Abstract No:
1662
Abstract Type:
Student Poster
Authors:
M Ierardi1, B Pavilonis2
Institutions:
1CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, Brooklyn, NY, 2City University of New York, New York, NY
Presenter:
Mike Ierardi, CIH, CSP
CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy
Faculty Advisor:
Brian Pavilonis
City University of New York
Description:
Nearly 20% of the U.S. workforce is foreign-born, with a disproportionate number employed in high-risk industries with frequent occupational exposures. Traditional health and safety communication strategies may not effectively reach or resonate with im/migrant worker communities. This scoping review identifies which communication channels and messaging approaches most effectively convey workplace exposure information to this underserved and hard-to-reach worker population. Preliminary findings suggest participatory, culturally tailored, and peer-led strategies outperform passive materials, particularly in agriculture, construction, and day labor sectors. Key barriers include language, trust, and legal vulnerability. These findings provide practical insights for occupational and environmental health and safety professionals seeking to improve risk communication and advance workplace health equity.
Situation/Problem:
Foreign-born workers comprise nearly one in five U.S. workers (BLS, 2025). Immigrants are often employed in lower-wage positions in some of the riskiest industries such as construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors, where exposure to multiple occupational hazards is common (Gany et al., 2014; Orrenius & Zavodny, 2009; Zuehlke, 2009). Several factors contribute to this concentration in higher-risk jobs, including differences in risk perceptions or knowledge, lower educational attainment and limited English proficiency, reduced social capital and the potential lack of legal documents, and the "healthy immigrant effect" (Orrenius & Zavodny, 2009). As a result, immigrant workers face disproportionately high rates of occupational fatalities. In 2021, for example, foreign-born Hispanic or Latino workers comprised 14% of work-related deaths in the U.S. despite representing 8.2% of the workforce (Castillo, 2023). Culturally and linguistically appropriate communication is therefore essential to ensuring these workers understand workplace hazards and their rights under existing regulations. Our main research question was: What are the most effective communication strategies used within im/migrant worker communities to discuss workplace exposures?
Methods:
A scoping review was conducted following established frameworks and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and GreenFILE were searched for peer-reviewed studies (January 2015-July 2025) that examined communication strategies addressing occupational exposures among im/migrant workers in the U.S. and other high-income countries. Reviews, editorials, non-workplace health promotion studies, and non-English studies were excluded. Records were managed in Rayyan, and two reviewers independently conducted title/abstract and full-text screening using predefined criteria, with calibration exercises to ensure consistency. Discrepancies were resolved by discussion or adjudication by a third reviewer, as necessary. Extracted data included geographical location; study population; communication strategies and channels, and measures of their effectiveness; as well as barriers and facilitators to accessing, receiving, and acting on health and safety messaging. Findings are currently being synthesized into a narrative structure to identify themes by sector, including communication approaches, outcomes, and research gaps. Strengths include systematic multi-database searching, independent screening by two individuals, and transparent study design and reporting. Limitations include lack of formal quality appraisal, English-language restriction, and limited generalizability.
Results / Conclusions:
Following screening of 2,894 titles and abstracts, 59 relevant studies were identified and are undergoing full-text review, 27 of which are intervention studies and 32 are non-intervention studies. The majority focused on agriculture and construction/day labor sectors, with workers primarily from Mexico working in the U.S. Preliminary findings indicate that participatory, culturally tailored, and bilingual approaches, including facilitator-led trainings, community health worker-led workshops, visual materials, mobile messaging, and peer-led WhatsApp/social media groups, consistently outperform passive information dissemination. Interactive and hands-on training methods were associated with sustained transfer of learning. Common barriers include language and literacy gaps, cultural norms, poorly translated materials, fear of retaliation or immigration consequences, employer disengagement, limited time, and restricted digital access. Facilitators include trusted intermediaries (e.g., community health workers), peer networks, supportive supervisors, and hands-on and visual communication methods. Overall, findings suggest that trust, cultural relevance, and worker participation are central to effective occupational health communication within im/migrant worker communities.
This scoping review maps communication strategies used to convey occupational health and safety information to im/migrant worker communities and identifies key evidence gaps. Preliminary take-away lessons include: communication effectiveness depends on both channel and context; structural barriers such as language, trust, legal vulnerability, and digital access must be explicitly considered and addressed; and community partnerships are central to improving reach and comprehension. This review will inform future pilot interventions, scalable communication models, and policy efforts aimed at advancing occupational health equity.
Core Competencies:
Risk Communication
Secondary Core Competencies:
Hazard Communication
Total Worker Health ®
Choose at least one (1), and up to five, (5) keywords from the following list. These selections will optimize your presentation's search results for attendees.
Education and training
Emergency preparedness and response
Hazard communication
Safety
Based on the information that will be presented during your proposed session, please indicate the targeted audience practice level: (select one)
Professional: Professional is a job title given to persons who have obtained a baccalaureate or graduate degree in IH/OH, public health, safety, environmental sciences, biology, chemistry, physics, or engineering or who have a degree in another area that meets the standards set forth in the next section, Knowledge and Skill Sets of IH/OH Practice Levels, and has had 4 or more years of practice. One significant way of demonstrating professional competence is to achieve certification by a 3rd party whose certification scheme is recognized by the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) such as the Board of Global EHS Credentialing (BGC).
Was this session organized by an AIHA Technical Committee, Special Interest Group, Working Group, Advisory Group or other AIHA project Team?
No
Are worker exposure data and/or results of worker exposure data analysis presented?
No
How will this help advance the science of IH/OH?
This research identifies practical, evidence-informed communication strategies that improve how occupational hazards and exposures are conveyed to im/migrant worker populations who are often underserved by traditional health and safety messaging. By highlighting approaches that build trust, cultural relevance, and worker participation, the findings provide OEHS professionals with actionable guidance for designing more effective risk communication and training programs for im/migrant workers in high-risk industries.
Have you presented this information before?
No
I have read and agree to these guidelines.
Yes