American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Volume 44, Issue 1, 2003, Pages 37-45

Occupational injury and illness among migrant and seasonal farmworkers in New York State and Pennsylvania, 1997-1999: Pilot study of a new surveillance method (Article)

Earle-Richardson G.* , Jenkins P.L. , Tucker Slingerland D. , Mason C. , Miles M. , May J.J.
  • a New York Ctr. for Agric. Med./Hlth., NE Ctr. for Agric. and Occup. Hlth., Cooperstown, NY, United States, NYCAMH/NEC, Bassett Healthcare, One Atwell Rd., Cooperstown, NY 13326, United States
  • b New York Ctr. for Agric. Med./Hlth., NE Ctr. for Agric. and Occup. Hlth., Cooperstown, NY, United States
  • c New York Ctr. for Agric. Med./Hlth., NE Ctr. for Agric. and Occup. Hlth., Cooperstown, NY, United States
  • d New York Ctr. for Agric. Med./Hlth., NE Ctr. for Agric. and Occup. Hlth., Cooperstown, NY, United States
  • e New York Ctr. for Agric. Med./Hlth., NE Ctr. for Agric. and Occup. Hlth., Cooperstown, NY, United States
  • f New York Ctr. for Agric. Med./Hlth., NE Ctr. for Agric. and Occup. Hlth., Cooperstown, NY, United States

Abstract

Background: Traditional worksite injury surveillance methods are often ineffective for Northeastern farms employing seasonal harvest labor. Many are small farms, exempt from mandatory injury reporting. The high proportion of foreign workers and the temporary nature of the work further discourages reporting. Therefore, an alternative migrant health center-based occupational injury and illness surveillance system was piloted during 1997-1999. Methods: Anonymous medical chart data from nine migrant health centers and four regional hospital emergency rooms was collected during 1997-1999. Results: There were 516 injury/illness cases over two seasons. Joint/muscle straining (31%), falling (18%), poison ivy contact (10%), and object strikes (8%) were most common injurious events. The participation rate of health care was 75%; 130 cases were reported by hospital emergency rooms; and optimal health center participation was associated with: being a farmworker-dedicated program, and including the chart reviewer in the health center's decision to participate. Conclusions: Further development of a medical records-based surveillance system should include hospital emergency rooms and focus on identified health center performance factors. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Author Keywords

Occupational illness Injury surveillance Clinical record data Hazardous working conditions Migrant farmworkers Agricultural workers Seasonal farmworkers Occupational injury

Index Keywords

methodology Population Surveillance agricultural worker occupational disease human muscle disease controlled study Seasons emergency ward Pennsylvania season United States Community Health Centers migrant worker Humans occupational accident New York Medical Records male female pilot study falling medical record Agricultural Workers' Diseases Incidence Article health care major clinical study adult Wounds, Nonpenetrating Sprains and Strains Dermatitis, Toxicodendron poison ivy Accidental Falls Transients and Migrants health center quantitative analysis Pilot Projects arthropathy
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0038488390&doi=10.1002%2fajim.10233&partnerID=40&md5=de89bc6c47164aeb5f72dddba21c0f20
DOI: 10.1002/ajim.10233
ISSN: 02713586
Cited by: 40
Original Language: English