The forest service workforce in the Pacific Northwest is largely immigrant, low-literate, and Spanish-speaking with unique vulnerabilities due to a lack of skills and safety training, occupational immobility, remote work locations, and small contractor employment.
The objective of this project is to conduct a timely evaluation of a new updated State occupational heat policy for agriculture (Ag) to inform practical implementation solutions. In the Pacific Northwest, there is a substantial burden of heat-related illness (HRI) among outdoor Ag workers, who are largely foreign-born and Spanish-speaking. While State and Federal policies have the potential to reduce inequities in occupational heat health effects for Ag workers, heat rules may be variably implemented in different local contexts, leading to variable impacts.
The Northwest’s long-standing occupational health and safety programs, based at the University of Washington, propose a capacity building project for safety and health training of restoration forestry services workers, serving Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The Northwestern US faces catastrophic wildfire risks and a rapidly emerging need for forest fuels reduction work. This work relies heavily on manual labor conducted by small private contract forest service firms, small forest landowners, young workers, and Spanish-speaking immigrant workers.
