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State: Calif. Paduda: Agriculture, COVID-19 and Workers' Comp Claims: [2020-08-19] |
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Here’s what’s puzzling me about agricultural workers, COVID-19 infections and workers’ comp:
Latinx people are much more likely to contract COVID-19 than any other ethnic group — more than twice as likely as whites. Agriculture employs a lot of Latinx folks; average monthly employment was 422,000 in 2019. About 45% of ag workers nationally are Latinx. So far this year, only 0.2% of California’s agricultural workers have filed a work comp claim for COVID-19. While news reports allege some employers are failing to implement adequate COVID-19 safety protections, there’s another side to this, one that requires serious consideration. This from a colleague (edited to preserve confidentiality):
What does this mean for you? Don’t be surprised if we see a significant increase in workers’ comp claims from agricultural workers. Cultural norms and biases MUST be considered, factored into, and made part of any and all prevention solutions. There are NO simple answers, and all of us are part of the problem — and can be part of the solution. REMINDER: Sign up for "Pandemic, Premiums and Profit: Is it the Sky That’s Falling ... or the Floor?" It's a free webinar on COVID-19’s impact on workers’ compensation. Mark Priven, of Bickmore Actuarial, and I will be weighing in this at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday. Joseph Paduda is co-owner of CompPharma, a consulting firm focused on improving pharmacy programs in workers’ compensation. This opinion is republished with his permission from his Managed Care Matters blog. |