Cultural ergonomics and the pesticide risk divide

mith-Jackson, Tonya L. rado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering / irginia Polytechnic Institute and State University / 250 Durham Hall, MC0118 / Blacksburg / VA 24061-1445 USA E-mail: smithjack@vt.edu ogalter, Michael S. Department of Psychology / North Carolina State University / 640 Poe Hall/ Raleigh/ North Carolina 27695-7650 USA E-mail: wogalterm@aol.com uintela, Yvette irota Survey Intelligence / One Manhattanville Road / Purchase / New York 10577 USA E-mail: yquintela@sirota.com Pesticide safety is a significant global health concern. We conducted a series of studies to explore factors associated with the risk divide, a term used to describe disparities in injuries and fatalities between majority and minority workers. One study is reported here. Forty ( 40) farmworkers from the South-Atlantic region of the USA were recruited . Results revealed significant differences between ethnic groups on several measured constructs. Latino migrant workers reported lower perceived control of their work environment and higher risk perception compared to European-Americans. Preliminary recommendations relevant to cultural ergonomics, risk communication usability, and safety climate are provided.