Occupational health among Chicago day laborers: an exploratory study

The authors report on the results of an exploratory investigation of the occupational safety experience among day laborers at one street-corner hiring site in Chicago. The authors' goals were to pilot street-corner surveillance methods, including those that would facilitate access to the workers, and to obtain information on the day laborers' occupational safety experience, including the types of jobs and tasks performed, the hazardous conditions encountered, and the frequency of occupational injuries. The authors held interviews at one street corner in Chicago; 21 day laborers participated. All were male, and 90% were Latino. Construction jobs were common. Roofing and demolition were 2 of the most hazardous jobs. Of the respondents, 52% had been injured in the previous year. This exploratory study was a successful first step in occupational injury research among street-corner day laborers and suggests that these workers are frequently exposed to hazardous working conditions without safety training or equipment.