News

Proposed 2017 Cuts to NIOSH: What it means for WCAHS and what to do about it

The president’s proposed budget puts programs like NIOSH that keep agricultural workers healthy, safe, and productive in jeopardy.

California Farmers Face Labor Drought

California's labor shortage has implications for farmworker wages, health benefits, and work conditions as employers compete for a shrinking resource.

Research

Agricultural Practices: Which produce the most air pollution risk to farmworkers?

California’s San Joaquin Valley (SJV) offers a unique opportunity to study how exposure to particulate matter emissions from targeted agricultural practices and activities affect farmworker health.

Research

Immigration Not Just a Problem for US Farming: Migrant Labor and Global Health Conference at UC Davis

The relationship between migrant health, economics, and labor issues was explored during the Migrant Labor and Global Health Conference held at UC Davis in March.

Research

WCAHS Education and Outreach Expands

WCAHS Education and Outreach received a five-fold increase in funding with the 2016-2021 grant renewal and is putting these new resources to good use.

WCAHS Director Marc Schenker Retiring

Dr. Marc Schenker, Director of the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (WCAHS), is retiring at the end of June.

Dr. Schenker founded the WCAHS, one of the original two National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health Agricultural Centers.  There are now 11 regional centers covering the United States. WCAHS’s region includes Arizona, California, Hawai’i, and Nevada. Dr. Schenker has directed WCAHS for over 25 years.

Isabel Flores Garcia: New Education and Outreach Representative

WCAHS welcomes Isabel Flores Garcia, our new Outreach and Education Representative. 

Free: Dairy Safety Training Guide in English or Spanish

Dairy workers are especially at risk for injury (fatal and non-fatal) from accidents with animals and machinery. Download a free dairy safety training guide in English or Spanish.

Building Worker Power to Transform Agriculture

Recommendations from the California Institute for Rural Studies following heat illness prevention study.

Research

Stay Out, Stay Alive: Irrigation Ditches and Canals

Learn how to protect yourself and family from irrigation ditches and canals.

Bleak Outlook for California Farmworker Health Coverage Prospects

Approximately half of California’s 650,000 farmworkers have no health care coverage. The other half receives seasonal coverage from their employer for a few months of the year and/or relies on Medi-Cal / Covered California eligibility.

Research

Depression hinders success of a workplace obesity intervention for Latino immigrant farmworkers

Latino immigrant farmworkers experience high rates of both obesity and depressive symptoms; over 70% are overweight or obese, and 20% to 50% report symptoms that could indicate depression.

Spanish Researcher Alvaro Medel-Herrero joins WCAHS

WCAHS welcomes Alvaro Medel-Herrero to its team of investigators.

WCAHS Participates in Knights Landing Health Fair

This past October, WCAHS participated in a community health fair held at the Knights Landing United Methodist church. Many different organizations, including WCAHS, set up tents and booths in the church courtyard to provide free health and safety information as well as basic health screenings.

Fighting in the Dirt

Biosolarization simply means harvesting the power of biology (bio) plus the sun (sol) to kill pests. Add plastic and compost, and you are ready to roll.

Research