 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Paula A. Worby, MPH, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 300 Gooding Way #316, Albany, CA 94706, (510) 558-8476, pworby@uclink.berkeley.edu
California Latino immigrant day laborers who stand on urban street corners seeking employment in construction, landscaping, and odd jobs are vulnerable to difficult working conditions and frequent injustices. They are concentrated in the most hazardous occupations and often asked to do the most dangerous tasks within those occupations. As short-term workers (often hired for one day or only for a few hours) they receive virtually no training and health and safety authorities do not inspect their job sites. This research asks how to better understand day laborers’ occupational health and safety in the context of their social organization and daily reality. A four-month exploratory and qualitative study at a day laborer hiring site in California's Bay Area was complemented by the author's ongoing participation in two area day laborer outreach and health education programs. The study explored themes seldom raised to date in literature on day laborers: how day laborers view their health, in what way they sometimes compete and sometimes cooperate with other workers seeking employment alongside them, and what attitudes they bring to safety on the job. Worker health and advocacy programs can take into account and build on the protective behaviors evidenced by day laborers as individuals as well as reinforcing existing social support mechanisms that are helpful in the men’s complex lives.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Occupational Safety, Immigrants
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.