Commercial ocean fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. Workplace-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths are not uncommon for commercial seafood workers, and many of these adverse outcomes are avoidable in this mostly self-employed uninsured, hardworking workforce that feeds our nation. This surveillance research project will assess the current status of commercial fishery worker safety in the southeastern US, focusing on the coastal Gulf of Mexico workforce in Florida and Alabama.

View our video at the button below to see what Andy Kane and his team are doing to learn more about the health and safety of seafood workers. Watch the video

The goal of this project is to reduce pesticide- and heat-related poor health outcomes among Latino farmworkers. We will achieve this goal through a community-advocate-university partnership that will: (1) Create reproducible, culturally- and contextually-appropriate curricula for Latino farmworkers targeting pesticide exposure (suitable for meeting employer requirements under the revised WPS) and HRI, (2) Determine the effectiveness of the developed pesticide and HRI curricula implemented by professional educators in promoting advocated safety behaviors, and (3) Identify the comparative effectiveness of a promotora-based implementation of developed curricula relative to the use of professional educators.

View our video at the button below to see what Joseph G. Grzywacz and Antonio Tovar-Aguilar are doing to learn more about pesticide and heat stress education for farmworkers. Watch the video

Recently there has been a marked increase in occurrence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in agricultural workers in Mesoamerica. The potential mechanism for this increase remains elusive; it may be associated with working in hot environments causing recurrent dehydration leading to decreased renal blood flow, high demands on tubular reabsorption, and increased levels of uric acid or possible activation of the fructokinase pathway. These underlying processes may result in chronic tubular injury and fibrosis.

View our video at the button below to see what McCauley and is doing to learn more about heat stress and biomarkers of renal disease. Watch the video