“I Use Sunglasses . . . the Sun Can Ruin the Eyes”: Latino Day Laborers’ Lay Strategies to Reduce Dangers at Work

Abstract

Latino day laborers (LDLs) are at a high risk for injury and accidents at work and have limited socioeconomic resources to deal with their consequences. While little is known about LDLs’ perceptions of their own vulnerability at the workplace, less is known about the strategies they adopt to confront these risks. The purpose of this qualitative study was to assess LDLs’ perceptions of their workplace dangers and to document the strategies they adopt and endorse to confront them. Guided by a participatory research approach, four focus groups stratified by age were conducted with 34 LDLs in Houston, Texas. Main focus group themes were identified using a combination of qualitative analysis methods involving a thematic analysis conducted by the interview team, LDL advisors, and bilingual Latino researchers. All participants were Latino males (mean age = 40), the majority reported having completed sixth grade or less (64.2%) and having lived in the United States for an average of 12.7 years. We described three categories of strategies to reduce risk for workplace injury generated by local LDLs (practical knowledge and job experience, interpersonal, and personal). These strategies should be explored and encouraged to assist in planning risk-reduction programs, presented in the voice and language of Latino “inside experts” with firsthand experience. The findings of the focus group suggest that LDLs already possess a broad repertoire of strategies to cope with risks at work that can be incorporated in safety programs for LDLs and other immigrant Latino workers.

Hazard and Injury Experiences of Latino Day Laborers in Houston, Texas

“…Investigations of heat and sun hazards experienced by day laborers and appropriate interventions are topics presented recently in the literature (Boyas et al, 2021;Niu et al, 2022). These topics emerged during our focus groups and reported elsewhere (Rangel et al, 2022).…”

“…In addition, a companion manuscript using the same focus group data has been published that describes strategies that they adopted to reduce the risk of workplace injuries. The strategies, categorized as practical knowledge and job experience, interpersonal, and personal, are used by Latino day laborers to overcome work-related challenges, including risks of injuries (Rangel et al, 2022).…”

“…Seven current or former Latino day laborers were also part of the CAB, including several from the Living Hope Wheelchair Association, who are paraplegic due to job-related injuries. Further information about the CAB is published elsewhere (Rangel et al, 2022).…”

“…This also allowed us to conduct the focus groups in a location near the corners for their convenience. Recruitment details are published elsewhere (Rangel et al, 2022). All procedures were approved by the University of Texas Health Science Center Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB Number: HSC-SPH-12-0818).…”

“…The focus group included an ice breaker, a risk mapping activity, and a body mapping activity, which are described in more detail elsewhere (Rangel et al, 2022). For the icebreaker, we began the focus group with a series of open-ended questions to create a collegial atmosphere and begin a conversation about work.…”