title: Federal Farmworker Housing Standards and Regulations, Their Promise and Limitations, and Implications for Farmworker Health.
abstract: The housing available to most farmworkers is substandard and unacceptable in 21st-century America. The federal government established minimal occupational safety and health standards applicable to migrant farmworker labor camps decades ago, and some states have statutory schemes and regulations that set standards for farm labor camps and employee housing. Many of these federal and state regulations no longer reflect current employment and housing trends, and enforcement success varies greatly. These regulations implicitly recognize the connection between housing conditions and health, but do not effectively address that connection. This review describes the current state of farmworker housing, discusses laws and regulations pertaining to such housing, and highlights the literature on health risks associated with inadequate housing. We propose specific recommendations to strengthen enforcement and reduce the risks of substandard housing for the health of farmworkers and their families.
authors.affiliation: Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities, Mebane, NC, USA ann@mcmoss.org.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moss Joyner
authors.affiliation: Housing Assistance Council, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Lance
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: George
authors.affiliation: Farmworker Unit of Legal Aid of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Mary Lee
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., Marysville, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ilene J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: Werner Kohnstamm Family Fund, Oakland, CA, USA.
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Kissam
authors.affiliation: Legal Aid Services of Oregon, Pendleton Regional Office, , USA.
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Latin
authors.affiliation: Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities, Mebane, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parnell
authors.affiliation: Farmworker Justice, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Oregon Law Center, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Nargess
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shadbeh
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tobacman
mesh_terms: D016573:Agrochemicals / Q000592:standards; D003441:Crowding; D011211:Electric Power Supplies / Q000592:standards; D000067565:Farmers / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D035082:Federal Government; D005392:First Aid / Q000592:standards; D006304:Health Status; D006798:Housing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D016272:Occupational Health; D012499:Sanitation / Q000592:standards; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D014481:United States; D014489:United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D014691:Ventilation / Q000592:standards; D014881:Water Supply / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D016573:Agrochemicals
keywords: farmworker; health; housing