Worksite Sanitation and Personal Hygiene Practices

Beginning in 1999, as part of a NIOSH-sponsored supplement on occupational health, the NAWS expanded its questions on worksite sanitation and added questions on personal hygiene practices. All supplement questions were asked in 1999-2000; smaller sets of questions were asked in subsequent years. Almost all agricultural workers reported that their current farm employer made drinking water, toilets, and water for washing hands available on a daily basis. Of the small percentage of agricultural workers who reported not using the employer-provided toilets on a daily basis (3% in 1999-2000), eight in ten indicated that the bathroom was 'too far away' to use. In 2001-2002, almost a third (30%) of agricultural workers reported having had to go to the bathroom in the field or open air.

DRINKING WATER — Employer makes drinking water available to agricultural worker on a daily basis

To view current and trend data from the NAWS select from the links below:

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.
Bar Chart Data Table Trend Lines

Bar Chart — Employer makes drinking water available to agricultural worker on a daily basis

Data Table — Employer makes drinking water available to agricultural worker on a daily basis1

Category 99-00 01-02 03-04 05-06 07-08
# % # % # % # % # %
Employer makes drinking water available to agricultural worker on a daily basis16,60893%6,03194%6,22795%3,42892%1,41395%
Do you drink it? Yes25,98892%--------
Do you drink it? No26128%--------
No drink, too far away15123%--------
No drink, tastes bad21246%--------
No drink, other28248%--------

1 Question was last asked in 2008.

2 Question was asked in 1999 and 2000 only. A dash (“-“) indicates that the question was not asked during the corresponding time period.

3 Question was asked in 1999 through 2001; the 01-02 column contains data for 2001 only.

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.

Trend Lines — Employer makes drinking water available to agricultural worker on a daily basis

Employer provides clean drinking water and disposable drinking cups dailyEmployer provides a toilet daily