title: Promoting adoption of fall prevention measures among Latino workers and residential contractors: formative research findings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Falls from heights remain a concern in construction, particularly for foreign-born Latino construction workers employed by small residential contractors. The social ecological model provides a framework to assess the individual and contextual factors influencing the risk for falls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five focus groups and thirteen in-depth interviews with workers, small residential contractors, and key informants were conducted in 2012 in San Francisco and Philadelphia. Data were analyzed with qualitative methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Economic conditions in residential construction, coupled with a lack of enforcement and vulnerabilities of the foreign-born workforce, are principal contributors to risk for falls. Small contractors perceive strong economic disincentives for implementation of fall protection and foreign-born Latino workers experience a variety of social, cultural and occupational pressures impeding its use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased adoption of fall protection cannot be accomplished solely by targeting Latino construction workers. Research is needed on incentives to influence contractor behavior and facilitate adoption of fall protection measures.
authors.affiliation: Labor Occupational Health Program, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teran
authors.affiliation: Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health (PhilaPOSH), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Hillary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Blecker
authors.affiliation: Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health (PhilaPOSH), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Kelsie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scruggs
authors.affiliation: Labor Occupational Health Program, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García Hernández
authors.affiliation: Labor Occupational Health Program, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rahke
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control*; D060389:Construction Industry / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003469:Culture; D017144:Focus Groups; D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D015143:Philadelphia; D036301:Qualitative Research; D017751:Safety Management / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012495:San Francisco
keywords: Latino immigrant workers; construction; falls in construction; small residential; social ecological model