Pilot of a Community Health Worker Video Intervention for Immigrant Day Laborers at Occupational Health Risk

Abstract

Significance: Immigrant day laborers suffer from disproportionate occupational health risks from hazardous reconstruction jobs after natural disasters.Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a short-video educational intervention to improve safety knowledge and intent to engage in safety preventive behaviors among 98 Hispanic day laborers (49 randomized to video and 49 control). The short video featured a male promotor and a female promotora who narrated 3 stories of day laborers who were injured while doing construction work in post-Katrina New Orleans. The main outcome measures were changes in scores for day laborer-reported safety knowledge and safety behaviors derived from interviewer-delivered baseline and post-intervention surveys.Results: Video participants reported improvement in overall average safety knowledge score (mean score of 11.3 out of a max score of 12 or 94% when standardized to 0–100% scale), as compared to the control group (mean score of 8.6 or 72%) who were not offered the video (p < 0.00001). The intervention was highly successful in workers stating that they learned and were willing to change their safety preventive behaviors to reduce their occupational risk. The average safety behavior score was higher among those watching the video (17.2 out of a max of 22 or 78.1% when standardized on a scale 0–100%) as compared to control (14.5 or 65.9%) (p = 0.0024).Conclusion: A short video intervention can improve knowledge and intent to engage in preventive behaviors among Hispanic workers for which there is a dearth of construction safety preventive research.

Health and safety risk of migrant construction workers–a systematic literature review

“…These statistics are generally in line with the findings of previous studies that migrant construction workers are more likely to suffer injuries than native workers (Vignoli et al, 2021;Ch avez and Altman, 2017;Grzywacz et al, 2012). However, research literature about migrant construction workers is relatively limited (Rabito et al, 2011;Teran et al, 2015;Chan et al, 2021;de Diego-Cordero et al, 2021;Lara et al, 2021;Rabito et al, 2011;Teran et al, 2015). The reasons for the lack of literature may be varied.…”

“…In the US, the occupational injury rates of Latino construction workers are higher than non-Latino or their American-born counterparts (Arcury et al, 2014;Teran et al, 2015;Lara et al, 2021). Moreover, the occupational injury risk of migrant workers in European countries is about 2.13 times that of native construction workers and the rate of serious or fatal work-related accidents is 1.46 times that of native workers (Wasilkiewicz et al, 2016).…”

“Caminando Con Riesgo”: perceptions of occupational injury, workplace safety and workers rights among Spanish-speaking hospitalized patients

“…National organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have called for more research and tailored interventions specific to immigrant workers and several interventions have been documented. For example, a structured safety curriculum and mobile based video in Spanish with dairy workers at their work site, dissemination of safety posters, brochures and videos at the Mexican consulate, and a short educational video intervention in the community ( 19 , 20 , 26 , 27 ). Multi-sector and multi-faceted strategies may be a key component in ensuring interventions address all levels, from individual to structural interventions; a true public health approach.…”

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

“…The findings and themes that emerged from our focus groups were consistent with research involving day laborers in other US cities. Working at heights, using sharp cutting tools, and lack of or improper equipment were reported as hazards among day laborers in several regions of New Jersey; in New Orleans, Louisiana; Seattle, Washington; and Chicago, Illinois (Buchanan et al, 2005; Lara et al, 2021; Ochsner et al, 2008; Seixas et al, 2008). The theme that we identified on trade-offs between financial needs and personal safety, as well as the Latino day laborers’ experience refusing dangerous work, has also been reported in the literature (Brown et al, 2002; Ochsner et al, 2008; Seixas et al, 2008).…”