Experiences of Marshallese Food Processing Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

The goal of this study was to conduct an exploratory assessment of COVID-19 mitigation steps and compare workplace experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic with Marshallese workers in other occupations. Marshallese adults residing in the continental United States (US) and Hawaii took part in an online survey. The sample was divided into two categories: food processing workers and workers in all other occupations. To examine differences between food processing workers and workers from all other occupations, we used Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U tests and Fisher’s Exact tests. Of those employed at the time of the survey (n = 113), 31 were employed in food processing plants, and 82 were employed in another occupation. Food processing workers and workers in other occupations differed significantly on level of education, length of residence in the US, English-speaking ability, and health literacy. More food processing workers reported that their employers installed barriers or provided shields (45%), provided temperature screenings (71%), and tested for COVID-19 (61%) compared with those in other occupations. A larger proportion of food processing workers reported having no sick leave compared with workers in other occupations, although they reported COVID-19 testing and being insured at similar rates. This is the first study to examine Marshallese food processing workers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings show that while some food processing employers implemented government-recommended guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, preventative and protective measures were not comprehensively applied across the food processing industry, despite efforts by public health agencies and community partners.

KEYWORDS:

• food processing
• COVID-19
• Marshallese
• COFA migrant workers
• occupational health
• occupational safety

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability

Participants in this study did not consent to their data being shared publicly, so supporting data are not available.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute COVID-19 enhancement award [#AD–1603-34602]. Additional support was provided by a Translational Research Institute award [#UL1TR003107] from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science of the National Institute of Health.