Examining barriers and facilitators to protecting the health and safety of Latino construction workers post-Hurricane Sandy

Background: Safe workplaces are, even under the usual predictable circumstances, difficult to achieve, and disasters greatly magnify these difficulties. Immigrant workers, especially “day laborers,” add another layer to post-disaster complexities and challenges.

Methods: This qualitative study is part of a larger community-based participatory mixed methods project that explored the workplace hazards experienced by Latino construction laborers and cleaners involved in reconstruction following Hurricane Sandy. Participants of both genders were drawn from an intervention program that provided training and personal protective equipment (PPE). Six focus groups were conducted in Spanish in and near NYC. Academic and community-based researchers analyzed data collaboratively.

Results: Findings reveal that training combined with providing workers their own PPE is more effective than training alone in reinforcing the importance of PPE and therefore, increasing its use. However, one occasional but significant barrier to using PPE was that workers were unable to anticipate which PPE to bring to worksites because conditions are often unpredictable and can quickly change. Women, more than men, tended to openly discuss workplace injustices related to gender, ethnicity, and physical abilities.

Discussion: Immigrant construction laborers work in uncertain and variable post-disaster settings that exacerbate documented risks to health and safety. While providing training is important, this study demonstrates the importance of combining training with provision of PPE. Nonetheless, contingent work also poses challenges in most effectively using PPE even when provided. Health impacts to female laborers doing post disaster cleanup is understudied and further attention to their experience of workplace injustices is needed.