Citation

Arcury TA, Grzywacz JG, Anderson AM, Mora DC, Carrillo L, Chen H, Quandt SA. Int. J. Occup. Environ. Health 2012; 18(4): 320-328.

Affiliation

Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Maney Pub.)

DOI

10.1179/2049396712Y.0000000006

PMID

23433293

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Job-appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is important for decreasing the high rates of occupational injury experienced by poultry processing workers. OBJECTIVES: This analysis describes the job-appropriate PPE provided to poultry processing workers by their employers and the PPE used by these workers, and it delineates the association of work safety climate with job-appropriate PPE. METHODS: Data are from a cross-sectional study of 403 Latino poultry processing workers in North Carolina. RESULTS: Most poultry processing workers are not provided with nor use job-appropriate PPE; however, more workers use PPE than are provided. The provision and use of PPE differs by employer. Work safety climate was associated with use of job-appropriate PPE. CONCLUSIONS: Poultry processing workers should be provided with job-appropriate PPE. Workers' use of PPE is an indicator of safety climate. Further research about work safety climate and other work organization characteristics and job safety characteristics is needed.

Language: en