Wildfire Smoke Exposure: Awareness and Safety Responses in the Agricultural Workplace

Riden, Heather E.; Giacinto, Rebeca Espinoza; Wadsworth, Gail; Rainwater, Julie; Andrews, Teresa; Pinkerton, Kent E.

doi:10.1080/1059924x.2020.1725699

Cited by 22 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As part of a larger ongoing research project entitled "Agriculture and Climate Change Impacts on Workers' Health and Safety," interviews were conducted in 2018 in the Fresno, Salinas, Imperial, and Coachella regions of California, as described by Riden et al (2020). (See Figure 1 for the location of the study areas and Table 1 for the workforce population in each region.)…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since changing climate poses risks to workers, employers need to consider both adaptations to the changing climate and potential rescue measures in the case of extreme events. Conditions such as increasing wildfires will decrease air quality and directly risk workers in wildfire-prone areas (Bedsworth et al, 2018;Riden et al, 2020). Research is beginning to address how changing weather patterns will impact human health in general.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Farmer perceptions of climate, adaptation and management of farmworker risk in California

Wadsworth¹,

Riden

Pinkerton

2022

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Adaptation across systems[1] in agriculture is essential for sustainability under ongoing climate change. Farmers and agricultural employers implement changes in their work (e.g., mechanization, changing crops, managing workspaces) in ways that may directly impact worker health. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with farmers and farm labor contractors in three agriculturally productive regions of California. We investigated (1) how farmers view changing climate in terms of worker safety and health; (2) how they are currently adapting to long-term weather patterns; (3) how their choices of management practices might impact their workers; (4) how they view their responsibility for their workers; and (5) what their overall observations are concerning environmental changes. Many employers made a clear distinction between weather and climate but not all agreed on whether they were experiencing climate change. Heat was notably the biggest climate hazard farmers identified. Most of the employers interviewed were proud of their longevity and ability to adapt to changing conditions in the field; however, they did not have established emergency procedures. Despite regulations that put the onus on employers, most participants believed that workers needed to take individual responsibility to keep themselves safe in the workplace. This research is one step in an ongoing research process designed to address the impacts of health and safety for agricultural workers in the context of climate change.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmer perceptions of climate, adaptation and management of farmworker risk in California

Wadsworth¹,

Riden

Pinkerton

2022

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…An emerging threat to farmworker health is exposure to smoke, dust, and poor air quality from wildfires, which are expected to increase in frequency and intensity in the coming years (9,109). Latino migrant farmworkers may have disproportionately higher exposures to wildfire-related toxicants owing to their work outdoors and long shifts during an active fire and during cleanup and recovery (97), to their lack of access to PPE, and to inadequate training on safety and protection measures.…”

Section: Air Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Latino migrant farmworkers may have disproportionately higher exposures to wildfire-related toxicants owing to their work outdoors and long shifts during an active fire and during cleanup and recovery (97), to their lack of access to PPE, and to inadequate training on safety and protection measures. In a recent analysis of interviews and focus groups with farmworkers in California, workers indicated that their ability to protect themselves from wildfire smoke depended on their supervisors and highlighted the importance of educating employers to provide PPE and implementing better safety practices (109).…”

Section: Air Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The United States has not offered congressionally supported amnesty to undocumented immigrants since the 1990s [under the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 1998; Pub. L. [105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119]. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy of 2012 offered some protections to undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.…”

Section: Fear Of Deportationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Environmental Health Threats to Latino Migrant Farmworkers

Castillo

Mora

Kayser

et al. 2021

Annu. Rev. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Approximately 75% of farmworkers in the United States are Latino migrants, and about 50% of hired farmworkers do not have authorization to work in the United States. Farmworkers face numerous chemical, physical, and biological threats to their health. The adverse effects of these hazards may be amplified among Latino migrant farmworkers, who are concurrently exposed to various psychosocial stressors. Factors such as documentation status, potential lack of authorization to work in the United States, and language and cultural barriers may also prevent Latino migrants from accessing federal aid, legal assistance, and health programs. These environmental, occupational, and social hazards may further exacerbate existing health disparities among US Latinos. This population is also likely to be disproportionately impacted by emerging threats, including climate change and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Latino migrant farmworkers are essential to agriculture in the United States, and actions are needed to protect this vulnerable population. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 42 is April 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

show abstract

The Impact of Climate Change and Extreme Weather Conditions on Agricultural Health and Safety in California

Riden

Felt

Pinkerton

2020

Climate Change and Global Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Wildfire Smoke Exposure: Awareness and Safety Responses in the Agricultural Workplace

Cited by 22 publications

References 5 publications

Farmer perceptions of climate, adaptation and management of farmworker risk in California

Farmer perceptions of climate, adaptation and management of farmworker risk in California

Environmental Health Threats to Latino Migrant Farmworkers

The Impact of Climate Change and Extreme Weather Conditions on Agricultural Health and Safety in California

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About