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS)

Details

• Journal Article:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Personal Author:
  Santos, Chavez ; Orenlas, India ; Hill, Heather ; Spector, June T. ; Flunker, John C. ; Baquero, Barbara
• Description:
  Objective: Agricultural workers are at a disproportionate risk of work-related injuries and illnesses. We examined how labor laws are associated with agricultural workers' work environments. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of Hispanic/Latine participants in the National Agricultural Workers Survey to assess the association between a Labor Law Equity Index (LLEI), which summarizes agricultural worker inclusion or exclusion in workers' compensation, minimum wage, and overtime pay laws across US states, and workplace conditions. Results: Higher LLEI scores were associated with an increased odds of employer provision of water (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05 to 1.33), toilet (aOR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.34 to 1.67), hand-washing station (aOR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.26 to 1.56), and pesticide training (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.29). Conclusion: Our results highlight policy-related opportunities to improve workplace water access, sanitation, and training implementation to better support agricultural worker health.
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Epidemiology Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Workers; Work Environment; Cross Sectional Studies; Epidemiology; Regulations; Hand Washing; Drinking Water; Training; Policy; Worker Health; Author Keywords: Labor Laws; Occupational Health And Safety; Agricultural Worker Health
• Source:
  J Occup Environ Med 2026 Apr; 68(4):e288-e294
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Washington ; Iowa ; San Francisco Region [OSHA] ; Kansas City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  7 pdf pages
• Volume:
  68
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071248
• Contact Point Address:
  Erica Chavez Santos, PhD, MPH, SHARP Program, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, PO Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330
• Email:
  echavez9@uw.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fde09740faf3c12a4bd55a5663bdcb9435a35d51615fc7ad7a284ba8f2a9d497a45b3e5c14834bd4b08d92741faece01bb09c630dd9251a1b097e0919daf96b8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258726/cdc_258726_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 184.66 KB ]