Work organization and occupational health: perspectives from Latinos employed on crop and horse breeding farms

Jennifer Swanberg, Jessica Clouser, Susan C. Westneat

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract



Background: Agriculture is hazardous and increasingly dependent on Latino workers, a vulnerable population. However, little research has studied how work organization influences Latino farmworker health.

Methods: Using a work organization framework, this cross-sectional study describes and compares the work organization and occupational health characteristics of a sample of Latino crop (n = 49) and horse production (n = 54) workers in Kentucky.

Results: Crop workers experienced more physical demands, work-related and environmental stressors, and musculoskeletal and ill-health symptoms. Significantly more crop workers indicated work-related illness or missed work due to work-related illness/injury, though one-fourth of both groups reported work-related injury in the past year. A majority of both groups cited exposure to toxic chemicals, a minority of whom received training on their use.

Conclusion: Further surveillance is needed to understand the rate and precursors of illness/injury in these populations, as is research on the relationship between supervisory practices, psychosocial stressors, and occupational health.
Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)714-28
JournalAmerican Journal of Industrial Medicine
Volume55
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 16 2012

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