---

In recent years, increasing numbers of farmworkers in the U.S. are coming from indigenous communities in Mexico and Guatemala.  They speak a variety of languages, such as Mixteco, Triqui, and Zapateco, and are frequently not fluent in either Spanish or English. As a result, they particularly difficult to reach with information regarding health and safety on the job.

A study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) used focus groups and outreach efforts in order to learn more about the experiences and needs of this distinct population. In Oregon, where this study was conducted, workers from indigenous communities make up about 40% of the migrant farmworker population.

The project, Promoting the Occupational Health of Indigenous Farmworkers, was developed by a team of partners including indigenous language speaking community educators, farmworker advocates, labor union representatives, environmental scientists and health care providers. The goal is to develop strategies to meet the needs of indigenous farmworkers, improve their understanding of the risks associated with their work, and increase their access to economic, health, and social services.

The project began with six focus groups with farmworkers from indigenous communities who were employed in various types of agricultural work.  Results revealed two overarching issues of importance to the participants: (1) discrimination and lack of respect, and (2) lack of control over occupational health hazards.

All the focus groups discussed discrimination, which is exacerbated by the language and cultural differences of indigenous workers. Workers felt their needs and concerns were dismissed or not taken seriously by their employers because of communication barriers. Additionally, information available from health educators, the media, employers, or training sessions was usually not useful to these workers because it is rarely available in indigenous languages.

The other major focus group issue was exposure to occupational hazards and lack of proper training. The farmworkers saw a link between pesticides and certain symptoms and illnesses that occurred, however, their economic need overrode their fear of the effects of pesticides. They were also exposed to other hazards related to their work such as heavy lifting, operating machinery, and a lack of sanitation and drinking water, and felt that they were not sufficiently trained to properly use machinery or in safety procedures.  Insufficient protective equipment at worksites and pressure to work harder than is safe or healthy were other complaints.  Additionally, some workers felt that reporting an injury would cause them to lose their job, and so they hid or ignored injuries.

The next steps of the project include creating indigenous language multi-media materials on a variety of topics, including information on how workers can complain if they are underpaid, forced to work a field recently sprayed with pesticides, or are not allowed to go home if they become ill while at work.

The themes identified in this study mirror the findings of similar studies with other farmworkers. Lack of information and training in languages workers understand creates a hazardous situation throughout the agricultural workplace.