Policy: Occupational Safety and Health
Agriculture is among the most hazardous occupations in the U.S. Farmworkers do not control their working conditions, increasing their risk of injury and illness. Farmworker Justice advocates at the federal and state level to strengthen workplace protections and improve health and safety for workers in the fields.
HEAT EXPOSURE
Farmworkers are 35 times more likely to die from heat-related illness than other U.S. workers. While a handful of states have implemented heat protections for outdoor workers (including California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Maryland), there is currently no federal standard. Farmworker Justice works with state and national partners to implement heat protections for workers through administrative advocacy and legislation like the Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act.
AVIAN FLU (H5N1 VIRUS)
Avian flu (H5N1) continues to be a threat to farmworkers, with outbreaks most recently detected in more than 200 dairy herds across 14 states. Farmworker Justice works with national and federal partners to share mitigation practices and strategies to enhance dairy worker protections and outreach....
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PESTICIDES
Farmworker Justice works with partners to ensure workers are protected from pesticide exposure. As a member of the EPA Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee, FJ provides feedback on pesticide regulatory, policy, and program implementation issues. Farmworker Justice also works with coalitions like Coming Clean and the Farmworker Health and Justice Workgroup to limit the use of harmful pesticides (like Chlorpyrifos and organophosphates) and strengthen protections through advocacy and legislation like the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA-5), which mandated bilingual pesticide labels among other provisions.
