Are we failing vulnerable workers? The case of black women in poultry processing in rural North Carolina

Exploring U.S. Food System Workers' Intentions to Work While Ill during the Early COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey

With "stay at home" orders in effect during early COVID-19, many United States (U.S.) food system workers attended in-person work to maintain national food supply chain operations. Anecdotally, many encountered barriers to staying home despite symptomatic COVID-19 illness. We conducted a national, cross-sectional, online survey between 31 July and 2 October 2020 among 2535 respondents. Using multivariable regression and free-text analyses, we investigated factors associated with workers' intentions to attend work while ill (i.e., presenteeism intentions) during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 8.8% of respondents intended to attend work with COVID-19 disease symptoms. Almost half (41.1%) reported low or very low household food security. Workers reporting a higher workplace safety climate score were half as likely to report presenteeism intentions (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37, 0.75) relative to those reporting lower scores. Workers reporting low (aOR 2.06, 95% CI 1.35, 3.13) or very low (aOR 2.31, 95% CI 1.50, 3.13) household food security levels had twice the odds of reporting presenteeism intentions relative to those reporting high/marginal food security. Workplace culture and safety climate could enable employees to feel like they can take leave when sick during a pandemic, which is critical to maintaining individual and workplace health. We stress the need for strategies which address vulnerabilities and empower food workers to make health-protective decisions.

Work organization and health among immigrant women: Latina manual workers in North Carolina

OBJECTIVES

We sought to describe work organization attributes for employed immigrant Latinas and determine associations of work organization with physical health, mental health, and health-related quality of life.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 319 employed Latinas in western North Carolina (2009-2011). Measures included job demands (heavy load, awkward posture, psychological demand), decision latitude (skill variety, job control), support (supervisor control, safety climate), musculoskeletal symptoms, mental health (depressive symptoms), and mental (MCS) and physical component score (PCS) health-related quality of life.

RESULTS

Three fifths reported musculoskeletal symptoms. Mean scores for depression, MCS, and PCS were 6.2 (SE = 0.2), 38.3 (SE = 0.5), and 42.8 (SE = 0.3), respectively. Greater job demands (heavy load, awkward posture, greater psychological demand) were associated with more musculoskeletal and depressive symptoms and worse MCS. Less decision latitude (lower skill variety, job control) was associated with more musculoskeletal and depressive symptoms. Greater support (supervisor's power and safety climate) was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and better MCS.

CONCLUSIONS

Work organization should be considered to improve occupational health of vulnerable women workers. Additional research should delineate the links between work organization and health among vulnerable workers.

Personal protective equipment and work safety climate among Latino poultry processing workers in Western North Carolina, USA

BACKGROUND

Job-appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is important for decreasing the high rates of occupational injury experienced by poultry processing workers.

OBJECTIVES

This analysis describes the job-appropriate PPE provided to poultry processing workers by their employers and the PPE used by these workers, and it delineates the association of work safety climate with job-appropriate PPE.

METHODS

Data are from a cross-sectional study of 403 Latino poultry processing workers in North Carolina.

RESULTS

Most poultry processing workers are not provided with nor use job-appropriate PPE; however, more workers use PPE than are provided. The provision and use of PPE differs by employer. Work safety climate was associated with use of job-appropriate PPE.

CONCLUSIONS

Poultry processing workers should be provided with job-appropriate PPE. Workers' use of PPE is an indicator of safety climate. Further research about work safety climate and other work organization characteristics and job safety characteristics is needed.

Employer, use of personal protective equipment, and work safety climate: Latino poultry processing workers

BACKGROUND

This analysis describes the work safety climate of Latino poultry processing workers and notes differences by worker personal characteristics and employer; describes the use of common personal protective equipment (PPE) among workers; and examines the associations of work safety climate with use of common PPE.

METHODS

Data are from a cross-sectional study of 403 Latino poultry processing workers in western North Carolina.

RESULTS

Work safety climate differed little by personal characteristics, but it did differ consistently by employer. Provision of PPE varied; for example, 27.2% of participants were provide with eye protection at no cost, 57.0% were provided with hand protection at no cost, and 84.7% were provided with protective clothing at no cost. PPE use varied by type. Provision of PPE at no cost was associated with lower work safety climate; this result was counter-intuitive. Consistent use of PPE was associated with higher work safety climate.

CONCLUSIONS

Work safety climate is important for improving workplace safety for immigrant workers. Research among immigrant workers should document work safety climate for different employers and industries, and delineate how work safety climate affects safety behavior and injuries.

Evidence of organizational injustice in poultry processing plants: Possible effects on occupational health and safety among Latino workers in North Carolina

BACKGROUND

Over 250,000 workers are employed in poultry processing, one of the most dangerous industries in the US. These jobs are increasingly held by immigrant workers who are frequently undocumented, lack knowledge of workers' rights to workplace safety, and who are reluctant to pursue their rights. This situation creates the potential for organizational injustice, made visible through abusive supervisory practices, and leads to situations in which occupational illnesses and injuries are likely to occur.

METHODS

This paper draws on data collected during the research phases of a community-based participatory research and social justice project. Two hundred survey interviews and 26 in-depth interviews were collected in representative, community-based samples in western North Carolina. Analyses describe associations between one aspect of organizational injustice, abusive supervision, and worker injuries.

RESULTS

Workers' reports of abusive supervision are associated with a variety of specific and summary health indicators. The associations are stronger for women than for men. These suggest that the use of relative power within the plant may be the basis for injuries and illnesses. Three types of power relations are described that form the basis for these abusive interactions in the plant: ethnicity (American vs. Latino), immigration status ("good papers" vs. undocumented), and rank (supervisor vs. worker). Two factors modify these relations: kinship (preferences and privileges for family members) and gender.

CONCLUSIONS

Among Latino immigrants working in poultry plants, power differences reflecting organizational injustice in the form of abusive supervision may promote occupational illnesses and injuries, particularly for women.

Upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders among a cohort of women employed in poultry processing

BACKGROUND

We evaluated musculoskeletal problems among women employed in poultry processing in rural northeastern North Carolina. Poultry processing is the largest single employer of women in this economically depressed region with a black majority population.

METHODS

Data were collected from a cohort of 291 women through interviews and physical exams conducted at 6-month intervals over 3 years. An index of cumulative exposure, based on departmental rankings and work history, was the primary exposure variable. Other variables of interest included work organization factors, other medical conditions, depressive symptoms, children in the home, and hand intensive home activities. Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations was used to evaluate factors associated with occurrences of upper extremity symptoms and incidence of disorders at follow-up.

RESULTS

Symptoms making it difficult to maintain work speed or quality and depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with symptoms at follow-up; age, being overweight, and job insecurity at baseline were associated with incident disorders. After considering these factors, the exposure response pattern was J-shaped with risk decreasing in the second quartile of cumulative exposure and then going steadily up; the effect was stronger for disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

The pattern of risk is consistent with onset of early musculoskeletal problems among women new to the industry followed by a later increase with continued exposure. Among this highly exposed population, the effects of depressive symptoms and work organization factors were diminished when cumulative exposure was considered, illustrating the contextual nature of the complex relationships between physical work exposures and psychosocial factors.