Quantitative analysis of immigrant Mexican workers’ changes in knowledge on heat safety
Year: 2020
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Immigrant Mexican workers in the United States face increased rates of workplace fatalities because of risk factors found in hazardous industries such as construction and agriculture, among others. Furthermore, farmworkers disproportionately suffer from higher rates of fatal heat-related illnesses (HRI) than other workers. The Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN) and the Ventanillas de Salud (VdS) partnered to offer occupational safety and health workshops to immigrant Mexican workers. Trainings including HRI prevention were conducted in Raleigh, North Carolina and California (Calexico and Oxnard) using a train-the-trainer participatory model. Training efficacy was determined through unpaired baseline and follow-up questionnaires administered at the time of training to assess changes in knowledge about heat safety-related prevention measures or risks. A total of 387 workers participated in training, with 327 usable questionnaires completed at baseline and 314 at follow-up. Quantitative evaluation was conducted following IRB exemption. Item analysis demonstrated that the largest knowledge gain concerned the need to remove clothing from a co-worker experiencing severe HRI (40.4%, p < 0.05) across all locations. At baseline, there was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between workers from the two California sites who could identify rest breaks as a preventive measure. On the other hand, over 90% of respondents at all sites correctly prior to the training identified preventive measures such as wearing long shirts and brimmed hats, drinking water, and avoiding beer and caffeinated beverages, suggesting that immigrant Latino workers have basic preventive information.
Source: ISEE Conference Abstracts
Institutions: Georgetown University, Migrant Clinicians Network
Language: English
Subfield: Occupational Therapy
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3169821669