New Solutions
Volume 25, Issue 3, 2015, Pages 334-352

Federal farmworker housing standards and regulations, their promise and limitations, and implications for farmworker health (Article)

Joyner A.M.* , George L. , Hall M.L. , Jacobs I.J. , Kissam E.D. , Latin S. , Parnell A. , Ruiz V. , Shadbeh N. , Tobacman J.
  • a Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities, 6919 Lee Street, Mebane, NC 27302, United States
  • b Housing Assistance Council, University of Florida, Washington, DC, United States
  • c Farmworker Unit of Legal Aid of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC, United States
  • d California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc., National Census Advisory Committee, Marysville, CA, United States
  • e Werner Kohnstamm Family Fund, Economic Opportunity, and Immigrant Integration, Oakland, CA, United States
  • f Legal Aid Services of Oregon, Pendleton Regional Office, United States
  • g Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities, 6919 Lee Street, Mebane, NC 27302, United States
  • h Farmworker Justice, Washington, DC, United States
  • i Oregon Law Center, Portland, OR, United States
  • j Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, United States

Abstract

The housing available to most farmworkers is substandard and unacceptable in 21stcentury 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. © The Author(s) 2015.

Author Keywords

Housing Farmworker Health

Index Keywords

air conditioning Ventilation agricultural worker human Federal Government Agrochemicals health status housing Farmers United States sanitation first aid United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration Humans power supply Electric Power Supplies standards legislation and jurisprudence migration government agricultural chemical occupational health Transients and Migrants crowding (area) Crowding water supply
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84979849109&doi=10.1177%2f1048291115604390&partnerID=40&md5=8f4eb4c5041882dca233937f6e7b9ab4
DOI: 10.1177/1048291115604390
ISSN: 10482911
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English