As part of a NIOSH-sponsored supplement on dust, questions on the use of personal equipment to protect against dust and chemicals were administered in 2002-2003. Agricultural workers were shown pictures of personal protective equipment used for protection against dust including bandana, disposable mask, respirator, and cloth covers for the face and head, and were asked which devices were used in the last month while doing farm work. The largest share of agricultural workers noted that they had used cloth covers for the face and head (18%). Among those who reported having used this type of protective equipment, the most frequently-cited reasons (multiple responses were allowed) were for protection against the sun (reported by 77%) and protection against dust (reported by 37%). Only a small share of agricultural workers reported that there were some days in the previous month when they should have worn protective gear but did not (6%).
Protective gear used while doing farm work in the last month
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Attention A T users. Data is presented in three formats, a bar chart, a textual data table, and a line chart. The data is best reviewed though the data table when using A T.
Data Table — Protective gear used while doing farm work in the last month
| Category | 02-03 | |
|---|---|---|
| # | % | |
| Face and head cloth covers | 1,023 | 18% |
| Some days | 160 | 14% |
| Always | 824 | 86% |
| Total days used | ||
| 1-3 days | 26 | 19% |
| 4-7 days | 62 | 40% |
| 8 days or more | 64 | 42% |
| Reasons used | ||
| Dust | 303 | 37% |
| Chemicals | 77 | 8% |
| Other reason | 26 | 2% |
| Sun | 782 | 77% |
| Bandana | 431 | 7% |
| Some days | 109 | 26% |
| Always | 301 | 74% |
| Total days used | ||
| 1-3 days | 20 | 24% |
| 4-7 days | 44 | 37% |
| 8 days or more | 40 | 40% |
| Reasons used | ||
| Dust | 160 | 42% |
| Chemicals | 48 | 14% |
| Other reason | 28 | 7% |
| Sun | 273 | 67% |
| Disposable mask | 872 | 12% |
| Some days | 734 | 86% |
| Always | 119 | 14% |
| Total days used | ||
| 1-3 days | 273 | 31% |
| 4-7 days | 244 | 34% |
| 8 days or more | 223 | 35% |
| Reasons used | ||
| Dust | 647 | 81% |
| Chemicals | 292 | 30% |
| Other reason | 24 | 3% |
| Respirator | 322 | 3% |
| Some days | 298 | 90% |
| Always | 21 | 10% |
| Total days used | ||
| 1-3 days | 124 | 33% |
| 4-7 days | 90 | 30% |
| 8 days or more | 86 | 37% |
| Reasons used | ||
| Dust | 69 | 30% |
| Chemicals | 292 | 93% |
| Other reason | 7 | 2%a |
a Estimates with relative standard errors (RSEs) greater than 30 percent but no more than 50 percent are published but should be used with caution.
b Estimates based on fewer than four responses or with RSEs greater than 50 percent are considered statistically unreliable and are suppressed.