Temporary Foreign
Agricultural Worker
Program (TFAW)
Every year thousands of temporary foreign agricultural workers come to Canada to work in the agriculture industry – including 20,000 arriving in Ontario to work on farms and in greenhouses.
These workers play a vital role in the industry, and therefore, in Ontario’s economy.
The Provincial Expert Advisory Panel on Occupational Health and Safety, and subsequently, the Ontario Ministry of Labour (MOL), have identified this labour force as a group who face barriers in accessing effective occupational health and safety resources and support.
As migrant farm workers spend the majority of their time at work, and farm work can be physically demanding, involving a variety of hazards, an occupational health and safety focus is particularly important for supporting the health of this population.
Since 2006 we have offered our services to migrant farm workers, their employers and community partners with the aim to continue to become valued partners in agricultural and horticultural occupational health and safety.
Every season we connect and work with more and more Ontario growers
We have worked with farms in:
Durham • Haldimand-Norfolk • Niagara Regions • Brant County • Lambton County.
We support them in addressing the challenges of working with a diverse workforce and ensuring occupational health and safety guidelines and programs are understood and effective in the form of:
WORKSHOPS
We have delivered workshops occupational health and safety workshops to 1000+ migrant farm workers
RESOURCES
We continue to identify, develop and distribute health and safety information, resources and materials in literacy and language appropriate formats.
STRATEGIES and BEST PRACTICES
We continue to support farms with strategies and best practices to ensure their health and safety programs are effectively understood by, and reflect the needs of, the diverse labour force in agriculture and horticulture.
CONSULTATION SERVICES
We continue to provide both workplace and clinical consultations to assist both the workers and their employers. Learn more about these consultations below.
TRANSLATON
SERVICES
We can also provide translation services to help you communicate more effectively with your workers. Learn more about our translation service below.
THE NUMBERS
58,000
The number of people that came to Canada to work through the two key programs*
52%
of the temporary foreign agricultural workers were from Mexico
92+%
The percentage of agricultural jobs filled by temporary foreign workers in Canada
78%
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* from the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s agricultural stream
AWARENESS and BASICS
The IRS and OHS worker rights and responsibilities (Eduardo?)
Hazards and Prevention
Not sure what else you want in this section…?
CONFIDENCE, CULTURE and COMMUNICATIONS
When working with migrant farm workers, it is important to promote worker confidence and build a positive health and safety culture through communications
The following factsheets draw from our experience as well as from research conducted by other health and safety organizations working with migrant workers:
Since 2006, OHCOW has provided occupational health support to more than a thousand migrant farm workers and their employers in Ontario through clinical consultations for individuals with occupational health concerns, and prevention-based occupational health and safety materials, tools and workshops. All our services are free of charge. This factsheet draws from our experience as well as from research conducted by other health and safety organizations working with migrant workers
Culture Makes a Difference
Making workplaces safe and healthy involves the collaboration of all workplace parties which is why an ‘internal responsibility system’ is the core framework of Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. For this to be effective, it is important that workers feel as though they can ask questions, raise concerns, understand issues and be involved in developing health and safety solutions.
Some migrant farm workers voice feeling intimidated to ask questions about work practices or to identify health and safety concerns. Several reasons are described: they will get in trouble, be seen as a nuisance, or perceived as incapable of performing the work tasks if they ask questions. Migrant workers particularly fear being “sent home” if they raise concerns. It is important to recognize and address these fears in order to achieve an open, collaborative, healthy, safe and productive work place culture.
Promote worker confidence in engaging with health and safety:
- Communicate frequently and openly, encouraging conversation, questions and feedback
- Emphasize the importance of asking questions for clarification. Ask workers to demonstrate or re-iterate for confirmation.
- Listen. Consistently give workers a chance to speak and/or ask for feedback (e.g. “what do you think?”) to encourage contribution, participation and also increased engagement.
- Explain that responding to concerns raised by workers helps improve conditions for all workplace parties, and are not part of blaming or firing people.
- Encourage workers who are less confident communicating in English to refer concerns through a co-worker who can help them with communication.
- Where possible provide basic health and safety materials and/or training in the workers’ language or with the assistance of a competent translator or translating device
Build a positive health and safety culture:
- Highlight the internal responsibility system and the role of all parties in collaborating for health and safety in the workplace
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to safety through postings, orientation, training and the provision of hazard information, and ensuring equipment is in good repair
- Pace work so that workers do not feel the need to compromise safety to meet production demands
- Emphasize the importance of reporting hazards, near misses and especially accidents for proper follow-up and future prevention
- Recognize that workers may come with pre-conceived ideas that may complicate their understanding of safety instructions or practices, and solicit teachable moments to address those eg. Fear of the “shock” of cold water on hot days, and the hazardous use of mineral salts like “suero” as hydration aids.
- Promote health by providing access to hand washing and laundry facilities.
Celebrate success stories where worker ideas have made a difference to health, safety, productivity and/or quality
eg. From a local farm:
- Workers told farmer that round single-person carrying baskets are awkward to carry, and are causing strains to their backs.
- Employer researched better carrying boxes and eventually purchased (cheaper!) plastic crates that can be carried by two people to share the weight
- Employer notes that since the change workers have been more productive, and have not experienced the same back discomfort.
References:
- HSE Human Factors Briefing Note No. 8 Safety-Critical Communications- Health and Safety Executive.
- Leadership and worker involvement toolkit: Effective communication and gaining co-operation-Health and Safety Executive
- Common Topics 3: Safety Critical Communications-Health and Safety Executive
- Protecting migrant workers-Health and Safety Executive
Since 2006, OHCOW has provided occupational health support to more than a thousand migrant farm workers and their employers in Ontario through clinical consultations for individuals with occupational health concerns, and prevention- based occupational health and safety materials, tools and workshops. All our services are free of charge. This factsheet draws from our experience as well as from research conducted by other health and safety organizations working with migrant workers.
Communication
Communication is the key to a healthy, safe and productive workplace. It is needed to ensure roles and directions are understood; to warn against dangers; to avoid unsafe practices; to promote critical emergency response and particularly to learn about (and from!) the concerns and hazards that workers encounter.
“I did not understand the directions they gave, I just tried to watch how my co- worker was doing the work, but I still felt unsure for quite some time”
Migrant farm workers often have limited speaking and comprehension skills in English and may also be reluctant (in their anxiety to work) to let on when they don’t understand. Literacy can also be an issue. Not addressing these factors in workplace communication and training can put everyone in the workplace at risk.
Therefore where possible:
- Provide instructions, materials and training in the language of the workers (OHCOW can help find or verify). E.g. http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pubs/poster_prevention.php
- Use materials and training with clear images or symbols
- Repeat key information in different ways: written, verbal, and visual formats
- Participation and engagement are critical: Consistently ask for feedback or ideas from workers regarding information being presented (e.g. “what do you think?”)
- Identify workers who may be more proficient in English, and support them to be communication aides for others.
- Encourage workers to ask for repetition or clarification when they do not understand.
- Use a ‘buddy’ system, pairing less and more experienced workers who speak the same language.
- Include comprehension testing activities as part of training to measure understanding.
- Train supervisors on how to communicate clearly, to be patient, to check understanding and to encourage feedback
- Pace work so that there is adequate time to communicate effectively
- Ensure important communications are not muffled by workplace noise
- Look for an opportunity to provide ‘workplace English’ lessons or resources to interested workers
Workers Need to Know:
- OHS Rights and Responsibilities, and what that means to them
- Farm/Business Safety Roles, Policy and Procedures and what they mean in practice
- How to get help in an Emergency (see below)
- Hazards and Risks they face in their jobs; Why and how they are to be controlled
- Safe working practices they should follow; how well they are doing so; and consequences if they don’t
- Healthy hygiene practices when working with soil, chemicals or biohazards
- Where they can get more safety information (ideally posted where they congregate)
- The importance of communicating about safety: to each other, to their supervisor, to management, and to visitors or outside contractors who face the same hazards
- The importance of reporting injuries and illness in order to ensure treatment and prevention
Emergency Planning:
Emergency planning and communication is key to ensure an effective response when every minute counts.
- Advise workers whom to call first and provide the means to do so (eg. Radio or cell phone). Ideally every location should have a designated first aid responder.
- Train workers with some English proficiency to call 911 if the supervisor or responder can’t be reached or the situation is serious.
- Provide workers with cards that clearly state the address of the farm and specific directions to the work location (eg. Field) if different.
- Train workers in identifying and responding to heat stroke, eg. cooling the victim with water and moving them closer to the road for faster access.
- Practice with mock drills, giving everyone a chance to play a role
References:
- HSE Human Factors Briefing Note No. 8 Safety-Critical Communications- Health and Safety Executive.
- Leadership and worker involvement toolkit: Effective communication and gaining co-operation-Health and Safety Executive
- Common Topics 3: Safety Critical Communications-Health and Safety Executive
- Protecting migrant workers-Health and Safety Executive
- Communication a tool for better safety, compliance and understanding of migrant workers-Margarita Caropresi, Director and Chief editor Atoctli.
EVENTS
OHCOW hosts, and partners with other organizations, to bring special events to the migrant farm worker community.
Previous events include:
Migrant Farm Worker Forums • Work, Migration and Health Forum
International Foreign Agricultural Workers Workshop
plus many others
Visit our MFW Event Resources page to learn more about and view resources from these events.
RESOURCES
Through our years of work with migrant farm workers, we have identified numerous educational materials that are effective in communicating occupational health and safety (OHS) information to migrant farm workers.
These resources include those developed by NIOSH, CAL OSHA, the US National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH), among others.
NEW!
Mental Health and Psychosocial Supports for International Agricultural Workers in Ontario
Project Report Now Available
A project funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
May 2021 to March 2022
NEW for 2022
Helping Workers to Know and Exercise Their Health and Safety Rights
Four new colourful, informative infographics
VIEW INFOGRAPHICS
VER INFOGRAFIA
TINGNAN ANG MGA INFOGRAPHIC
VIEW VIDEOS
that accompany these infographics
Mental Health and Psychosocial Supports for Ontario International Agricultural Workers
Nine Regional Resource Posters
in English and Spanish
View the videos that accompany these posters:
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
WORKERS’ RESOURCES
Calling 911
What to Expect After Calling 911
Ontario Pesticide Education Program (OPEP)
Pesticide Safety Certification and Training for Farmers and Vendors
Mental Health and Psychosocial Supports for Ontario International Agricultural Workers
Regional Resource Posters
A digital flyer [PDF] providing quick access to both digital and print versions of the eight (8) English and eight (8) Spanish Workplace Mental Health posters:
The following wallet-size reference cards contain helpful information for workers who need to exercise their rights for a healthy and safe work environment:
EMPLOYER RESOURCES
Heightened COVID-19 Risks to Temporary Foreign (Migrant) Agricultural Workers (TFAWs) and Recommended Actions in the 2020 Agricultural Season Occupational Medicine
A Perspective Paper
by Donald C Cole MD, DOHS, MSc, FRCP(C), Occupational, Environmental and Public Health Medicine Consultant
Recommendations for Overcoming Health Challenges Faced By Migrant Agricultural Workers during the COVID-19-Virus Pandemic
Report to ESDC (last update June 9, 2020)
Health and Safety Guides and Toolkits
(many are related to agricultural work)
Source: Workplace Safety & Prevention Services
CASE STUDIES
The following case studies are provided …
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TESTIMONIALS
The following testimonials speak to the quality and value of this highly regarded program.
CONSULTATION SERVICES
We offer both Workplace and Clinic Consultations as part of our Migrant Farm Workers Program.
Learn more about each service in the blocks below.
Register for a free consultation using the contact form or phone number below.
Workplace Consultations
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Clinical Consultations
For individuals with occupational health concerns
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Translation Assistance
If you need help translating your existing occupational health and safety program material into a second language,
please contact us using the contact form or phone number below.
RELATED VIDEOS
We have a large library of videos related to Migrant Farm Workers.
Most of these videos are generated from speaker sessions at our various events/forums.
To view these videos by event, view our MFW Events page.
QUÉ ESPERAR CUANDO LLAME AL 911
LLAME AL 911
Cuando necesite atención médica de emergencia
Migrant Farm Workers
VIEW PRESENTATION
[PDF]
Mental Health Among Jamaican Farm Workers
VIEW PRESENTATION
[PDF]
Temporary Foreign Agricultural Workers
Pesticide Safety in Ontario
CONTACT US
Use the following form to contact the OHCOW Migrant Farm Workers Program:
You can also call us about the Migrant Farm Workers Program if you prefer:
1-877-817-0336
From Our Partners
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
POSTERS/INFOGRAPHICS
Working in the Heat
Heat-Related Illness: Watch for Signs
Keep Your Cool
PUBLICATIONS
Working in Hot Environments: Health and Safety Guide
FACTSHEETS
Humidex Rating and Work
Cold Environments – General
Cold Environments – Health Effects and First Aid
Cold Environments – Working in the Cold
Hot Environments – Control Measures
Hot Environments – Health Effects and First Aid
Humidex Rating and Work
Temperature Conditions – Cold
Temperature Conditions – Hot
Temperature Conditions – Legislation
Government of Ontario
WEB PAGES
Working Outdoors
Managing Heat Stress at Work
Occupational Health and Safety Council of Ontario (OHSCO)
TOOLKIT
Heat Stress Awareness Guide
Heat Stress Awareness Poster
Heat Stress Awareness Wheel Tool