This article examines how respondents understood items in the Spanish versions of the Short-Form 36 (SF-36v2). Cognitive interviews of the SF-36 were conducted in 2 phases with 46 Spanish speakers living in the United States. Roughly one-third (17/46) of respondents had difficulty understanding the Role Emotional items upon their initial reading, and almost half (21/46) provided examples that were inconsistent with the intended meaning of the items. The findings of this study underscore the importance of conducting cognitive testing to ensure conceptual equivalence of any instrument regardless of how well validated it appears to be.

Mexican immigrants suffer a disproportionately large number of work-related injuries and deaths given their share of the workforce. Barriers of language, culture, and mistrust are often cited as factors that complicate efforts to reach these workers with occupational safety and health (OSH) interventions. By partnering with the Mexican government and its consulate network in the United States, researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health were able to assess the impact of four different information dissemination approaches (posters, passively distributed brochures, actively distributed brochures, and video kiosks) in Spanish in a five-phase study. Exit interviews conducted with Mexicans seeking consular services indicated that while nearly all respondents considered OSH to be of importance, significant differences in impact measures, such as noticing the materials and liking of content, were found when comparing the different approaches. Despite these differences, even the least effective approaches were noticed by large numbers of individuals and significantly increased their stated behavioral intentions regarding OSH. Considering all materials together, significantly more participants reported liking the materials (p < 0.001) than did not, learning something new (p < 0.01), trusting the information (p < 0.05), intending to seek out additional OSH information (p < 0.01), and intending to speak to their bosses about OSH (p < 0.05). These findings contribute to building an evidence base for moving research knowledge into practice, which is an essential, but often overlooked, element of occupational safety and health research, particularly among workers from underserved communities.

This article examines how respondents understood items in the Spanish versions of the Short-Form 36 (SF-36v2). Cognitive interviews of the SF-36 were conducted in 2 phases with 46 Spanish speakers living in the United States. Roughly one-third (17/46) of respondents had difficulty understanding the Role Emotional items upon their initial reading, and almost half (21/46) provided examples that were inconsistent with the intended meaning of the items. The findings of this study underscore the importance of conducting cognitive testing to ensure conceptual equivalence of any instrument regardless of how well validated it appears to be.

Background There are roughly 3.8 million cleaning workers in the United States. The cleaning workforce is largely composed of women, immigrants, and ethnic minorities who receive low wages and have low education levels. They are exposed to physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial hazards. Methods Qualitative methodology was used to investigate how Latino immigrants experience work as building cleaners. A grounded theory coding approach was used to analyze focus group data from 77 participants. Results Three major themes were identified: economic vulnerability, psychosocial stressors, and health and safety effects. Although workers are aware of the safety hazards associated with their jobs, they believe their immigration status limits employment opportunities leading them to accept poor working conditions. They work through injuries and cope psychologically through minimizing negative health impacts and normalizing work-related injuries and illnesses. Conclusions The findings suggest that interventions for these workers should recognize the hostile organizational and psychosocial contexts within which immigrants often work.

BACKGROUND:Construction is a dangerous industry with a large number of small businesses. Because they require minimal resources to deliver, toolbox talks may be an ideal training format for small construction contractors. METHODS:Eight toolbox talks were developed, each with two versions. One version of each toolbox talk was standard and one version included a narrative and discussion questions. Participants were randomly assigned to receive the standard or the narrative version. Pre- and post-intervention surveys measured demographics, workplace safety climate, and knowledge. The post-intervention survey also measured training impact. RESULTS:Including narratives with discussion questions significantly increased knowledge gain and led to increased training impact. Less experienced workers were more likely to gain knowledge and training impact compared to more experienced workers. There were no significant changes in workplace safety climate. CONCLUSIONS:The results suggest that including a narrative and discussion questions increases toolbox talk effectiveness.

BACKGROUNDPersons born outside the United States are more likely to be diagnosed with tuberculosis disease (TB) than native-born individuals. Foreign-born Latinos at risk of TB may be difficult to reach with public health interventions due to cultural and institutional barriers. Workplaces employing large concentrations of foreign-born Latinos may be useful locations for TB interventions targeting this high-risk population.METHODThis study used a two-phase approach to investigate the feasibility of workplace TB interventions. The first phase investigated employer knowledge of TB and receptiveness to allowing TB interventions in their businesses through 5 structured interviews. The second phase investigated foreign-born workers' knowledge of TB and their receptiveness to receiving TB interventions in their places of employment through 12 focus groups stratified by gender and education.RESULTSPhase 1: Only 1 of the 5 employers interviewed had a high level of knowledge about TB, and three had no knowledge other than that TB was a disease that involved coughing. They were receptive to workplace TB interventions, but were concerned about lost productivity and customers finding out if an employee had TB. Phase 2: There was no observed differences in responses between gender and between the bottom two education groups, so the final analysis took place between a gender-combined lower education group and higher education group. The higher education group tended to have knowledge that was more accurate and to view TB as a disease associated with poverty. The lower education group tended to have more misconceptions about TB and more often expressed concern that their employers would not support worksite interventions.CONCLUSIONSThe results from both phases indicate that more TB education is needed among both foreign-born Latino workers and their employers. Obstacles to implementing workplace TB interventions include knowledge, potential productivity loss, employer liability, and perceived customer response.

Translation research in occupational safety and health is the application of scientific investigative approaches to study how the outputs of basic and applied research can be effectively translated into practice and have an impact. This includes the study of the ways in which useful knowledge and interventions are disseminated, adopted, implemented, and institutionalized. In this paper, a 4-stage framework (Development, Testing, Institutionalization, and Evaluation) is presented. Translation research can be used to enhance the use and impact of occupational safety and health knowledge and interventions to protect workers. This type of research has not received much attention in the occupational safety and health field. However, in contemporary society, it is critical to know how to make an impact with the findings and outputs of basic and applied research. This paper provides a novel framework for consideration of how to advance and prioritize translation research for occupational safety and health.

Es preciso entender que el trabajo u ocupación influyen sobre la salud de los individuos, y como esta influencia va más allá de los peligros, riesgos y condiciones físicas, emocionales y sociales con que las que se enfrentanlaboralmente. El trabajo u ocupación también ejercen una influencia importante sobre otros aspectos de la vida que contribuyen o afectan la salud de los individuos y la de sus familias.El trabajo es el principal incentivo para la migración mexicana hacia los Estados Unidos. Los inmigrantes mexicanos padecen efectos en la salud física y enfermedades crónicas que tienden a empeorar mientras mástiempo permanecen en los Estados Unidos. La estrecha relación entre el trabajo y la inmigración sugiere que, para muchos mexicanos, la inmigración puede ser análoga a una profesión que los pone a ellos y a sus familiares en situaciones que pueden cambiar su salud física, emocional y social a raíz de su empleo.Dado el gran número de mexicanos que emigran para trabajar, es esencial que los trabajadores sociales tomen en cuenta los impactos físicos, mentales y sociales asociados con la emigración cuando trabajan conmigrantes a nivel individual, familiar y comunitario, así como a nivel del sistema. Este trabajo es una revisión bibliográfica que explora el efecto que la migración tiene sobre la salud de las personas que emigran y la de sus familiares que se quedan.

It is necessary to understand that work and occupation influence the health of individuals and this influence goes beyond the dangers, risks and physical, emotional and social conditions with which people may face them. Work or occupation also has an important influence on other aspects of life which contribute to or affect the health of individuals and their families. Jobs are the main incentive for Mexican migration going to the United States. Mexican migrants suffer from the effect of physical health and chronic illnesses which tend to grow worse as they spend more and more time in the United States. The close relationship between work and immigration suggests that for many Mexicans immigration may be analogous to a profession which places them and their families in situations which may affect their physical, emotional and social health as a result of their work. Given the large number of Mexicans who emigrate for seeking jogs, it is essential that social workers take into account the physical, mental and social impacts associated with emigration when they work with migrants on the individual, family or community level, as well as at the level of the system. This paper is a bibliographic review which explores the effect of migration on the health of people who emigrate and of their families who stay behind.

BACKGROUNDUndocumented immigration to the United States has grown dramatically over the past 25 years. This study explores undocumented status as a social determinant of occupational health by examining its perceived consequences on workplace safety of Latino immigrants.METHODSGuided by the Theory of Work Adjustment, qualitative analysis was conducted on transcripts from focus groups and individual interviews conducted with a convenience sample of Latino immigrant workers.RESULTSParticipants reported that unauthorized status negatively impacted their safety at work and resulted in a degree of alienation that exceeded the specific proscriptions of the law. Participants overwhelming used a strategy of disengagement to cope with the challenges they face as undocumented immigrants.CONCLUSIONThis study describes the complex web of consequences resulting from undocumented status and its impact on occupational health. This study presents a framework connecting the daily work experiences of immigrants, the coping strategy of disengagement, and efforts to minimize the impact of structural violence.

Action to address workforce functioning and productivity requires a broader approach than the traditional scope of occupational safety and health. Focus on “well-being” may be one way to develop a more encompassing objective. Well-being is widely cited in public policy pronouncements, but often as “. . . and well-being” (e.g., health and well-being). It is generally not defined in policy and rarely operationalized for functional use. Many definitions of well-being exist in the occupational realm. Generally, it is a synonym for health and a summative term to describe a flourishing worker who benefits from a safe, supportive workplace, engages in satisfying work, and enjoys a fulfilling work life. We identified issues for considering well-being in public policy related to workers and the workplace.