Spanish-speaking dairy workers in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont: results from a survey of farm owners.
A New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) study surveyed 294 dairy farms in New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. The study utilized a quarterly telephone survey to assess the proportion of Spanish-speaking workers on these farms, and also to contrast the hazard level of work tasks and prevalence of lost work time between Spanish- and English-speaking workers. The total workforce followed in the study was comprised of 14.4 percent Spanish-speaking workers, with larger farms having a higher proportion than smaller farms (19.9% versus 4.6%, respectively). Of the 294 farms, 22.5 percent had at least one Spanish-speaking worker, which differed, greatly between larger and smaller farms (51.5% versus 7.3%). Spanish workers were significantly younger, worked significantly longer hours and had significantly fewer years of employment than their English-speaking counterparts. Work hour differences were more pronounced on the larger farms. Lost work time, due to on-farm injuries, did not differ between the Hispanic workers and the non-Hispanic workers. After correcting for both age and length of farm employment, Spanish-speaking workers were far less likely to perform managerial functions than their English-speaking counterparts (OR = . 22 p < .01).
Stack
Suzanne G
SG
New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health, One Atwell Road, Cooperstown, NY 13326, USA. sstack@nycamh.com
Jenkins
Paul L
PL
Earle-Richardson
Giulia
G
Ackerman
Susan
S
May
John J
JJ
D000328:Adult; D002322:Career Mobility; D003612:Dairying; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D009518:New York; D010414:Pennsylvania; D014707:Vermont; D000078329:Workforce; D016526:Workload