• Paul F Monaghan, Linda S Forst, Jose Antonio Tovar-Aguilar, Carol A Bryant, Glenn D Israel, Sebastian Galindo-Gonzalez, Zachary Thompson, Yiliang Zhu, and Robert J McDermott.
• Florida Prevention Research Center, University of South Florida College of Public Health, Tampa, 33612, USA.
• Am J Public Health. 2011 Dec 1;101(12):2269-74.

ObjectivesAlthough eye injuries are common among citrus harvesters, the proportion of workers using protective eyewear has been negligible. We focused on adoption of worker-tested safety glasses with and without the presence and activities of trained peer-worker role models on harvesting crews.MethodsObservation of 13 citrus harvesting crews established baseline use of safety eyewear. Nine crews subsequently were assigned a peer worker to model use of safety glasses, conduct eye safety education, and treat minor eye injuries. Safety eyewear use by crews was monitored up to 15 weeks into the intervention.ResultsIntervention crews with peer workers had significantly higher rates of eyewear use than control crews. Intervention exposure time and level of worker use were strongly correlated. Among intervention crews, workers with 1 to 2 years of experience (odds ratio [OR] = 2.89; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11, 7.55) and who received help from their peer worker (OR = 3.73; 95% CI = 1.21, 11.57) were significantly more likely to use glasses than were other intervention crew members.ConclusionsAdaptation of the community health worker model for this setting improved injury prevention practices and may have relevance for similar agricultural settings.

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