摘要：Objectives. This analysis described Latino migrant farmworkers’ work safety climate and its association with musculoskeletal discomfort, working while injured or ill, and depressive symptoms. Methods. Data were from a cross-sectional survey of 300 farmworkers conducted in North Carolina in 2009. Generalized estimating equations models were used to investigate the association of work safety climate with health and safety outcomes. Results. Farmworkers perceived their work safety climate to be poor. About 40% had elevated musculoskeletal discomfort, 5.0% had worked at least 1 day while injured or ill, and 27.9% had elevated depressive symptoms. The odds of elevated musculoskeletal discomfort were 12% lower and the odds of working while injured or ill were 15% lower with each 1-unit increase in the work safety climate. Work safety climate was not associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions. Work safety climate was important for agricultural workers. Poor work safety climate was associated with health outcomes (musculoskeletal discomfort) and safety (working while injured or ill). Interventions to improve work safety climate in agriculture are needed, with these interventions being directed to employers and workers. Farmworkers experience poor occupational health. These workers are exposed to a variety of hazards in the workplace. 1,2 They experience high rates of occupational injury, illness, and death as a result of these exposures. 3–5 When they experience an occupational injury or illness, farmworkers have limited access to health services. 6 An important factor that may influence the occupational health of farmworkers is the organization of work in agriculture, 7 particularly the work safety climate. 8 Work safety climate describes the shared perceptions of workers about how employers operationalize, support, and value safety in the workplace. 9 Associations of work safety climate with occupational safety and injury have been examined in many industries, including construction, 10 manufacturing, 11 and retail. 12 However, with 1 exception, 13 work safety climate has not considered in analyses of occupational safety and injury in agriculture. Farmworkers are a vulnerable population. Over 80% of farmworkers in the United States are Latino, with the majority coming from Mexico. 14 About half of all farmworkers lack appropriate documents to work in the United States, 14 and a growing number are in the United States with H-2A guest worker visas. 15 Most farmworkers are male, poor, and have limited formal education. 14 About a quarter of farmworkers are indigenous peoples who speak Spanish as a second language. 16 Many farmworkers are supporting families that remain in their communities of origin. 17 Work safety climate may be especially important for farmworkers. Farmworkers feel little control over their work environments. 18–20 They seldom complain about unsafe work environments because of fear of losing their jobs, harassment from authorities, or deportation if they have an H-2A visa or if they lack appropriate documentation. 15,21 Therefore, faced with an unsafe work climate, farmworkers tend to ignore risk and appropriate safety behaviors to conform to the expectations of their employers. 20 The willingness of farmworkers to accept unsafe work conditions is bolstered by a belief system in which men are expected to accept danger, and they are expected to act as if they will not be harmed by exposure to hazards. 18,22,23 Although the safety climate in which farmworkers work has not been examined, research has documented the risk tolerance of the farmers who employ these workers. 21,24–26 Farmers have acknowledged the occupational hazards inherent in farming, but their beliefs have limited their willingness to adhere to safety procedures, particularly when these procedures are perceived as affecting the economic viability of their enterprise. 24–26 The result is that many farmers have not instituted a culture of work safety, often believing that safety regulations imposed from outside agencies were unnecessary. Furthermore, farmers often believe that they experience far greater exposure to occupational hazards than do their employees, including farmworkers, and that they do not need to establish safety procedures for these employees. 22,27 This analysis used data collected from migrant farmworkers in North Carolina to address 2 aspects of work safety climate in agriculture. First, this analysis described migrant farmworkers’ work safety climate. Second, it examined the association of work safety climate with musculoskeletal discomfort, working while injured or ill, and depressive symptoms among migrant farmworkers.
