Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
First Advisor
Bindu Panikkar
Second Advisor
Ingrid Nelson
Keywords
Vermont, migrant workers, dairy farms, health outcomes, occupational hazards, environmental risks
Abstract
Migrant dairy workers face a wide range of occupational and health hazards at work. Based on in-depth interviews (n=10) with relevant community, academic, and legal experts, and surveys conducted by the Vermont non-profit Migrant Justice of 100 migrant dairy workers, this research examines the environmental risks, occupational health hazards, and health outcomes experienced by migrant dairy farm workers in Vermont. Our results show that Vermont migrant dairy farmworkers who work in medium to small farms experience similar health risks as in other states with bigger dairy infrastructure. The health risks reported by migrant dairy workers include long work hours, exposure to harmful chemicals, accidents from powerful animals and heavy machinery, and poor access to health care, information, and transportation. Health outcomes reported include respiratory issues, headaches, vision problems, injuries, musculoskeletal pain, depression and stress.
Recommended Citation
Barrett, Mary-Kate, "Characterizing occupational health exposures and health outcomes among immigrant dairy farmworkers in Vermont" (2020). Environmental Studies Electronic Thesis Collection. 66.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/envstheses/66