The role of the legal framework for improving the occupational safety and health of Mexican immigrant workers in the U.S

Collaboration between U.S. OSH institutions and the Mexican Consular network in the U.S. could considerably improve the occupational safety and health of Mexican immigrant workers by addressing three important areas: surveillance, information dissemination, and access to local and national resources. NIOSH, IME, and the Mexican Secretariat of Health are currently engaged in activities to promote collaboration in all three of these areas to improve occupational safety and health of Spanish-speaking immigrant workers in the U.S. These activities aim to increase capacity in Mexican Consulates and other organizations that serve immigrants in the U.S., build capacity withing occupational safety and health organizations to better serve the needs of immigrant workers, raise awareness among immigrant workers of their rights and responsibilities related to occupational safety and health, and to increase workers’ access to resources, services, and information. These activities have the potential to support systems change to increase occupational health equity between immigrant and other workers in the U.S. as organizations simultaneously work towards large-scale policy change.  This example of binational collaboration may be a useful model for other countries with populations of immigrant workers who are at increased risk of having poor occupational safety and health.