Pesticide Exposure and Occupational Safety Training of Indigenous Farmworkers in Oregon

Abstract

This follow-up study assessed indigenous and Latino farmworkers' occupational health and safety needs and measured variables related to pesticide exposure and pesticide safety training among this population. Results yielded differences between indigenous workers and Latino workers related to language barriers, experiences of workplace discrimination, preferred modes of information dissemination, pesticide exposures, and sufficiency of pesticide training. Employing more people who speak indigenous languages as interpreters, community and organizational leaders, and health workers may remove some of the linguistic and cultural barriers to occupational safety training.

Working in the Shadows: Safety and Health in Forestry Services in Southern Oregon

“…These conditions include inadequate safety training and fear of retaliation for speaking up about unsafe working conditions or reporting job-related injuries and illnesses (Arcury et al 2001, 2010, Schlosser 2001, Frank et al 2004, Salazar et al 2005, Samples et al 2008, De Castro et al 2010, Gaydos et al 2011, Minkler et al 2014). …”

Oregon Indigenous Farmworkers

“…Grounded in participatory methodology, significant preliminary work in the areas of outreach to indigenous communities, education and training, focus groups, and farmworker surveys laid the foundation for the current intervention 4,5,13 . In our previous work we further identified the communities in which individuals speaking indigenous languages lived and worked to train and develop the skills of three community outreach educators who spoke the predominant languages and whose role was centered on gaining and maintaining the communities’ trust in this study.…”

“…The promotor or peer educator training curriculum was developed based on our previous community engagement 3-5,13 .…”

“…They also received a standard EPA brochure in Spanish summarizing the major points of the video. While this control group intervention consisted basically of what is required by law, in our previous investigations we have found that depending on the type of crop and location only between 30-70% of farmworkers in Oregon report receiving this required training 4,5 .…”

“…Typically, Latino workers whose native language is an indigenous language speak only rudimentary Spanish, and have distinct cultural traditions 3-5,9 . There is no current uniform written format for many indigenous languages and many indigenous workers were unable to attend school past the fourth or fifth grade which makes it difficult for social service providers and others to communicate with or provide services to many indigenous farmworkers and for indigenous farmworkers to communicate to their employers and co-workers.…”