Telecommunications for Occupational Health and Safety: Use and Interest of Latino Immigrant Workers in North Carolina

Increased availability of telecommunication devices may provide a means to distribute occupational health and safety (OSH) information. This analysis examined device ownership and actual and potential use of multiple modalities to present OSH information. Male Latino immigrant farmworkers and non-farmworkers in NC (n=177) completed a survey about actual and potential use of telecommunication devices in 2013. Almost all (171/177; 97%) reported they owned cell phones; 48% of cell phone owners had smartphones. The telephone numbers of 54% of cell phone owners had changed within the past year. Among all respondents, regardless of cell phone ownership, during the past two months 89%, 67%, 38%, and 28% of participants had spoken to someone on a cell phone, read a text message, accessed the internet, or used a social networking site, respectively, at least once a week. Among cell phone owners, 96% and 80% stated they would want to receive text messages about health information and severe weather within their area, respectively. Among smartphone owners, 86% and 74% stated they would want to have videos sent to their smartphones about health information and severe weather, respectively. Penetrance of cell phone ownership is high among Latino men in NC. Widespread ownership and use of cell phones and moderate ownership of smartphones may enable health workers and advocates to distribute general and occupational health information to Latino farmworkers and non-farmworkers. However, challenges imposed by impermanent phone numbers will need to be addressed before the OSH education potential of cell phones can be achieved.