By qsolis 09/feb/2023
La Cartita
The first report California Farmworker Health Study from the UC Merced Community and Labor Center that evaluates the living and working conditions of California farmworkers.
The survey included 1,200 farmworkers in six languages, who reported on their health, access to healthcare, and workplace conditions.
Results of the survey indicated that 92% of those surveyed were renters, and many reported having cockroach and rodent infestations in their homes.
Moreover, only 57% of the workers who had worked with pesticides in the last 12 months confirmed receiving safe pesticide training that they understood, and many said they frequently experienced unsafe conditions in relation to pesticides and wildfire smoke.
Additionally, 43% of farmworkers stated that their employer had never given them a written heat illness prevention plan, 11% did not have regular access to clean drinking water at work, 16% said they had never been screened for skin cancer, and 36% declared that they were not willing to report noncompliance of workplace health and safety laws for fear of employer retaliation or job loss.
The authors of the report are advocating for increased focused spending from the public to improve the physical, economic and social welfare of farmworker. The report comes at a time of increased scrutiny of farm work and living conditions.