News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has introduced interim guidance for agricultural workers and employers to facilitate preparation, prevention, and management measures to help reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in agricultural settings.

In response to PPE shortages due to the COVID-19 crisis, the CDC, NIOSH Agricultural Centers, and state agencies have developed guidance to assist employers and workers in conserving existing supplies and identifying alternate protection when necessary.

The CDC recommends that farm owners and operators develop sanitation protocols and procedures for daily cleaning and sanitation of worksites, including shared spaces, tools, equipment, and vehicles used by farmworkers, following CDC guidance on cleaning methods. 

To protect the health of your workers and reduce the risk of infection at your worksite, it is important to talk to your employees and keep an eye on them in case they start to show symptoms at work.

Screening workers before they enter the worksite is a strategy that could help you to identify individuals who may be infected and reduce the spread among workers.

The California Institute for Rural Studies (CIRS) is leading a broad coalition of researchers and farmworker advocates to collect data on how COVID-19 is affecting farmworkers.

When employers look at an individual incident more closely, it becomes clear that multiple factors contribute to accidents in the workplace.

Over the past decade, California has become more prone to weather extremes, including increased frequency and severity of heat waves, droughts, and wildfires. How have these weather extremes affected the work, health, and safety of agricultural employers and farmworkers?

Preventing injuries, illnesses, and harmful exposure before they occur is an important goal in the workplace. However, when accidents or “near misses” do occur, they provide a good opportunity to identify health and safety problems and target prevention efforts. 

WCAHS looks back at Research and Outreach activities for 2019.