Since 1962, the US government established health coverage under the Migrant Health Act for migrant agricultural workers, and later in 1970 included seasonal workers. Health coverage for migrant farmworkers in the USA is restricted to accidents and illness at the workplace. Access to services is further limited due to the relatively small number of Migrant Health Centers in the nation. In 2008, there were about 500 Migrant Health Centers nationwide, and cover about one quarter of all migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families.

In the USA, agricultural workers overall account for 3% of the workforce but were 7.4% of work-related casualties. Data from 1996 to 2006 Department of Labor's Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries for the agricultural sector report that fatality rates increased from 22.2 to 29.4 per 100,000 workers. In 2007, there were 25.7 deaths per 100,000 in agriculture compared to an average rate of 3.7 deaths in other industries. As the number of foreign born increased in the farm workforce, so did the number of fatalities. In farming and forestry, 84 deaths occurred in 1992, a sharp increment of 54% by 2002. Many of these fatalities are the result of lack of training and difficulties following instruction for lack of English language.

Governments have implemented rules and guidance on substances that can be used in agriculture. Pesticides are applied to prevent, destroy, or mitigate any pest, including insects, mice, and other animals, and weeds, fungi, and some microorganisms. In the USA, the Environmental Protection Agency regulates pesticide safety training for workers. Safety measures are not always enforced and language barriers impede full understanding of handling of pesticides with safety. Inhalation, ingestion, and absorption by the skin are ways through which pesticides can enter the body. Fields may not have available the sanitation facilities to wash themselves and their contaminated clothes. Under these conditions, pesticides can be brought home and affect workers' families, especially children. Also farmworkers' housing is exposed to drifts of pesticide applications in nearby fields. Immediate effects of smaller doses of pesticides include rash, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, eye irritation, headache, and muscle weakness. Long-term effects include increased risks of several cancers, sterility and neurological decline in adults, and other chronic health problems such as respiratory problems, memory disorders, and dermatological conditions. Pregnant women who are exposed face the danger of spontaneous abortion and deformed babies, and retarded neurobehavioral development in children.

Heat stress is an occupational risk that is the result of long hours under the sun and great physical exertion that causes body heat to rise, and if not attended to can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, neurological impairment, multi-organ failure, and death. Crop workers have a heat-related death rate of 0.39 per 100,000 workers compared to 0.02 for other civilian workers. These deaths could be easily avoided if appropriate clothing, shade, breaks, and drinking water were readily available in the fields. The 2005 National Page 1091  |  Top of ArticleAgricultural Workers Survey reported that one in five workers did not have access to drinking water and cups.

Farmwork requires constant bending, climbing, crawling, twisting, overexertion, repetitive motions, excessive loads, and carrying heavy items. Moreover, because most are paid by piece rate, workers are pushed to labor for long hours, with no breaks and at high speed. All these factors increase the likelihood of injury. There are two main groups of musculoskeletal injuries: (a) peripheral neuropathies, e.g., carpal tunnel syndrome and (b) tendonitis. Others include strains and muscle pain, rotator cuff injuries, and bursitis. These disorders account for half of all agricultural occupational injuries and 30% of absences. Also, inadequate tools play a role in their injuries. These problems can be reduced by altering work procedures and by redesigning agricultural tools (ergonomics). Musculoskeletal injuries not attended may become a permanent disability.

Other serious health conditions that are more difficult to diagnose and implement a follow-up treatment are mental health and chronic conditions. These conditions are exacerbated by the isolation, job insecurity, long periods of family separation, and poverty. Health centers report increasing numbers of severe mental stress and depression and chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.